A new study of patients with bipolar disorder finds that 36 percent of those who were admitted to a Rhode Island psychiatric hospital in 2010 were receiving “complex polypharmacy” — four or more psychotropic medications — from their community providers. The polypharmacy rate was significantly higher for women. Including prescriptions for other conditions the patients may have had, the average patient was on six medications. (more…)
Studies have shown that certain pesticides can increase people’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Now, UCLA researchers have found that the strength of that risk depends on an individual’s genetic makeup, which, in the most pesticide-exposed populations, could increase a person’s chance of developing the debilitating disease two- to six-fold.
In an earlier study, published January 2013 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the UCLA team discovered a link between Parkinson’s and the pesticide benomyl, a fungicide that has been banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That study found that benomyl prevents the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) from converting aldehydes — organic compounds that are highly toxic to dopamine cells in the brain — into less toxic agents, thereby contributing to the risk of Parkinson’s. (more…)
New book by UCLA psychologists shows couples how to team up to lose weight, get healthier
After analyzing thousands of hours of video recordings of married couples talking with each other about their health, two UCLA psychology professors were shocked by what they saw. (more…)
ANN ARBOR — Dengue fever and West Nile fever are mosquito-borne diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide each year, but there is no vaccine against either of the related viruses.
A team of scientists at the University of Michigan and Purdue University has discovered a key aspect both to how the viruses replicate in the cells of their host and how they manipulate the immune system as they spread. (more…)
These findings won’t appear on any Hallmark card, but romantic love tends to activate the same reward areas of the brain as cocaine, research has shown. (more…)
Think pimples are something just teenagers get? If you say yes, then you are incorrect. More than 20 percent of women/men suffer from acne late into their twenties and thirties. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, caused by the production of excess sebum, which clogs the pores and leads to pimples. Breakouts can occur all over the body, but are most commonly found on the face, back and chest. The cause could be anything from stress to hormonal fluctuation and more.
Over the counter products and antibiotics for clear skin are such a pain in terms of money and time. Many of them turn out to be harmful instead of being beneficial. So what is that harmless way to save us from acne breakouts and it’s after effects? (more…)
Tübinger Forscher entdecken, warum Bakterien das bewährte Antibiotikum Fosfomycin teilweise ins Leere laufen lassen
Die Ausbreitung multiresistenter Krankheitserreger gilt in der medizinischen Fachwelt und der breiten Öffentlichkeit inzwischen gleichermaßen als eine gravierende Bedrohung. Entsprechend ist der Ruf nach neuen schlagkräftigen Antibiotika in den vergangenen Jahren immer lauter geworden. Doch die Entwicklung neuer Wirkstoffe ist nicht nur teuer, sondern auch sehr langwierig. Konzentrieren sich Wissenschaftler auf die Optimierung bereits vorhandener Therapien, kann wertvolle Zeit gewonnen werden. (more…)
Every day 18 people die from cancer in Greater Manchester – around 6,500 a year – making the death toll around 10 per cent higher than the UK average, according to the latest figures published by Cancer Research UK – part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
The main reason for the higher death rates is that that people in Greater Manchester are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to the UK average, with rates of cancer cases also around 10 per cent higher.* This is likely to be partly due to higher numbers smoking in the city, smoking rates are around seven per cent higher than the national average. (more…)
