Scientists have reported that an experimental vaccine targeting one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer, called mutant KRAS, is safe and generated a durable immune responses aimed at preventing the cancer.
Obstructive sleep apnea, in which people stop breathing for short periods while sleeping. Breathing pauses last from seconds to minutes and may occur 30 times per hour, after which normal breathing then starts again, often with a snoring or choking sound.
About five percent of adults have some form of sleep apnea. It can ncrease the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and arrhythmias. It is most prevalent in obese people and some studies have also postulated that obstructive sleep apnea may be linked to cancer because of low levels of oxygen in the blood.
In some women abnormally high levels of the common and pervasive chemical perchlorate may lead to adverse effects in their offspring. The study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism says is the first of its kind to shed light on the possible harmful side effects of perchlorate in mothers and their children.
A long-term, large-scale population-based study of individuals aged 55 years or older in the general population researchers has found a four-fold increased risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD) if they were diagnosed even with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Compared to cognitively healthy individuals, other risk factors including older age, positive APOE-ɛ4 status, low total cholesterol levels, and stroke, as well as specific MRI findings were associated with an increased risk of developing MCI.
A new hand-held device uses lasers and sound waves to accurately measure how deep a melanoma tumor extends into the skin, providing valuable information for treatment, diagnosis or prognosis.
Studies have shown that being a 'night owl', like people who claim to multitask, is something of a myth - people perform better in the mornings whether they are night owls or morning people people - and a new study finds that becomes more pronounced with age.
Older adults tested in the morning not only perform better on demanding cognitive tasks but also activate the same brain networks responsible for paying attention and suppressing distraction as younger adults, according to a study in Psychology and Aging. The authors say this some of the strongest evidence yet that there are noticeable differences in brain function across the day for older adults.
Baby Boomers, a trend in births that happened when soldiers returned home from World War II, started off their lives being critical of American culture and having a sense of entitlement about how the world should reshape itself to suit them. But now, compared to Generation X and Millennials, they may be the last group with a true sense of responsibility.
While Generation X got validation from Winona Ryder characters and Millennials claim to be above working because rent and health insurance is handled by parents, Baby Boomers continue on because they must - even when it comes to the gym. Few seem to enjoy it, they instead know they will be worse off later if they don't make the effort now.
Muslim clerics get a bad rap in an interconnected world. It was once possible to be anti-women, anti-medicine and anti-science without much notice - just control the media - but today that is a difficult task.
In some parts of the world, imams, Islamic school teachers and traditional rulers are making a positive difference and pushing back the vestiges of conspiracy theories about medicine. In defiance of past teaching, they are working with doctors, journalists and polio survivors to turn the tide against polio vaccine rejection in northern Nigeria.
Spider silk is lightweight and stretchy yet has tensile strength greater than steel.
Its chemistry is just as fascinating. Silk proteins, called spidroins, must convert from a soluble form to solid fibers at ambient temperatures, with water as a solvent, and at high speed. How do spiders achieve this astounding feat? A new paper discusses how the silk formation process is regulated.
Scientists report that they can crank up insect aggression simply by interfering with a basic metabolic pathway.
Their study of fruit flies and honey bees shows a direct, causal link between brain metabolism (how the brain generates the energy it needs to function) and aggression.
The team reports its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Alcohol, including red wine which has acquired its own modern health food mythology, may be damaging to your health in a way you hadn't thought about before.It isn't just the booze itself, a group of scholars contends it's the packaging. Phthalate compounds are widespread in our environment and present in many plastics. Obviously, any toxicity of phthalates varies depending on their chemical composition and some compounds are considered to be potential hormone disruptorrs, so they are regulated on an international level, including for those likely to come into contact with food and drink packaging.
Do women and men ride differently? If so, would a horse know in a blind human rider test?For centuries, horses were a tool of wealthy elites during war and so riding was largely restricted to males. By contrast, today nearly 80 percent of riders are women. Modern-day equestrian sports is one of very few fields where men and women compete directly against one another at all levels, from beginners in gymkhanas to national champions in the Olympic Games. Even chess insists women are different than men while equestrians do not.
It is said that consuming oils with high polyunsaturated fatty acid content, in particular those containing omega-3s, is beneficial for the health, but is that true, or is it just epidemiologtists finding two curves that go the same direction and declaring causation?Scientifically, any mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly known. Researchers recently investigated the effect of lipids bearing polyunsaturated chains when they are integrated into cell membranes. Their work shows that the presence of these lipids makes the membranes more malleable and therefore more sensitive to deformation and fission by proteins.
