Culture
TORONTO, May 5, 2018 - Hospitals caring for children with serious, chronic illness are highly dependent on public payers, according to a new study. The research found that proposals to dramatically reduce federal expenditures on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) could destabilize current specialty care referral networks serving all children, including the majority of privately-insured children in greatest need of high quality, specialized, pediatric care.
TORONTO, May 5, 2018 - Research on transgender teens' and their parents' attitudes regarding fertility preservation will be presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2018 Meeting in Toronto. A new study found that while more research is needed on the subject, fertility preservation is a major factor for only a minority of transgender teens and their parents in deciding to delay hormone therapy.
TORONTO, May 5, 2018 - A new study examines the effectiveness of the ScreenQ, a measure of screen-based media use in children. Findings from the study will be presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2018 Meeting.
TORONTO, May 5, 2018 - Selective serotonin reuptake (SSRI) antidepressant treatment during pregnancy is associated with better performance on a computerized task to measure cognitive skills in 12 year olds, according to a new study being presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2018 Meeting.
TORONTO-(May 5, 2018)-Clinicians caring for vulnerable babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) need to closely monitor their vital signs, but precisely gauging the function of their tiny hearts has remained elusive.
TORONTO-(May 5, 2018) - Erythropoietin (EPO) helps to protect and repair vulnerable brains though it remains a mystery how the anemia drug does so. Genetic analyses conducted by a multi-institutional research team finds that EPO may work its neuroprotective magic by modifying genes essential for regulating growth and development of nervous tissue as well as genes that respond to inflammation and hypoxia. Findings from the pilot study will be presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2018 annual meeting.
Stiffer breast tissue creates an environment more prone to cancer by enabling the disease to interfere with the surrounding healthy cells, according to a recent study published in Biomaterials.
Scientists studying tumor growth and metastasis at the University of Notre Dame fabricated a human tissue model to examine how cancer cells interact with connective tissue in the breast. The model allowed the team to control the stiffness of the tissue, mimicking both healthy and cancerous breast tissue structures. They found manipulation of fat cells to be stiffness-dependent.
The most abundant molecule in cell membranes is the lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC, commonly known as lecithin); accordingly, the enzymes responsible for synthesizing it are essential. Research published in the May 4 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry used computer simulations to gain insights into how one of these enzymes activates and shuts off PC production. These results could help researchers understand why small changes in this enzyme can lead to conditions like blindness and dwarfism.
Cold Spring Harbor, NY - During a stroke or an epileptic seizure, neurons in affected parts of the brain fire at an abnormally rapid rate. One byproduct of this condition is that the pH of the brain drops markedly, rendering the local environment inhospitably acidic.
Using a powerful microscopy method called cryo-EM, biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered how one key element of brain physiology, a docking port for excitatory neurotransmitters called the NMDA receptor, is able to function in this hostile environment.
People showing virtually no symptoms are likely the primary source of dengue fever, according to new research published in PLOS Pathogens. Nearly 400 million people each year are infected with dengue virus, which is transmitted through mosquitoes.
URBANA, Ill. - Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, the way walnuts impact the gut microbiome--the collection of trillions of microbes or bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract--may be behind some of those health benefits.
Body-worn sensors used at home and in clinic by people with mild Alzheimer's to assess walking could offer a cost-effective way to detect early disease and monitor progression of the illness.
A pilot study involving Newcastle University, UK, has revealed low-cost wearable devices could improve clinical trial efficiency and encourage research investment.
Identification of clinical biomarkers, such as changes in walking characteristics and behaviours, are known to be important factors when looking at early warning signs of dementia.
University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have discovered a way turn pluripotent stem cells into atrial cells, which make up the upper chambers, or atria, of the heart. The discovery will enable them to better study atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder also known as AFib, which originates in the heart's atria.
LA JOLLA, CA-- May 3, 2018 --You could say Hollis Cline's lab at The Scripps Research Institute is building better tadpoles.
To better understand how humans learn, Cline, PhD, Hahn Professor of Neuroscience and co-chair of the Department of Neuroscience, leads experiments designed to spark learning in tadpole brains. Over the years, her lab's work with tadpoles has shed light on neuroplasticity--how new experiences flood brain cells with proteins that fuel brain development and learning.
PHILADELPHIA - After eight years of failed treatment for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), Janet Szilagyi, 78 of Clayton, New Jersey, became the first patient in the United States to undergo cardiac ablation - a procedure in which an electrophysiologist will scar or destroy tissue in the heart that's allowing incorrect electrical signals to cause an abnormal heart rhythm - using an intraoperative imaging and mapping system recently cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).