http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A potentially ground-breaking human drug trial is currently underway, which aims to discover whether blood pressure medication can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This is the latest in EU-funded studies, which are being made public to highlight the European Month of the Brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-major-human-drug-trial-underway.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 23 May 2013 10:56:02 EST news288525355 Studying the networks of connections in the brains of people affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression has allowed Dr. Peter Williamson, from Western University, to gain a better understanding of the biological basis of these important diseases. Dr. Williamson and colleagues have shown that different networks, found specifically in humans, are disrupted in different psychiatric diseases. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-networks-neurons-brain-disrupted-psychiatric.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 May 2013 09:45:39 EST news288521134 Scientists at Newcastle University have shed new light on how the brain tunes in to relevant information. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-attention-focus.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 May 2013 09:45:15 EST news288521088 New techniques in imaging of brain activity developed by Jean Gotman, from McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute, and his colleagues lead to improved treatment of patients suffering from epilepsy. The combination of electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) leads to more precise localization of the areas generating epileptic seizures, giving neurosurgeons a better understanding of the optimal ways of intervention, if appropriate. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-imaging-techniques-patients-epilepsy.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 May 2013 09:44:21 EST news288521045 Professor Michael Jennings, Deputy Director of the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University, was part of an international team that discovered the previously unknown pathway of how the bacterium colonizes people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-deadly-meningococcal-disease.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 09:41:47 EST news288520878 (Medical Xpress)—Research by U of T Mississauga psychology professor Glenn Schellenberg reveals that two key personality traits – openness-to-experience and conscientiousness—predict better than IQ who will take music lessons and continue for longer periods. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-kids-music-lessons.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 23 May 2013 09:20:01 EST news288517168 Over 70 per cent of people who hold a personal budget for social care said it led to greater independence and support according to the latest survey. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-survey-reveals-success-personal-social.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 09:10:03 EST news288517368 Aggressive forms of bladder cancer involve the protein PODXL – a discovery that could hold the key to improved treatment, according to researchers at Lund University, Uppsala University and KTH in Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-key-early-bladder-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Thu, 23 May 2013 09:10:01 EST news288515573 Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) new medical school will be pioneering the use of plastinated bodies for medical education in Singapore. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-plastic-realistic-medical-students-plastinated.html Other Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:03 EST news288515525 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists from the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have determined the 3-D structure of the chemically active part of an enzyme involved in stuttering. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-reveals-site-enzyme-linked-stuttering.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:01 EST news288516535 Parents naturally are concerned for their children's safety, particularly when there is news of a child abduction that happens close to home. Finding the balance between emotions and the "teachable moment" as parents talk to their children is important, an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialist says. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-parents-preteens-abduction.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 23 May 2013 08:50:01 EST news288516347 A new report on suicide in Ireland shows that suicide cases experienced a significant number (and intensity) of life events in the 6 months prior to their death. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-ireland-real-time-database-teen-young.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 23 May 2013 08:40:24 EST news288517214 A new smartphone application, developed by scientists at the University of Ulster, which could help older people engage fully in an increasingly self-serve society, may be ready for use by the end of the year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-smartphone-agent-older-people.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 08:40:04 EST news288515439 A study from the June issue of Anesthesiology found feedback from the front region of the brain is a crucial building block for consciousness and that its disruption is associated with unconsciousness when the anesthetics ketamine, propofol or sevoflurane are administered. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-common-brain-anesthetic-induced-unconsciousness.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 May 2013 08:40:04 EST news288516255 For the first time, physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), biologists and physicians demonstrated the synergistic effect of cold atmospheric plasma - a partly ionized gas - and chemo therapy on aggressive brain tumour cells. Laboratory tests showed that the proliferation of glioblastoma cells – the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults – is arrested and that even resistant cell populations become sensitive to treatment with chemo therapy if pre-treated with cold atmospheric plasma. This could be the first step on the way to a new combination therapy, providing new hope for fighting this lethal cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cold-plasma-successful-brain-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 23 May 2013 08:40:01 EST news288515555 As health services strive to improve quality and reduce costs, researchers study the benefits – and the pitfalls – of 'pay for performance' in hospitals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-price-health.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:07 EST news288515062 (Medical Xpress)—According to the World Health Organization, approximately 70 million couples experience infertility worldwide. Current data suggests that nearly one third of infertility disorders are due to poor sperm quality. For couples undergoing in vitro fertilization, certain sperm characteristics, such as motility and stamina, are crucial when sorting and selecting sperm. However, selecting the fittest sperm can be a challenge. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-sperm-sorting-aid-couples-vitro-fertilization.html Medical research Thu, 23 May 2013 08:20:02 EST news288514616 (Medical Xpress)—There is no significant risk directly associated with air travel during pregnancy, even at advanced gestation, says report by the University of Liverpool. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-air-pregnancy-poses-significant-experts.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 08:10:01 EST news288514017 More than half of patients diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) are now surviving the disease thanks to improved diagnosis and treatment, according to a new report1 from Cancer Research UK. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-non-hodgkin-lymphoma-survival-early-1970s.html Cancer Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:02 EST news288513778 To coincide with the broadcast of Jabbed: Love, Fear and Vaccines (SBS ONE, Sunday 26 May at 8.30pm) the first ever national survey on Australian attitudes to vaccination reveals surprising statistics including half of Australians opposing immunisation get their information from the net. According to the survey those in favour of vaccination consult their GP. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-percent-australians-oppose-vaccination-internet.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 07:53:03 EST news288514330 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at Emory Vaccine Center have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vaccine-blackjack-il-critical-viral.html Immunology Thu, 23 May 2013 07:46:40 EST news288513993 (Medical Xpress)—The first symptoms of major depression may be behavioral, but the common mental illness is based in biology—and not limited to the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-depression-linked-telomere-enzyme-aging.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 23 May 2013 07:40:46 EST news288513623 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a promising target for treating glioblastoma, one that appears to avoid many of the obstacles that typically frustrate efforts to develop effective treatments for this deadliest of cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-master-deadly-brain-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 23 May 2013 07:34:54 EST news288513286 Human breastmilk responds quickly to protect the child when there is an infection in mothers or babies, according to new international research led by The University of Western Australia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fast-acting-mothers-healthier-babies.html Immunology Thu, 23 May 2013 07:34:31 EST news288513205 US teen births have dropped to a record low, but the country still has one of the highest rates among developed nations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-teen-birth.html Health Thu, 23 May 2013 06:30:02 EST news288508321 Existing research shows that bicyclists who wear helmets have an 88 percent lower risk of brain injury, but researchers at Boston Children's Hospital found that simply having bicycle helmet laws in place showed a 20 percent decrease in deaths and injuries for children younger than 16 who were in bicycle-motor vehicle collisions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-bicycle-related-fatalities-significantly-states-helmet.html Pediatrics Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news288468930 A new study published online today (Thursday) in the Journal of Public Health has found that of young people who visited fast food or chain restaurants in the U.S. in 2010, girls and youth who were obese were more likely to use calorie information given in the restaurants to inform their food choices. It also found that young people eating at fast food or chain restaurants twice a week or more were half as likely to use calorie information as those eating there once a week or less. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-calorie-fast-food-restaurants-percent.html Health Wed, 22 May 2013 19:15:07 EST news288468890 (HealthDay)—For HIV-infected individuals with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, fecal microbiota therapy is feasible, according to a letter published in the May 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fecal-microbiota-tx-feasible-recurrent.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 22 May 2013 18:20:01 EST news288458217 An independent panel of experts on Wednesday recommended US approval of a new Merck sleeping pill called suvorexant, but expressed concerns over the highest dosage and risks of drowsy daytime driving. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fda-panel-experimental-merck-insomnia.html Medications Wed, 22 May 2013 18:09:22 EST news288464958 (HealthDay)—Implementation of systematic monitoring for medication adherence will allow for identification of barriers to adherence and tailoring of interventions, according to a viewpoint piece published in the May 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-systematic-screening-med-adherence-id.html Health Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:02 EST news288458251