Culture

There is currently no specific diagnostic test for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but now researchers have identified a combination of 16 different substances in the breath that, when measured together, can accurately distinguish IBS patients from people without the condition.

Investigators analyzed breath samples from 170 IBS patients and 153 healthy controls, as well as 1307 participants in the general population. The set of 16 substances correctly predicted 89.4% of the IBS patients and 73.3% of the healthy controls.

Better education for both patients and doctors on how to spot the early symptoms of leprosy would help to reduce cases of the disease in Brazil, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

Delays in diagnosis of more than 10 years have been reported in Brazil. Research also indicates that reducing the social stigma attached to the infectious, but curable, disease could encourage sufferers in Brazil to go to their doctor and seek early treatment for the condition.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 10, 2016) - Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug, according to the latest research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. New research also shows that legal limits for marijuana and driving are arbitrary and unsupported by science, which could result in unsafe motorists going free and others being wrongfully convicted for impaired driving.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA - An exclusive CMAJ news article recounts the medical evacuation of the Fort McMurray hospital and the challenges in ensuring the safety of more than 120 patients as the unpredictable inferno raged in Alberta, Canada

Homeopathic remedies are marketed as effective alternatives to traditional medicine. But do they work? To answer this question, Reactions looks at the history of homeopathy, its principles and the scientific studies of various treatments.

Why is this even needed after 200 years of being shown not to work? This is a mystery science cannot explain.

AUSTIN, Texas -- A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine today demonstrates both the importance and the challenge of treating people who are at high risk of a stroke.

In the study, led by Dr. Clay Johnston, a neurologist and stroke specialist who serves as dean of the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, a team of researchers studied the effects of the drug ticagrelor on people who have suffered a minor ischemic stroke or what is known as a transient ischemic attack, or TIA.

Survey data suggest reported cumulative pesticide exposure was associated with increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.

Bethesda, MD (May 9, 2016) -- About 1.8 million Americans have celiac disease, an immune-based condition brought on by the consumption of gluten in genetically susceptible patients.

Umbilical cords of children whose mothers used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy may be longer than umbilical cords of other newborn children, shows a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, are commonly prescribed antidepressants, and this is the first time their association with umbilical cord length was observed. The findings were published in PLOS ONE.

(Boston)--With opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse considered one of the biggest public health threats of our time in the U.S., many are asking why so many Americans are struggling with addiction to illegal drugs and prescription medications. New research suggests that chronic pain may be part of the answer.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Sandia National Laboratories video producer Myra Buteau swept a hand toward the top shelf of a bookcase stuffed with black cases of high-definition tapes. The biggest challenge in telling the story of Sandia's years of above-ground and underground nuclear weapon field tests, she said, was condensing the 100 hours of interviews on those tapes into a 32-minute historical documentary.

Boston, Mass. -- An FDA-approved clinical trial is underway at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children to evaluate the use of a hypoglossal nerve stimulator -- a technology currently available to adults with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that stimulates the upper airway to facilitate breathing during sleep -- in a select group of adolescent patients with Down syndrome and OSA.

New research shows environmental pollutants could affect the chances a person will develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

There is no cure for this rapidly progressive motor neuron disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Those afflicted eventually lose their strength and ability to move their arms, legs and body.

As part of a larger study on environmental risk factors for ALS, University of Michigan researchers published their work on pesticide and other environmental exposures in JAMA Neurology.

Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2016 - Drowning is a global threat to human health. Each year, more than 372,000 people die as a result of drowning, with many of those deaths being preventable by simple water safety measures. In order to arm professionals with the most up-to-date clinical protocols, the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) has issued a new set of practice guidelines for both the treatment and prevention of drowning, published in the society's official journal, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.

The community of beneficial bacteria that live in our intestines, known as the gut microbiome, are important for the development and function of the immune system. There has been growing evidence that certain probiotics--therapies that introduce beneficial bacteria into the gut--may help alleviate some of the symptoms of intestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease.