Studies and Analyses

Jet lag occurs when we travel across multiple time zones by air. Anyone who has experienced jet lag knows that it causes sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness, and can impair performance after landing. A team of researchers has investigated the effects of slow release caffeine (SRC) and melatonin (Mlt) on recovery sleep and daytime sleepiness after a seven-time zone eastbound flight and found that both drugs have positive effects on some jet lag symptoms after an eastbound flight. They found that

UMHS, Altarum study finds sleep apnea disrupts sleep throughout night

Patients who snore or have other symptoms of sleep apnea often undergo testing in a sleep laboratory to measure the number of breathing pauses and arousals that occur while they slumber. But doctors find these tests do not effectively predict daytime consequences suspected to arise from sleep apnea, such as sleepiness in adults or hyperactivity in children.

Now, neurologists at the University of Michigan

A preliminary study suggests that persistent inflammation, as indicated by increased levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, is a risk factor for the development of colon cancer.

However, according to an editorial by Northwestern University researcher Boris Pasche, M.D., the link between chronic inflammation and colon cancer must be further explored before C-reactive protein is confirmed as a risk predictor.

The study and the editorial appear in the Feb. 4 issue of The Journal o

Downward trend likely to continue says international research team

Stomach cancer rates fell by half in the European Union between 1980 and 1999 and by 45% in Eastern Europe and 40% in Russia, according to research published (Tuesday 3 February) in Annals of Oncology[1].

Encouragingly, the downward trend is set to continue, at least for the near future according to researchers, because the fall is seen in younger and middle aged people as well as the elderly.

The rep

More research needed to identify those for whom benefit could outweigh risk of side effects

A new study has found that regular intake of aspirin does appear to be associated with a reduced risk of the type of colon polyps that can develop into cancer. However, since risk reduction was strongest with aspirin doses higher than those used to prevent cardiovascular disease, the researchers say further study is needed to determine for whom the benefits of such treatment would outweigh any

Ownership of genetic materials, environmental consequences in question as 21st Century bio-prospecting gets underway in Antarctica

Work should be stepped up on international agreements to oversee prospecting efforts in Antarctica by research institutions, universities and pharmaceutical companies to discover and stake ownership to promising organisms and compounds with genetic properties that make survival possible in extremely cold, arid and salty conditions, says a new UN University