medical research

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For Infections, Try Gator-cillin

Scientists probe reptile's impressive immune system

(Newser) - Scientists are trying to harness the power of alligator blood to fight disease, bacterial infections, and even HIV, Cox News reports. Proteins in the reptiles' blood have antibiotic properties thanks to the animals' long evolution and frequent exposure to bacteria; their exceptionally effective immune systems can fight off invaders without...

Parkinson's Spreads to Transplanted Cells

Disease found in healthy cells grafted to sufferers' brains

(Newser) - Transplanting healthy cells into the brains of people with Parkinson's alleviates symptoms, but sufferers showed signs of deterioration as the disease spread to the grafted cells, according to two studies in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists in Sweden and Chicago discovered similar results in patients who received cell transplants up...

Water-Guzzling Benefits Don't Wash

No proof 8 glasses a day does a body good: study

(Newser) - Kidney experts looking into the alleged health benefits of drinking lots of water have found the evidence to be far from watertight, Reuters reports. Claims that increased water intake improves skin tone, flushes toxins from the body, reduces appetite, and prevents headaches have little solid research behind them, according to...

A Coffee a Day May Keep Dementia Away: Study

Daily caffeine helps protect the brain from damaging cholesterol

(Newser) - A daily fix of caffeine helps shield the brain from the damaging effects of cholesterol, which is apparently the way coffee helps reduce the risk of dementia, new research suggests. The "blood-brain barrier" protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream, but scientists have discovered that cholesterol makes it...

Diabetes Drug Slows Artery Clogging

Choice of meds may be critical to diabetics' heart health

(Newser) - A drug used to lower blood sugar in diabetics significantly decreases the clogging of arteries, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Tests on diabetic patients found that Actos, a new-generation drug that lowers insulin resistance, aided arteries more than a drug that boosted insulin production. Heart disease kills 75% of diabetics...

Risk Rises if 2 Parents Have Alzheimer's

4 in 10 get the disease if mom and dad had it, study finds

(Newser) - People whose mom and dad have Alzheimer's run a much higher risk of getting the disease, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle looked at 111 families in which both parents have Alzheimer's, and found that 42% of those aged 70 and up got the...

Substitutes Not All Sweetness and Light

Zero-calorie sugar stand-ins may cause weight gain, study says

(Newser) - Cutting back on sugary calories could make you gain weight instead of lose it, a study suggests. Scientists at Purdue University compared rats fed either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar, and found that those on artificial sweetener gained more weight—mostly in fat, Time reports. Animals appear conditioned to respond to...

Pill Guards Against Ovarian Cancer: Study

Even decades later, oral contraceptive provides protection

(Newser) - Oral contraceptives "confer powerful and long-lasting protection" against ovarian cancer, a cancer that often proves deadly because it's so difficult to diagnose early, a new study has found. The effect is so strong that women who take the pill for 10 years will enjoy significant protection against ovarian cancer...

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

Could be 'tip of the iceberg' of gene flaws linked to disorder

(Newser) - Researchers studying the DNA of autistic children have discovered a pair of genetic mutations that raise the risk of developing autism as high as a hundredfold, USA Today reports. The defects in chromosome 16 occur in just 1% of autistic kids, but that figure represents some 10,000 children. A...

New Approach Targets Tough Parasitic Illness

Insect-borne disease infects 11M annually

(Newser) - A new way to test for Chagas disease offers hope for combating the insect-borne ailment, which can otherwise go unnoticed for years, Reuters reports. The new method involves screening children in small areas where exterminators find the most disease-carrying bugs instead of having to test bigger populations. The disease infects...

Third Team Turns Skin Into Stem Cells

First time cells were taken from a volunteer, not lab grown

(Newser) - A third team of scientists has successfully turn skin cells into stem cells that can be coaxed into becoming any kind of tissue. The American researchers are the first group to manage the feat with a volunteer's cells, not cells grown in a lab, which demonstrates that such cells could...

Severe Psoriasis Linked to Early Death

Researchers believe inflammation may affect organs

(Newser) - People suffering from severe psoriasis face a significantly increased risk of early death, according to new research. Those with a severe form of the inflammatory skin disease had a 50% increased risk of mortality compared with people without the disease, according to the study in the Archives of Dermatology. "...

Study: Many Can Safely Skip Chemo for Breast Cancer

Gene test predicts risk of recurrence

(Newser) - Thousands of breast cancer patients could be spared the misery and expense of chemotherapy, or at least get a milder regimen than what's usually prescribed, according to a new study. A new genetic test that predicts women's risk of recurrence shows that up to 40% of patients with early stage...

Skin Stem Cells Cure Sickle Cell in Mice

Latest advance in revolutionary research

(Newser) - In the latest advance in revolutionary new stem cell research, scientists have cured sickle-cell anemia in mice using stem cells made from skin. It's the first proof that such cells can be used to cure hereditary diseases. But because the cure involved the use of viruses to alter DNA, significant...

Antibiotics Don't Help Suffering Sinuses

Drugs make almost no difference, and could hurt: study

(Newser) - Antibiotics don't cure sinus infections and may actually do more harm than good, researchers have found, the Los Angeles Times reports. While more than 80% of US doctors prescribe antibiotics for sinus infections, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the difference in recovery times...

Bigger Babies Become Happier Adults

Study links low birth weight with depression and anxiety

(Newser) - A new study links the size of a baby at birth with its happiness later in life, Reuters reports. Researchers found that adults suffering depression or anxiety were more likely to have weighed less at birth, according to a study in the journal Biological Psychiatry. "As birth weight progressively...

Anorexia Linked to Hormones in Womb

Study of mixed-sex twins suggest hormones tied to females may trigger disease

(Newser) - Nobody's knows exactly why women are far more likely to develop anorexia than men, but hormones released in the womb could be the cause, according to a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers have found that men with a female twin are more at risk of developing...

Peanut Allergies Hit Younger Kids
Peanut Allergies Hit Younger Kids
Dec 3, 2007 3:38 PM CST

Peanut Allergies Hit Younger Kids

Serve plain jelly sandwiches at lunch until youngsters turn 3, researchers suggest

(Newser) - Peanut allergies are showing up earlier in young children, researchers said today, cautioning parents to keep the legumes out of toddlers' diets. Older kids "can tell you right away if their mouths feel funny,” one doctor explained. The median age of a first reaction is now 14 months,...

Bone Marrow Breakthrough Gives New Hope

Safer technique could benefit MS, arthritis sufferers

(Newser) - Scientists investigating bone marrow transplants have made a breakthrough that could one day help millions. Currently, before transplants occur defective cells are killed with radiotherapy or chemotherapy—which causes widespread damage and can have serious side effects. But researchers have found it's possible to pinpoint and destroy blood-forming stem cells...

Prenatal Binge Drinking May Have Little Risk, Study Finds

Consistent booze more harmful than occasional

(Newser) - Pregnant women have been told to avoid alcohol for decades, but a new study suggests that occasional drinking and even a binge now and then could be OK, ABC News reports. Researchers at Oxford University looked at 35 years of studies and found no consistent link between sporadic binge drinking...

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