Scientists at the University of Bonn, together with colleagues from Romania, have discovered a gene variant that significantly increases the risk of developing gallstones (Hepatology No. 46, July 11, 2007, DOI 10.1002/hep.21847). It is estimated that one in ten Europeans has this variant in their hereditary disposition. For those affected, the likelihood of developing a gallstone in the course of their life is two to three times higher.
Some people have a genetic variation that makes them more susceptible to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease if they smoke tobacco, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
A startling discovery on the development of human embryonic stem cells by scientists at McMaster University will change how future research in the area is done.
A chemically-modified version of a mitochondrial toxin long used to control species of invasive fish in lakes has been found to selectively inhibit two “survival proteins? in cancer cells.
A UCSF-led team of researchers has found that larger HIV prevention programs in low and middle-income countries can increase efficiency and cause program unit costs to plummet. HIV prevention programs in Uganda, South Africa, Mexico, Russia and India were examined.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, with an estimated incidence of 234,460 cases and 27,360 deaths in 2006. Screening for prostate cancer remains controversial due to insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening.
While the overall cost-effectiveness of Medicare benefits have been much-debated, new data now show that people who were uninsured before receiving benefits at age 65 required more intensive and costlier care than those who had been privately insured prior to receiving Medicare.
While younger people can easily get in and out of bed or sit on a couch, older people can have a much harder time of it, with conditions such as arthritis or rheumatism considerably limiting their movements.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss may be connected to the quality of carbohydrates an individual consumes. In a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Allen Taylor, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University, and colleagues confirmed earlier findings linking dietary glycemic index with the risk of developing AMD.
Those with heavy hearts ? in the literal not figurative sense ? long have been known to be prone to cardiac arrest and sudden death. But many are not, and who among them is subject to serious risk is a mystery.