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Targeting the mosquito population within a defined area is the primary way scientists and public health officials mitigate the spread of diseases caused by viruses like Zika, dengue fever, and West Nile.
Having simple text conversations with patients one week before they are scheduled for a colonoscopy dramatically decreased the "no-show" rates, according to a recent study conducted by Penn Medicine researchers. Through sending reminders and instruction, opening the door for patients to ask questions, and sharing helpful links, the team increased rate of colonoscopies to 90 percent--well above the 62 percent success rate seen in a group who did not receive this extra communication. The results of this study were published in Health Education & Behavior.
Passion fruit woodiness caused by cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), the disease that most affects passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) grown in Brazil, can be combated with a relatively simple technique.
A study published in the journal Plant Pathology shows that systematic eradication of plants with symptoms of the disease preserves the crop as a whole and keeps plants producing for at least 25 months.
Oncologists at VCU Massey Cancer Center were invited to co-author an editorial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology providing expert commentary on findings from a large study conducted by German investigators that a modified drug combination may lead to a decreased chance of disease recurrence for women with high risk, HER-2 negative breast cancer.
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 26, 2019 - Over the course of a decade, out-of-pocket costs for multiple sclerosis drugs rose more than sevenfold for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, according to a JAMA Neurology study published today by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Brown University researchers have developed a simple method for isolating placental cells from cervical swabs. The technique, described in the journal Scientific Reports, could aid in developing less invasive ways of diagnosing genetic disorders in developing fetuses.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Aug. 26, 2019) - Heart muscle can continue to die even after restoring blood following a heart attack, and scientists have new evidence that one way to help it live is by boosting levels of a tiny RNA that helped the heart form.
In their mouse model of this ischemia/reperfusion injury of the heart, they've found they can reduce heart muscle death 40 percent by giving a manmade version of the microRNA miR322, they report in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.
(Boston)--Heavy alcohol consumption (three drinks or more/day for women and four drinks or more/day for men) is linked to alterations in immune function among people with HIV.
While it has been known that alcohol impacts immune function, it's been unclear the effect of alcohol on immune function in the context of HIV, a disease whose progression is dependent on immune dysfunction.
HOUSTON - (Aug. 22, 2019) - How do you know a cell has a fever? Take its temperature.
That's now possible thanks to research by Rice University scientists who used the light-emitting properties of particular molecules to create a fluorescent nano-thermometer.
The Rice lab of chemist Angel Martí revealed the technique in a Journal of Physical Chemistry B paper, describing how it modified a biocompatible molecular rotor known as boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY, for short) to reveal temperatures inside single cells.
Public health experts report August 22 in the journal Cell that surveillance of international travelers for infectious disease can help reconstruct unreported or undetected outbreaks of Zika and other viruses. By sequencing virus genomes from infected travelers, analyzing travel patterns and mosquito modeling, the researchers unearthed a spike in Zika cases from travelers returning from Cuba during the summer of 2017 that was not captured by local reports, says study co-author Nathan D. Grubaugh (@NathanGrubaugh), an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health.
WASHINGTON -- Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have decoded a chain of molecules that are critical for the growth and survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) - the most common and also the most lethal form of pancreatic cancer.
BOSTON - A gene that can become mutated and cause a rare balance disorder also regulates the behavior of an enzyme that increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to be published in the journal Cell on August 22, 2019. This discovery may help to identify new targets for experimental medications designed to delay or stop the onset of AD.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- A team of Brown University researchers has developed a new computer model that simulates the way red blood cells become misshapen by sickle cell disease. The model, described in a paper published in Science Advances, could be useful in the preclinical evaluation of drugs aimed at preventing the sickling process.
Amsterdam, NL, August 22, 2019 - Fatigue is a common debilitating symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). A novel research study has found that fatigue symptoms in PD are associated with small but persistent reductions in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) throughout the day, report scientists in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2019 -- Many forms of birth control are hormone-based, but not everything mixes well with those hormones. This week on Reactions, learn about some common products that could make your birth control less effective or cause dangerous side effects: https://youtu.be/34tp9CCpOA0.