Culture | Page 1703 | Science Codex

Reopening avenues for attacking ALS

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Harvard University and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT have found evidence that bone marrow transplantation may one day be beneficial to a subset of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

ALS destroys the neurons connecting the brain and spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. As those neurons die, patients progressively lose the ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe.

Antibodies in patients with rare disorder may have role preventing type 1 diabetes

People with a rare autoimmune disorder produce autoimmune antibodies that appear to be linked to a reduced occurrence of Type 1 diabetes, new research has found. The study, published in Cell, suggests these antibodies could limit immune-related diseases and may have therapeutic potential.

What are your chances of living 2 years? Doctors, cancer patients, differ

Misunderstandings about prognosis between patients with advanced cancer and their doctors was common, in a study reported in JAMA Oncology, and the vast majority of patients didn't know that their doctors held different opinions about how long they might live.

Communication breakdown? Mismatch in expectations about prognosis in advanced cancer

Clear communication between a doctor and patient is essential, especially when patients with advanced cancer wish to participate in decision-making about their medical treatment options, and trade-offs between quality and quantity of life emerge. A new study in JAMA Oncology finds that most of these patients report far more optimistic expectations for survival prognosis than their oncologists, due to patients' misunderstanding of their oncologists' clinical judgment.

IU research points towards new blindness prevention methods in diabetic eye disease

By combining data on optometry patient's eyes with advanced computational methods, Indiana University researchers have created a virtual tissue model of diabetes in the eye.

The results, reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, show precisely how a small protein that can both damage or grow blood vessels in the eye causes vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. The study could also lead to better treatment for diabetic retinopathy, which currently requires multiple, invasive procedures that aren't always effective in the long term.

New report: Nearly a third of Hispanics in Texas don't have health insurance

HOUSTON - (July 14, 2016) - The percentage of Hispanics in Texas without health insurance has dropped by 30 percent since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect, but almost one-third of Hispanic Texans ages 18 to 64 remain uninsured. That's one of the conclusions of a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation.

Repeated stimulation treatment can restore movement to paralyzed muscles

Conducted at the BioMag laboratory at the Helsinki University Hospital, a new patient study could open a new opportunity to rehabilitate patients with spinal cord damage.

Closing parts of the ocean to fishing not enough to protect marine ecosystems

A University of Washington fisheries professor argues this week that saving biodiversity in the world's oceans requires more than banning fishing with marine protected areas, or oceanic wilderness areas. In a three-page editorial published this week in the journal Nature, he argues that this increasingly popular conservation strategy is not as effective as properly managing recreational and commercial fisheries. "There's this idea that the only way you can protect the ocean is by permanently closing parts of the ocean to fishing, with no-take areas," said Ray Hilborn, a professor i

Role of vitamin D in vascular complications and vascular access outcome in patients with chronic kid

In recent years, a growing interest has prompted research to find new links between vitamin D and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), cell proliferation, and anti-apoptotic cell paths in the vascular system. The activation of vitamin D receptors (VDRs) on endothelial cells induces changes in the metabolic activity of the endothelium and is responsible for cell survival, proliferation and neoangiogenesis.

A comparison between quetiapine and aripiprazole for treatment of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a common cause of incapacity and is ranked as the third-most-disabling illness subsequent to dementia and quadriplegia. Nearly, 75% of persons with schizophrenia have continuing problems with recurrent psychotic episodes. Antipsychotics are effective in both the acute and chronic (maintenance) treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. They differ in their pharmacology, kinetics, overall efficacy/effectiveness and tolerability, but perhaps more importantly, response and tolerability differs between patients.

Stand-up comics more likely to die prematurely than film comedians and dramatic actors

The world's best stand-up comedians - household names including Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfield, Ricky Gervais and Eddie Murphy - are more likely to die than comedic and dramatic screen and stage actors, according to a landmark study published in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Simple procedure could improve treatment for common eye disease

A new, minimally invasive procedure appears to be effective for many patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED), a common eye disease, without the potential side effects and cost of the current standard of care, a cornea transplant.

Possible to account for disadvantaged populations in Medicare's payment programs

WASHINGTON - A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that Medicare's value-based payment programs could take into account social risk factors - such as low socio-economic position, residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods, or race and ethnicity - but any proposal to do so will entail both advantages and disadvantages that need to be carefully considered.

Upstream trenches, downstream nitrogen

Water quality scientist Laura Christianson is working on a solution to the "dead zone"--an area with dangerously low levels of oxygen-- in the Gulf of Mexico. Christianson lives over a thousand miles north of the Gulf in Illinois. But human activity in the Mississippi River basin, which connects to the Gulf, can lead to major water quality issues downstream.

Nivolumab cost-effectiveness improves by selecting non-squamous NSCLC PD-L1+ patients

DENVER - Nivolumab (NIV), a checkpoint inhibitor approved for all squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in 2015, is not cost-effective when compared to treatment with docetaxel (DOC), chemotherapy medication. However, a Swiss analysis showed the cost-effectiveness of NIV is improved when patients are treated with NIV based on PD-L1 positivity (PD-L1+), or if there is a reduction in dose or drug price.