Two new meta-analyses involving tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) were recently published in the online publications, British Medical Journal Open (BMJ Open) (i) and PLOS ONE (ii). The BMJ Open article looked at the effects of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria and showed that tree nut consumption resulted in a significant decrease in triglycerides and fasting blood glucose.
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Babies who are born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be successfully treated with a transplant of blood-forming stem cells, according to experts led by Memorial Sloan Kettering's Richard J. O'Reilly, MD, a world-renowned pioneer in the development of transplant protocols. Their review will be published in the July 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Research at New York University is paving the way for a breakthrough that may prevent brain damage in civilians and military troops exposed to poisonous chemicals—particularly those in pesticides and chemical weapons.
The black truffle uses reversible epigenetic processes to regulate its genes, and adapt to changes in its surroundings. The 'methylome' - a picture of the genome regulation taking place in the truffle, is published in the open access journal Genome Biology and illustrates how the truffle deals with its complex genome's repeating elements and 'jumping genes'. The authors say this may shed light on how traits like aroma and colour are controlled.
A major scientific review of available research on the use, content, and safety of e-cigarettes has concluded that – although long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are unknown – compared with conventional cigarettes they are likely to be much less harmful to users or bystanders.
Since evidence of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) has been discovered in ancient human mummies, attention has been focused on possible causative factors other than those related to modern lifestyles. In a paper in this month's Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation), researchers discuss the potential role of the protein progerin. The paper is by Dr Michael Miyamoto, Mission Heritage Medical Group, St. Joseph Heritage Health, Mission Viejo, CA, USA, and colleagues.
While prevalence and types of risk factors for atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries due to fatty deposits) have varied over time from ancient times to modern society (such as levels of obesity, physical activity), genetic predisposition/risk for the condition today appears to be very similar to that in ancient times.
New research published in Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation) shows that there are no significant differences in the incidence or severity of atherosclerotic disease (narrowing of the arteries with fatty deposits) between ancient and modern Egyptians, showing that atherosclerosis is not just a disease of modern times.
Examining the remarkably preserved mummies of five ancient cultures, the Horus mummy research team discovered atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries due to build up of fatty deposits) was present in humans long before we acquired modern lifestyles.
In the editorial introducing this month's edition of Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation), the authors ask: "Why do humans develop atherosclerosis?* Is the human genome hardwired to develop atherosclerosis? Can atherosclerosis be entirely prevented? Is atherosclerosis fundamental to the aging process?
Medical education in sub-Saharan Africa is being revitalized and expanded through a U.S.-funded effort that is dramatically increasing enrollment, broadening curricula, upgrading Internet access and providing cutting-edge skills labs and other technologies.
BOSTON (July 31, 2014) – Children born with so-called "bubble boy" disease have the best chance of survival if they undergo a hematopoietic stem cell transplant as soon after birth as possible, according to a detailed analysis of 10 years of outcome data by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. These findings, the researchers say, argue for expanding newborn screening for severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), a disorder that leaves affected infants so vulnerable to infection that most die within the first year of life if untreated.
30 July 2014 (London, UK) - Drug-resistant malaria parasites have spread to critical border regions of Southeast Asia, seriously threatening global malaria control and elimination programmes, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
DNA mutations—long known to fuel cancer as well as evolutionary changes in a living organism—had been thought to be rare events that occur randomly throughout the genome.
However, recent studies have shown that cancer development frequently involves the formation of multiple mutations that arise simultaneously and in close proximity to each other. These groups of clustered mutations are frequently found in regions where chromosomal rearrangements take place.