Body

Wrist fractures are common among postmenopausal women who are younger than 65 and a new UCLA-led study suggests that they may also predict more serious fractures in other parts of their bodies later in life.

Results of a new laboratory study by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers suggests that some rare "missense" mutations in the HER2 gene are apparently not -- on their own -- capable of causing breast cancer growth or spread. In a related finding, the research team said such mutations, which are found in about five percent of breast cancers, may, thus, also fail to predict response to anti-cancer drugs that target the HER2 gene, unlike the more common alterations of the gene that amplify or overexpress it.

Science and folklore alike have long suggested that high levels of testosterone can facilitate the sorts of attitudes and behavior that make for, well, a less than ideal male parent.

It has long been known that among humans (and some other species as well), males who cooperate amicably with their female mates in raising and nurturing offspring often have lower testosterone levels than their more aggressive and occasionally grumpy counterparts. But two University of Notre Dame anthropologists are looking beyond the nuclear family for such effects.

Air pollution is a leading cardiovascular disease risk factor in Beijing and urban China. Lowering air pollution to the level it was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics could prevent about 900,000 cardiovascular deaths and gain millions of life years in urban China by 2030, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Achieving the seven heart-health metrics of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 also helps reduce many other chronic diseases, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

HeartBuds, a smartphone compatible listening device for cardiovascular sounds, works as well as widely used FDA-approved traditional and digital stethoscopes and better than FDA-approved disposable stethoscopes, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Alcohol abuse was associated with a 70 percent increased risk of congestive heart failure in adults and the link was especially strong among younger adults (60 years or younger) and those without high blood pressure, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

ORLANDO, Florida, Nov. 10, 2015 -- Bystander CPR on kids is increasing and is improving survival from cardiac arrest outside the hospital, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Researchers analyzed 2,176 children (infants to age 18) with cardiac arrest, drawn from a key national registry of 22 million people representing 29 major cities in the United States. The Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) registry tracks characteristics and impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Highlights

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Improving your heart health may be as simple as making small behavioral changes - a new study of behavioral health interventions suggests that they are effective at helping people alter their lifestyles and lead to physical changes that could improve overall health.

The findings also indicate a shift is needed in the way such interventions are evaluated by researchers and used by health care providers, said Veronica Irvin of Oregon State University, a co-author of the study just published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Current research about childhood obesity has illustrated the complexity of the epidemic--how it intertwines with hunger, poverty, food deserts and socioeconomic status. A new University of Houston study examined a practice that may seem like a harmless playground antic, but could have long-lasting and harmful effects to a young girl's perception of herself and of food.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Several years ago, University at Buffalo biologists noticed something odd.

They were studying how a worm called C. elegans would react when different genes were deleted from its DNA. One particularly interesting deletion resulted in nematodes with a heightened sense of smell: They backed away from repulsive odors unusually fast.

The lead researchers, Denise Ferkey and Michael Yu, took note; they had seen this behavior before.

ANN ARBOR--A common ingredient in sunscreen could be an effective antibacterial coating for medical implants such as pacemakers and replacement joints.

University of Michigan researchers found that a coating of zinc oxide nanopyramids can disrupt the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), reducing the film on treated materials by over 95 percent. About a million implanted medical devices are infected each year with MRSA and other bacterial species.

A University of Arizona-led study on age-related macular degeneration - the eye disease that gradually destroys the ability to read, drive, write and see close-up in 30 percent of older Americans - likely will lead to a way to delay or prevent the disease, researchers say.

Using intraday data that separated stock market reactions to company news releases issued between 2003 and 2010 from reactions to analysts' revisions to recommendations, the researchers found that analysts do not rehash the company line. Rather, they help investors with stock valuation by issuing confirming revisions and also reverse prevailing market beliefs by issuing contrary revisions. Only 28 percent of revisions actually dovetailed with the corporate news they followed, the study found. These revisions, moreover, actually offered more information than did the corporate releases.