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Psoriasis: Light shed on new details

"A pathological and very complex autoimmune reaction of the skin": This is the definition doctors and scientists use to describe psoriasis, a disease that affects one to three percent of the population. It is characterised by accelerated cell division in the upper dermal layers with proliferated skin cells and an inflammation of the skin beneath. Many different cells are involved in the complex processes: skin cells (keratinocytes) and cells of the immune system, among others T lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells and others.

Influence on an anti-inflammatory cytokine

Russians do not trust modern biomedical technologies -- poll

According to the poll, most Russians consider biological novelties useless or even unethical

Russians are cautious about modern technologies, including biomedicine achievements in biomedicine, suggests a poll conducted by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) of the Higher School of Economics (HSE) as part of the Monitoring Survey of Innovative Behavior of the Population.

Faster, better, cheaper tests for blood disease

Researchers and clinicians from hospitals and universities from many countries have collaborated to better understand diseases of platelets -- the little cells that help blood to clot. They have developed a more effective, comprehensive and cheaper panel of genetic tests that are already being used to benefit both patients and the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.

Development of the test is described in the journal Blood, published in print on Thursday June 09, 2016.

Scientists applaud passage of Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act

"The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine applauds the Senate passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, updating the statute that regulates chemicals policy.

"The bill requires alternatives to animal tests be considered and used, and places restrictions on animal testing-which are stronger than current law-that will over time facilitate the development and adoption of human-relevant, nonanimal methods. Because information obtained on chemicals will be human-relevant, products Americans use will be safer.

It can do no wrong: even Mediterranean diet high in fat doesn't lead to weight gain

Focus on low-fat diets and lack of differentiation between healthy and unhealthy fat has led to 'paradoxical policies' about healthy eating

Shorter patient consent forms, video formats improve comprehension

When patients participate in a clinical trial, they are required -- for legal and ethical reasons -- to complete consent forms that are typically long, complicated and filled with technical language. Some experts fear these forms can lead some patients to enroll in studies without fully understanding them and others to miss valuable opportunities.

NRL develops new low-defect method to nitrogen dope graphene resulting in tunable bandstructure

WASHINGTON - An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Electronics Science and Technology and Materials Science and Technology Divisions, has demonstrated hyperthermal ion implantation (HyTII) as an effective means of substitutionally doping graphene -- a hexagonally-arranged single-atomic thickness carbon sheet -- with nitrogen atoms. The result is a low-defect film with a tunable bandstructure amenable to a variety of device platforms and applications.

Ohioans say it is important for the state to lead in education and medical research

ROOTSTOWN, Ohio -- June 6, 2016 -- An overwhelming majority of Ohio residents say it is important for the state to be a leader in education (89 percent) and in medical and health research (87 percent), according to a state-based public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America. A high percentage of Ohioans also say the state should lead in science and technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Study finds one-third of women taking bisphosphonates remain at risk for fracture

INDIANAPOLIS -- More than 53 million Americans age 50 and older, primarily women, have osteoporosis or are at high risk for the condition due to low bone density. A recent study of oral bisphosphonates, the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis treatment, found that approximately a third of women prescribed these drugs continue to be at elevated risk for bone fracture, an outcome that may have several origins.

Targeting B-cell malignancies with κ-specific T cells can lead to complete clinical responses

Treating B cell malignancies with the patients' own T cells modified so as to target specific B cell markers has shown clinical success.

However, clinical success may require T cells to remain present in the body for prolonged periods of time, which results in sustained attack against B cells, an important branch of the immune response, and a substantial reduction in their total number.

Dartmouth researchers develop a new method to transparently measure health care value

In the United States, the transition from volume to value dominates discussions of health care reform. While shared decision making might help patients determine whether to get care, transparency in procedure- and hospital-specific value measures would help them determine where to get care.

Advanced cancer patients receive aggressive care at high rates at the end of life

CHAPEL HILL - In the last month of their lives, younger cancer patients continued to be hospitalized and receive other aggressive treatment at high rates, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study found.

A national health claims analysis of cancer patients who were younger than age 65 and had metastatic disease revealed that nearly two-thirds were admitted to the hospital or visited the emergency room in the last 30 days of their lives. The researchers said nearly a third of patients died in the hospital.

Videoconferencing between hospital clinicians, nursing home staff offers new dementia treatment

BOSTON - Nursing homes in the United States care for increasing numbers of people with dementia, yet many lack access to geriatric psychiatrists, behavioral neurologists and other specialists who may help manage symptoms associated with dementia, including behavioral issues. As a result, nursing home staff may resort to physical restraints or antipsychotic medications to manage behavioral challenges, which can significantly compromise a patient's health, autonomy and dignity.

The rise of intimate partner violence during the Great Recession

PRINCETON, N.J.--Financial strain has long been one of the leading causes of family discord, but a recent study suggests that simply living through major economic recessions increases a mother's chance of suffering from domestic violence.

Researchers from Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley, investigated the impact of economic distress on romantic relationships, demonstrating unexpected side effects of economic downturns.

Ships flagged for illegal fishing still able to get insurance: UBC study

New research from the University of British Columbia finds that rogue fishing vessels are able to secure insurance including those that have been flagged by international watchdogs for unlawful activity.

"Restricting access to insurance could play a major role in ending illegal fishing, and right now, it's a largely overlooked method," said lead author Dana Miller, who studied illegal fishing and insurance while she was a postdoctoral fellow at UBC.