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New fossils push the origin of flowering plants back by 100 million years to the early Triassic

Drilling cores from Switzerland have revealed the oldest known fossils of the direct ancestors of flowering plants. These beautifully preserved 240-million-year-old pollen grains are evidence that flowering plants evolved 100 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study in the open-access journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

Extended follow-up of hormone therapy trials does not support use for chronic disease prevention

Extended follow-up of the two Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy trials does not support use of hormones for chronic disease prevention, although the treatment may be appropriate for menopausal symptom management in some women, according to a study in the October 2 issue of JAMA.

Following bariatric surgery, use of opioids increases among chronic opioid users

In a group of patients who took chronic opioids for noncancer pain and who underwent bariatric surgery, there was greater chronic use of opioids after surgery compared with before, findings that suggest the need for proactive management of chronic pain in these patients after surgery, according to a study in the October 2 issue of JAMA.

Less can be more when removing lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery

DALLAS – Oct. 1, 2013 – A conservative approach to removing lymph nodes is associated with less harm for breast cancer patients and often yields the same results as more radical procedures, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Chronic use of prescription painkillers continues following bariatric surgery

DENVER, October 1, 2013 – Chronic use of prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, among obese patients prior to bariatric surgery continues after surgery, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Medical imaging professionals develop safety checklist to improve pediatric radiography

The October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR) focuses on a variety of issues relating to clinical practice, practice management, health services and policy, and radiology education and training.

Search tool for gene expression databases could uncover therapeutic targets, biological processes

PITTSBURGH—A new computational tool developed by U.S. and Israeli scientists will help scientists exploit the massive databases of gene expression experimental results that have been created over the past decade. Researchers say it could uncover new links between diseases and treatments and provide new insights into biological processes.

Egg-allergic children now have no barriers to flu shot

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILL. (Oct. 1, 2013) – All children should have flu shots, even if they have an egg allergy, and it's now safe to get them without special precautions. This finding is from the latest update on the safety of the flu vaccine for allergic patients, published in the October issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the official journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

Lactation may be linked to aggressive cancer in Mexican women

Scientific data suggest that a woman reduces her risk of breast cancer by breastfeeding, having multiple children and giving birth at a younger age. A study led by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and recently published online by Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, indicates that women of Mexican descent may not fit that profile. In fact, results suggest that women of Mexican descent with more children and those who breastfeed are more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

UW scientist sniffs out possible new tick species

MADISON — In June 2012, Tony Goldberg returned from one of his frequent trips to Kibale National Park, an almost 500-square-mile forest in western Uganda where he studies how infectious diseases spread and evolve in the wild. But he didn't return alone.

Out-of-pocket medical spending will drop for many under Affordable Care Act, study finds

Out-of-pocket medical expenses will decline for most consumers who become newly insuredor change their source of health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study found that overall the Affordable Care Act will have a varied impact on health spending by individuals and families, depending primarily on their income and whether they would have been uninsured in 2016 without the program.

New genetic discovery could reduce the guesswork in drug dosing

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The discovery of genetic differences affecting up to a third of the population could take the guesswork out of prescribing the correct dose of 25 percent of drugs currently on the market, researchers say.

The scientists found two genetic variants that alter the activity level of an enzyme responsible for processing, or metabolizing, drugs ranging from the painkiller codeine to the breast cancer drug tamoxifen.

Researchers find that drinking fluoridated water gives no additional risks for hip fractures

Alexandria, Va., USA – Today, the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) published a paper titled "Estimated Drinking Water Fluoride Exposure and Risk of Hip Fracture: A Cohort Study." In this study a team of researchers, led by Peggy Näsman, Karolinska Institute, Department of Dental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden, investigated possible adverse health effects on bone tissue from drinking fluoridated water.

Researchers identify traffic cop for meiosis--with implications for fertility and birth defects

Researchers at New York University and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have identified the mechanism that plays "traffic cop" in meiosis—the process of cell division required in reproduction. Their findings, which appear in the journal eLife, shed new light on fertility and may lead to greater understanding of the factors that lead to birth defects.

What makes us left or right handed? New study rules out strong genetic factors

Around 10 per cent of the UK is left handed — and that percentage remains consistent in many populations around the world. But why exactly someone is left or right handed remains unclear.

New research from The University of Nottingham's Professor John Armour and Dr Angus Davison, in collaboration with UCL's Professor Chris McManus, has ruled out a 'strong genetic determinant' in influencing handedness.