Body

Infants who have a genetic profile linked with asthma risk could be protected against respiratory symptoms if they are breastfeed, according to a new study.

The study is presented today (4 September, 2016) at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress.

"Our study is the first to show that breastfeeding can modify the effect of asthma-related genetic profiles on respiratory symptoms in the first year of life", commented Dr Olga Gorlanova, from the University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB), and the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Artificial intelligence could improve the interpretation of lung function tests for the diagnosis of long-term lung diseases, according to the findings of a new study.

The results, presented today (04 September, 2016) at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress, are the first to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence for improving the accuracy of the diagnosis of lung diseases.

Childhood body mass index (BMI) has been associated with hospital admissions for asthma in early adulthood, with overweight BMI measures increasing the risk of admission in women and underweight BMI measures increasing the risk in men.

The findings are presented today (5 September, 2016) at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress.

A study presented today (5 September, 2016) at this year's European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress shows that smoking reduces calorie intake, possibly modulated by its effect on levels of the hormone ghrelin (also known as the hunger hormone). The study was conducted by Dr Konstantina Zachari and colleagues, Harokopio University Athens, Greece, in collaboration with Athens Medical School Greece.

Research presented today (5 September, 2016) at this year's European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in London shows that reduced fetal size is linked to increased asthma risk and reduced lung function in children aged 5 to 15 years.

The study, by Dr Stephen Turner, University of Aberdeen, UK and colleagues, suggests that antenatal factors in the pregnant mother contribute to the life-long respiratory wellbeing of the child.

A potent chemotherapy drug can be life saving for children with cancer, but a new review highlights how it can have long-lasting negative effects on the heart. The review, which is published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, also indicates that this chemotherapy-related heart damage may be prevented by a cardioprotective drug.

Honolulu, Hawai?i, 4 September 2016 (IUCN) - The Eastern Gorilla - the largest living primate - has been listed as Critically Endangered due to illegal hunting, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ released today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Hawaii.

Four out of six great ape species are now Critically Endangered - only one step away from going extinct - with the remaining two also under considerable threat of extinction.

Human longevity has been previously linked by researchers to genetic factors, calorie restriction, and certain life-style factors such as physical activity or the Mediterranean diet. Now, Italian researchers from La Sapienza University in Rome have identified an additional factor, which significantly contributes to a longer life. In a pilot study on some of the oldest people of the world, they discovered that the perfusion of organs and muscles of the centenarians was as efficient as that in people who were 30 years younger.

It's well-established that the more species that thrive in a habitat, the better it is at weathering a variety of events from floods to drought to fire. Now, an international study with strong ties to the University of Minnesota is shedding new light on the effect of an increasingly common human-caused disturbance -- the addition of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium -- on a wide range of grassland ecosystems around the world.

CLEVELAND - Case Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers, a research collaboration which includes University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University, who last year identified new gene mutations unique to colon cancers in African Americans, have found that tumors with these mutations are highly aggressive and more likely to recur and metastasize. These findings partly may explain why African Americans have the highest incidence and death rates of any group for this disease.

Using a new, lightning-fast camera paired with an electron microscope, University of Maryland School of Medicine scientists have captured images of one of the smallest human proteins to be "seen" with a microscope.

The protein - called STRA6 - sits in the membrane of our cells and is responsible for transporting vitamin A into the cell interior. Vitamin A is essential to all mammals and is particularly important in making the light receptors in our eyes, and in the placenta and fetus where it's critical for normal development.

CHAPEL HILL -- Certain cancer treatments are known to take a toll on patients, causing side effects like fatigue, nausea and hair loss. Now, scientists are investigating whether some treatments can cause another long-term side effect: premature aging of important disease-fighting cells.

ALEXANDRIA, VA--The latest research on healthcare economics, sleep apnea, 3-D printed tissue, post-operative antibiotics, hearing loss, head and neck cancer and other topics related to the specialty of otolaryngology will be presented in San Diego, CA, September 18-21, during the 2016 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO? of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. It is the largest meeting of ear, nose, throat, head and neck physicians in the world.

COLUMBIA, SC - Antibiotic treatment within the first year of life may wipe out more than an unwanted infection: exposure to the drugs is associated with an increase in food allergy diagnosis, new research from the University of South Carolina suggests.

An endoscopic procedure can improve the outlook for patients with a fairly common type of pancreatic lesion that is challenging to manage and that, if left untreated, can progress to cancer, according to a study in the September issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).