Body

WASHINGTON -- People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

A new paper from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), in partnership with researchers and practitioners from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Space Quest, Google, and SkyTruth, reviews the use of a maritime vessel communication and navigational safety system that is not only effective in protecting people, but wildlife such as whales, walruses, and other wildlife species as well. With improvements, say the authors, the system will ultimately result in greater engagement by vessel companies and operators in the conservation of marine resources.

A common anti-malarial drug Artesunate could be used to reduce organ failure following injury, according to an early study in rats led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The repurposing of the affordable and safe drug could help save the lives of major trauma patients, and the promising results have already led to human clinical trials being planned for this year, supported by the Health Innovation Challenge Fund.

New Orleans, LA - The first study of its kind has found that freezing nerves before knee replacement surgery combined with traditional pain management approaches significantly improves patient outcomes. The results of the preliminary retrospective study led by Vinod Dasa, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, were published online Feb.

Poverty, lack of education and exposure to violence can undeniably impact a child's life trajectory significantly. But how can a mother's exposure and potentially depressive reactions to these stressors impact a child before his/her life even begins? A depressed mother's response to stress can pass through the placenta to negatively impact the fetus in ways that manifest after birth such as birth weight, brain development and increased susceptibility to various ailments.

February 11, 2016 CHAPEL HILL, NC - Smoking cigarettes dramatically increases a person's risk for a host of diseases, and there's an assumption that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are not harmful because users do not inhale smoke full of known carcinogens. Findings from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine suggest the story is not that simple.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While e-cigarette use is increasing worldwide, little is known about the health effects e-cigarettes pose for users. A University of Louisville researcher is working to change that status.

Daniel J. Conklin, Ph.D., professor of medicine in UofL's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, will discuss his early research identifying potentially harmful effects of e-cigarettes at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting.

Physicians use different definitions of "reasonable medical certainty" when testifying as expert witnesses in child abuse cases. The variability is troubling because it could result in flawed rulings, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

In court cases involving alleged child abuse, expert medical witnesses are asked to testify if abuse has occurred and when.Attorneys commonly ask expert witnesses to express their opinions in terms of reasonable medical certainty. However, there is no clear legal definition for the term.

A new imaging technique has allowed researchers at North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Pittsburgh to see how DNA loops around a protein that aids in the formation of a special structure in telomeres. The work provides new insights into the structure of telomeres and how they are maintained.

Adenoviruses (Ad) are everywhere, and while they pose limited threat in individuals with healthy immune systems, they cause significant disease burden in immunocompromised patients. A study published on February 11th in PLOS Pathogens reports on a new mechanism by which the virus interferes with the host's ability to detect and eliminate viral intruders.

AURORA, Colo. (Feb. 11, 2016) - A team of researchers, led by investigators at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, have identified a new class of antigens that may be a contributing factor to type 1 diabetes, according to an article published in the current issue of the journal Science.

Since 2010 scientists have known that people of Eurasian origin have inherited anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals.

The discovery spawned a number of hypotheses about the effects these genetic variants may have on the physical characteristics or behavior of modern humans, ranging from skin color to heightened allergies to fat metabolism...generating dozens of colorful headlines including "What yourNeanderthal DNA is doing for you" and "Neanderthals are to blame for our allergies" and "Did Europeans Get Fat From Neanderthals?"

On January 12, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service imposed a ban on the import and interstate transport of 201 species of salamanders, in an effort to prevent the deadly fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) from reaching the United States. First discovered in the Netherlands in 2013, Bsal was found to have hitched a ride on Asian salamanders imported to Europe as pets. While some salamander species worldwide are resistant to Bsal, many European and North American salamanders--which did not co-evolve with the fungus--seem to be more susceptible to infection.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) may be linked to insulin-related peptides that mistakenly bond to other peptides within the pancreas and spleen, a new study suggests. These findings may help explain the mystery of why the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in people with T1D. Recently some evidence has begun to explore the role that peptides, short chains of amino acids that cells use to carry out various processes, may play. Thomas Delong et al.

Researchers have found correlations between Neandertal-derived genes and disease states in modern humans - including those influencing the skin, the immune system, depression, addiction, and metabolism. The results show how ancient liaisons between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans (AMH) continue to impact our genetic heritage. Previous studies have suggested that when AMH populations migrated out of Africa, they interbred with Neandertals.