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Helping Women Make Informed Decisions About Reproductive Health
Starting Antiretroviral Therapy Improves HIV-Infected Africans’ Nutrition
Tanning Beds Linked to Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
A mammal lung, in 3D
Study finds direct correlation between hospital bedsores, patient mortality
Study Suggests Monoclonal Antibody Fragment Treatments for “Wet” Macular Degeneration Keep Elderly Drivers behind the Wheel
New findings on the workings of the inner ear
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To More Severe Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
New research measures the cost of getting cleaner air
An Apple a Day Lowers Level of Blood Chemical Linked to Hardening of the Arteries
Purdue-designed molecule one step closer to possible Alzheimer's treatment
Researchers Connect Baboon Personalities to Social Success and Health Benefits
New Insights on Control of Pituitary Hormone Outside of Brain has Implications for Breast Cancer

Helping Women Make Informed Decisions About Reproductive Health

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:34 AM PDT

Although it’s proven that contraception prevents pregnancy, it’s also clear that many women who don’t want to get pregnant don’t use or don’t have access to contraception.

“There is an implementation failure here. We have evidence, and it’s not being utilized,” said Christine Dehlendorf, MD, MAS, a family physician based at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and an assistant professor in residence of family and community medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine.

Starting Antiretroviral Therapy Improves HIV-Infected Africans’ Nutrition

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:25 AM PDT

Starting HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy reduces food insecurity and improves physical health, thereby contributing to the disruption of a lethal syndemic, UCSF and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have found in a study focused on sub-Saharan Africa.

The study was published this week in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

Tanning Beds Linked to Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:21 AM PDT

Indoor tanning beds can cause non-melanoma skin cancer — and the risk is greater the earlier one starts tanning, according to a new analysis led by UCSF.

Indoor tanning is already an established risk factor for malignant melanoma, the less common but deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, the new study confirms that indoor tanning significantly increases the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common human skin cancers.

A mammal lung, in 3D

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:50 AM PDT

Amidst the extraordinarily dense network of pathways in a mammal lung is a common destination. There, any road leads to a cul-de-sac of sorts called the pulmonary acinus. This place looks like a bunch of grapes attached to a stem (acinus means “berry” in Latin).

Study finds direct correlation between hospital bedsores, patient mortality

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:40 AM PDT

A new clinical study spearheaded by the dean of UCLA's School of Nursing has found a direct correlation between pressure ulcers — commonly known as bedsores — and patient mortality and increased hospitalization.

The research is believed to be the first of its kind to use data directly from medical records to assess the impact of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers on Medicare patients at national and state levels.

Study Suggests Monoclonal Antibody Fragment Treatments for “Wet” Macular Degeneration Keep Elderly Drivers behind the Wheel

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 10:04 AM PDT

The advanced neovascular, or “wet,” form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), left untreated, is the most common cause of vision loss among the elderly and a leading reason for their loss of driving privileges. But results of a new study, published in the online version of the journal Ophthalmology, suggest that monthly injections of ranibizumab improve eye chart test results required for a driver’s license, build driver confidence and keep those with AMD driving longer.

New findings on the workings of the inner ear

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 10:01 AM PDT

The sensory cells of the inner ear have tiny hairs called stereocilia that play a critical part in hearing. It has long been known that these stereocilia move sideways back and forth in a wave-like motion when stimulated by a sound wave. After having designed a microscope to observe these movements, a research team at Karolinska Institutet has discovered that the hairs not only move sideways but also change in length.

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To More Severe Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:56 AM PDT

Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds, suggesting a potential link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of longer-term disability from the autoimmune disorder.

New research measures the cost of getting cleaner air

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT

Extensive environmental regulations have brought cleaner air and health improvements to the United States, but they also have increased the cost of manufacturing and reduced industrial productivity, according to a study by economists at the University of Chicago and MIT.

An Apple a Day Lowers Level of Blood Chemical Linked to Hardening of the Arteries

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:44 AM PDT

Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, new research suggests.

In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.

Taking capsules containing polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in apples, had a similar, but not as large, effect.

Purdue-designed molecule one step closer to possible Alzheimer's treatment

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 07:32 AM PDT

A new molecule designed to treat Alzheimer's disease has significant promise and is potentially the safest to date, according to researchers.

Purdue University professor Arun Ghosh designed the molecule, which is a highly potent beta-secretase inhibitor with unique features that ensure it goes only to its target and does not affect healthy physiological processes, he said.

Researchers Connect Baboon Personalities to Social Success and Health Benefits

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 07:26 AM PDT

Whether human or baboon, it helps to have friends. For both species, studies have shown that robust social networks lead to better health and longer lives. Now, a team of University of Pennsylvania researchers has helped show that baboon personality plays a role in these outcomes, and, like people, some baboons’ personalities are better suited to making and keeping friends than others.

New Insights on Control of Pituitary Hormone Outside of Brain has Implications for Breast Cancer

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 07:17 AM PDT

The hormone prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and then travels via the bloodstream to cells throughout the body, where it exerts multiple reproductive and metabolic effects, most notably on the breast where it is the master regulator of lactation. In recent years researchers have found that prolactin is also produced by some tissues outside the brain, however little is known about the functions of extra-pituitary prolactin or how its production is regulated in these tissues.