Studies and Analyses

A new study adds potentially fatal blood infections to the list of health risks from diabetes, a condition that is on the rise in the United States as obesity rates climb, according to the Feb. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

Researchers have known for years that obesity and diabetes are linked. Most diabetics have type 2 diabetes–and most people with type 2 diabetes are obese. Diabetes can cause a host of health troubles, including kidney probl

New Boston College/UMass study analyzes student computer use and test performance

Regular use of computers can have an effect on student performance on standardized tests, according to a new study by researchers at Boston College and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Analyzing test performance and computer uses of 986 fourth grade students from 55 classrooms in nine Massachusetts school districts, the study found that the more regularly students use computers t

Understanding molecular double action of tzds to reduce side effects

In an attempt to find a new generation of diabetic drugs that will minimize side effects, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report a new understanding of how thiazolidinediones (TZDs), widely used diabetic medications, work in fat cells. With yearly sales exceeding billions of dollars, TZDs – such as rosiglitazone maleate (Avandia) and pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos) – help to mai

In a recent animal study, researchers from the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles, have found that over time, the absorption of nicotine after myocardial infarction (MI) significantly increases the incidence of cardiac fibrosis in canine hearts. This reaction promotes a kind of rapid heart rhythm that has many similarities to typical human atrial flutter, a potentially life-threatening condition that affects appr

Two studies to be published tomorrow (Thursday 27 January) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction[1],[2] provide a generally optimistic picture about attitudes towards the increasing trend in society to be more open about the use of sperm donors. However, they indicate that not all parents are comfortable with the new openness, there are still many unknowns about attitudes and further research and public education will be needed.

It became compuls

A study by New York University researchers reveals a new function for the nerve cells that regulate circadian rhythms of behavior in fruit flies.

The nerve cells, called pacemaker neurons, contain a molecular clock that controls a 24-hour circadian rhythm in activity similar to the rhythms in sleep/wake cycles found in humans and many other organisms. It was previously known that pacemaker neurons receive visual signals to reset their molecular clocks, but scientists did not have