Smoking may strongly increase long-term risk of eye disease
...a progressive eye disease that affects the central portion of the retina] is the leading cause of blindness in the Western world, according to background information in the article. In addition to smoking, AMD is postulated to share other risk factors with cardiovascular disease, such as elevated cholesterol...NIH scientists target future pandemic strains of H5N1 avian influenza
...hey focused specifically on genetic changes to one portion of the H5 protein--a portion called the receptor binding domain. They showed that as few as two mutations to this receptor bindin...Speeding up CT scans with cellphone technology, ultrasound warning signal for breast cancer
... the MiniCAT for imaging of the temporal bone, the portion of the skull that contains the inner ear and its components. This portion of the human anatomy is notoriously difficult to image due to the very fine details and the alignmen...New nutritional research: College students face obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome
... research can also help inform school policy, from portion size education in dining halls to routine blood pressure screenings at health services. In addition to publishing their results, the faculty team is looking to help other universities especially those with greater ethnic diversity than UNH replic...Progress toward an antitumor vaccine
...omplicated with glycoproteins, because the protein portion of the molecule has many reactive groups that are attacked in the coupling reaction. In addition, says Kunz, many of the structures that make suitable anchors are themselves highly immunogenic, which can suppress the immune response against the true ...New Orleans levee report finished by panel including University of Texas at Austin engineer
...gnitude of future storms, which can impact a small portion of a levee system and have catastrophic consequences. He also noted that higher levees can create greater danger because of the higher wall of water that is released if they fail. Im hopeful that getting this report out into the public forum about...Mercury's link to heart disease begins in blood vessel walls
...ctivation of the enzyme in endothelial cells. This portion of the study showed that different types of mercury affect the cells in different ways. In the three forms of mercury methylmercury chloride, (environmental form), thimerosal (pharmaceutical form) and mercuric chloride (inorganic form) the enzym...'Nurse cells' make life and death decisions for infection-fighting cells
...T cells, live in the thymus, an organ in the upper portion of the chest. Loss of the thymus results in severe immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to infection. The function of T cells produced by the thymus is to recognize harmful invaders. Once invaders have been identified, T cells then attempt t...Ground breaking research to end in tears
...ns previously thought to be confinedto the aqueous portion of the tear," he says. Further study by Associate Professor Millar revealed, for the firsttime, proteins at the surface also played an unexpected role slowingdown the break-up rate of tears. "Proteins on the tear film interact and behave very dif...Syphilis screening, lithium fights neurodegeneration, monoclonal antibodies against avian flu
...arly treatment of patients with plasma (the liquid portion of blood) from convalescent patientshalved the death rate during the Spanish flu pandemic. Large amounts of pure monoclonal antibodies can be readily made for clinical use and, importantly, this study indicates that some monoclonal antibodies neutr...New technique effective in closing accidental colonoscopy wounds
...polyps may cause adhesions, in which the remaining portion of the polyp sticks to the colon wall.) "We have shown in a series of experiments that both types of perforations can be closed successfully using an endoscope without the need for invasive surgery," Raju reported. He added: "We have even accomplishe...Studies show role of age, gender, race and weight on cancer risk and treatment
...on type of colon cancer, occurring in the proximal portion of the large intestine closest to the small intestine. Ananya Das, M.D., analyzed the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) database of the National Cancer Institute and identified all patients with confirmed, invasive primary colorect...Study finds women less likely than men to have their cholesterol controlled
...s, such as elevated cholesterol especially the LDL portion of cholesterol. The American Heart Associations Web site, GoRedForWomen.org, can help. It offers resources and tools for women to understand their risk and how to manage it." The study also looked investigated disparities in care owing to race and ...Novel catheter technique successfully patches holes in the heart
... heart surgery. In all cases, the VSD allowed a portion of the blood in the left ventricle to shoot backward into the right ventricle with each heart beat, rather than being circulated to the rest of the body. As a result, patients were experiencing such severe heart failure they were short of breath at r...Study confirms health benefits of whole grains
...ehind the energy-dense but nutrient-poor endosperm portion of the grain. Examples of whole grain foods include wild rice, popcorn, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, wheat berries and flours such as whole wheat. In addition to protecting against cardiovascular disease, which accounts for one-third of deaths wor...Study implicates protein as a trigger of advanced prostate cancer recurrence
...rstudied protein Ack1 may be crucial in at least a portion of these tumor recurrences. Nupams study nails down the mechanism by which that conversion happens." Among the experiments were those that involved mice that were unable to produce androgen. The animals were implanted with human prostate tumor cell...Agent protects cells from lethal effects of radiation even if given after exposure
...The researchers developed the agent by attaching a portion of the Bcl-xL protein already known to block cell death - a snippet called BH4 - to the HIV protein TAT, which can deftly carry other molecules into cells. They gave the agent intravenously to mice exposed to 5 Grays of radiation. In humans, this lev...Study finds role of mid-brain in integrating heart and respiratory response to exercise
...ctal grey (PAG) activity. This suggests that this portion of the brain is directly involved in the neurocircuitry of central command before the actual onset of movement, whereas subthalamic nucleus (STN) activity decreased. During exercise itself, PAG activity further increases alongside increases in STN ...Simple system accurately predicts weight-loss surgery risk
... the basic procedure involves stapling off a large portion of the stomach and reattaching the intestine to the smaller remaining portion. Because of their decreased stomach capacity, patients are unable to eat as much food and feel sated much faster. "This represents the first validated scoring system for ...Diet and lifestyle -- In the cancer fight, eating well is the best revenge
...ese repeat colonoscopies constituted a significant portion of endoscopic practices, draining resources away from patients in need of first time screenings. Previous studies have found that a three-year interval was just as safe for people with three or more adenomatous polyps, high-grade dysplasia, or an ade...