A peptide known to play a role in anxiety is overly plentiful in a mouse model of the inherited neurological disorder Rett syndrome and appears to underlie the anxiety-like behavior in these mice, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding could provide a clue to treatment for this symptom.
A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online today by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Session. It will be published in the December 6 print issue of JAMA.
A medication given to diabetics to improve their body’s sensitivity to insulin also appears to slow the thickening of their artery walls, according to a study posted online today by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Session. It will be published in the December 6 print issue of JAMA.
Proteins called H2AX act as “first aid” to DNA, among other roles. For the first time, scientists using the world’s most powerful light microscope (the only one of its kind in the Americas) have seen how H2AX is distributed in the cell nucleus: in clusters, directing the first aid/repair after DNA injuries to the region where it is really needed.
An increasing number of countries and regions are transitioning from deforestation to afforestation, raising hopes for a turning point for the world as a whole, according to researchers advancing a more sophisticated approach to measuring forest cover. The novel approach looks beyond simply how much of a nation’s area is covered by trees and considers the volume of timber, biomass and captured carbon within the area.
Testing the eyes of preterm children when they reach 2.5 years of age may predict vision problems at age 10, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Individuals who have higher levels of a fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid in their blood may have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Stroke survivors less than 65 years old report having more difficulty accessing physicians and affording medications than stroke survivors older than 65, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the January 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The rate of colorectal cancer screening appears to be increasing among Veterans Affairs patients, although use of colonoscopy is less common than other screening procedures, according to a report in the Nov. 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A second report in the same journal shows that younger veterans with other illnesses and reduced life expectancies may not necessarily benefit from such screening and may even be harmed, but continue to be screened at high rates.
Influenza vaccine is associated with a small but increased risk for hospitalization with the potentially debilitating neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barr? syndrome, although the absolute risk associated with the vaccine is very low, according to a report in the Nov. 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.