http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bpa-affect-brain-disrupting-gene.html Medical research Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00:12 EST news281009067 If findings of a new study in mice are any indication, it might be possible to fine-tune cellular powerhouses called mitochondria, tweaking one aspect to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce body and fat mass, and even extend life. Exploiting this target could one day lead to novel treatments for type 2 diabetes—an endocrine system disease that affects 8 percent of the U.S. population. The research also points to promising new avenues of investigation in the biology of aging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-link-insulin-sensitivity-cells-powerhouses.html Medical research Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:04:30 EST news278676262 A team of Northwestern University scientists will meet with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrators in Washington D.C. Oct. 18 to advocate for important changes in the agency's guidelines for reproductive health research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-scientists-epa-women-reproductive-health.html Health Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:53:10 EST news269617980 A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas institutions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-exposure-herbicide-rare-disorder.html Pediatrics Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:24:38 EST news268057473 Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) -- such as BPA -- can show tangible effects on health endpoints at high dosage levels, yet those effects do not predict how EDCs will affect the endocrine system at low doses, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Endocrine Reviews. Study authors say current definitions of low-dosage as used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) do not fully take into account the unique influence that low doses of EDCs have on disease development in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-current-chemical-low-dosage-effects-endocrine-disrupting.html Immunology Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:40:42 EST news252225620 A newly published study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health heightens concerns over the potential health effects on children of a group of ubiquitous chemicals known as phthalates. Phthalates are a class of chemicals that are known to disrupt the endocrine system, and are widely used in consumer products ranging from plastic toys, to household building materials, to shampoos. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-prenatal-exposure-phthalates-linked-decreased.html Health Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:15:49 EST news234497728