A new study says that cases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis among soldiers who served in the first Persian Gulf War were caused by certain events during their deployment to the war zone, meaning the exposure and illness is not as widespread as previously thought.
A single organ may contain more than one type of adult stem cell — a discovery that complicates prospects for using the versatile cells to replace damaged tissue as a treatment for disease, according to a new study.
A team of medical, ethical and legal scholars argues in PLoS Medicine that in some US states the modification of lethal injection protocols is tantamount to experimentation upon prisoners without the prisoners’ consent and without any ethical safeguards.
Researchers have uncovered a brain pathway that shuts down seizures. They found that an acid-activated ion channel in the brain reacts to a drop in pH (increased acid) in a way that shuts down seizure activity. The link between low pH in the brain and seizure termination was first hinted at nearly 80 years ago […]
As golf carts are used in more settings off the golf course, the number of injuries is rising. According to an article in the July 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, from 1990 until 2006, the injury rate rose more than 130 percent. During this period, nearly 150,000 golf cart-related injuries were […]
Investigators have identified a genetic variation associated with an earlier age of onset in Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike genetic mutations previously linked to rare, inherited forms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease — which can strike people as young as their 30s or 40s — these variants influence an earlier presentation of symptoms in people affected by the […]
Researchers have modified a common chemotherapy drug to create a new probe for Positron Emission Tomography, an advance that will allow them to model and measure the immune system in action and monitor response to new therapies.
Smoking appears to be associated with increased risk of poor memory among middle-age adults, according to a new article. The results are important because individuals with cognitive impairment in midlife may progress to dementia at a faster rate.
British scientists are developing a new type of glass that can dissolve and release calcium into the body. This will enable patients to regrow bones and could signal a move away from bone transplants.
A propensity for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder might be beneficial to a group of Kenyan nomads, according to new research in BMC Evolutionary Biology. Scientists have shown that an ADHD-associated version of the gene DRD4 is associated with better health in nomadic tribesmen, and yet may cause malnourishment in their settled cousins.