Depressive symptoms - especially physical signs, such as fatigue and loss of appetite - may be associated with thickening arteries, which may reflect an early sign of coronary artery disease, according to a report in Archives of General Psychiatry. Considerable evidence suggests that depression, anger and other negative emotions are associated with the risk for…
Investigators publish new data in the report “Measuring success of interventions to improve the quality of end-of-life care in the intensive care unit. Because of the severity of illness, the intensive care unit (ICU) is a setting where death is common. Although optimal palliative care should prevent many terminal ICU admissions, the ICU will always remain an important setting…
Researchers have discovered a pivotal new player in early events that commit fat cell precursors to becoming full-blown fat, according to a report in the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. Drugs that block some activities of the enzyme, known as xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), might therefore offer a novel antiobesity therapy designed to fight fat before it…
Findings from an integrated analysis of data from three pivotal, randomized, placebo-controlled trials showed that at week 10 more than three-quarters of patients with severe psoriasis receiving REMICADE (infliximab) 3 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg achieved a 75% improvement in the chronic, inflammatory skin disease as measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI 75). In addition, in…
A “mysterious” condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) - which occurs only in patients with advanced kidney disease - is strongly related to use of gadolinium dyes for MRI scans, reports a study in Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. An accompanying editorial identifies specific groups of patients in whom gadolinium exposure should…
Physicians caring for children with cancer should be on the lookout for signs of bone fragility caused by disease and treatment, according to a new report. [click link for full article]
Although it is “easy to hoot with derision” at the “awfully complicated positions” on abortion rights taken by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) and former Massachusetts Gov. [click link for full article]
Scientists have long known the molecular mechanisms behind most of the body’s sensing capabilities. Vision, for example, is made possible in part by rhodopsin, a pigment molecule that is extremely sensitive to light. It is involved in turning photons into electrical signals that can be decoded by the brain into visual information. [click link for full article]
Saliva from aquatic insects in areas where Buruli ulcer is endemic can protect mice against the disease’s characteristic skin lesion and might play a role in natural immunity in humans.Citation: Marsollier L, Deniaux E, Brodin P, Marot A, Wondje CM, et al. (2007) Protection against Mycobacterium ulcerans lesion development by exposure to aquatic insect saliva. PLoS Med 4(2): e64. [click link for full article]
These collaborations represent an ongoing strategic investment by the Commonwealth Government to ensure that Australians remain at the forefront of international advances in health and medical research, and help maintain our status as a world leader in this area. [click link for full article]