New study: Increasing autistic children’s levels of vasopressin, could help treat the social deficits common to autism

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New study: Increasing autistic children’s levels of vasopressin, could help treat the social deficits common to autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability  that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. It alters the way a person communicates, interacts, behaves and learns. Learning, thinking and problem solving skills can range from what we call "gifted" to "severely challenge." Autism is difficult to diagnose. Many physicians observe an adult or child's behavior to determine disease. Many children do not receive a diagnosis until they are much older. 

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Researchers have developed a molecule that mimics exercise

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Researchers have developed a molecule that mimics exercise

Currently in the U.S., more than one-third (78.6 million) of adults are obese and 29.1 million people have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes Molecule first inhibits the function of ATIC, a cellular enzyme involved in metabolism. This inhibition causes another molecule called ZMP to accumulate in the cells. The buildup of ZMP tricks the cell into acting as if they are running out of energy. AMPK, the cell's central energy sensor, is activated, causing the cells to compensate for the supposed lack of energy by increasing their glucose uptake and metabolism. 

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5 Healthy Ways People Are Commuting

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5 Healthy Ways People Are Commuting

Commuting often has a bad rep. Long train rides, sitting for more hours of the day than we do at our current jobs along with delays and all that jazz. However, people living in certain areas of the world are taking advantage of more eco-friendly and healthy ways of commuting. Before they even get to work, they may have burns 250-500 calories. Sounds like a good deal right? Here are of the 5 most healthy and creative ways people are commuting today. 

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WORLD’S FIRST MALARIA VACCINE GETS APPROVED

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WORLD’S FIRST MALARIA VACCINE GETS APPROVED

The world's first malaria vaccine (Mosquirix) has received a green light for future use in babies in sub-Saharan Africa, which is backed by Bill Gates. The European Medicines Agency gave the Mosquirix vaccine a favorable review after 30 years of research by GlaxoSmithKline and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

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Is Robotic Surgery Safe?

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Is Robotic Surgery Safe?

A recent report released from the CDC revealed findings researchers from three medical research centers concluded regarding the safety of robotic surgery. The report caused quite a gasp because it revealed that robotic procedures performed from 2007 and 2012 had over 8,061 device malfunctions, resulting in 1,391 injuries and 144 deaths.

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New Study Reveals Alarming Stats For Robotic Surgery Outcomes

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New Study Reveals Alarming Stats For Robotic Surgery Outcomes

Researchers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Chicago's Rush University Medical Center conducted a study stating that surgery involving robots is far from perfect. The study showed that 8,061 counts of device malfunctions during robot-assisted surgeries caused death and injuries to patient. Robotic surgery caused over 1300 injuries and 144 deaths, according to an analysis of these reports. 

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WESTERN U.S. DROUGHT INCREASES WEST NILE VIRUS

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WESTERN U.S. DROUGHT INCREASES WEST NILE VIRUS

Western U.S. suffering from drought - public health officials are warning residents of the region about an unexpected side effect of the dry weather: a greater likelihood of contracting West Nile virus. Officials from the California Department of Public Health confirmed that a 65-year-old woman in Nevada County, California, died from an infection with the mosquito-borne disease.

 

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Is Embryo Adoption Ethical?

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Is Embryo Adoption Ethical?

Did you know a small, but growing, number of families are turning to embryo adoption programs. Some are of course adopting embryos created during their own in vitro fertilization cycles but others are actually adopting unused embryos to build families of their own. One of the by-products of IVF treatment is the creation of ‘supernumerary embryos’ or pre-embryos. As part of the procedure, more embryos are brought into existence than actually used. The remaining embryos are frozen to be used later if the first trial proves unsuccessful or if the couple wants another child. This debate was touched on a few months back when Sophia Vergara was being sued for the rights to embryos she had created during IVF cycles with a former boyfriend. 

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Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Worldwide

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Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Worldwide

From IBM to some newer faces, there are so many companies disrupting the healthcare industry for everything from preventive are and better cancer treatments to technology and hospital equipment. Here are the top 10 innovative companies from around the world changing the future of health. 

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New lung cancer vaccine from Cuba

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New lung cancer vaccine from Cuba

Cuba has a new promising lung cancer vaccine called CimaVax that may soon be coming to the United States. Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States. It kills more people than colon, prostate, and breast cancer combined. Lung cancer is very difficult to identify early and very difficult to treat being that it is most often discovered in an advanced stage. More than 50 percent of patients die within a year of being diagnosed.

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What is climate change doing to our health?

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What is climate change doing to our health?

The 2014 National Climate Assessment, conducted by a team of more than 300 experts and a federal advisory committee, concluded that new health threats will emerge and existing ones will only get worse. Increased global temperatures, ground-level ozone and air pollution are expected to limit lung function and increase emergency room trips for those with asthma, whose ranks have substantially increased in the past decade. 

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Brain-Eating Amoeba Strikes U.S. Again

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Brain-Eating Amoeba Strikes U.S. Again

Freshwater-dwelling amoeba strikes again. Two cases of infection with “brain-eating” parasite have already been reported in the U.S. Responsible amoeba. What is it?

  • free-living, single celled amoeba
  • Naegleria fowleri
  • Found pretty much everywhere
  • Thermophilic (heat-loving)
  • Most often found in warm freshwater, like lakes or hot springs
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Ebola Returns to Liberia

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Ebola Returns to Liberia

Ebola returns to Liberia — three new cases reported this week in the previously Ebola-free country. People are questioning whether Liberia was really free of the disease to begin with. Liberian health officials reported the death of a 17-year-old boy from Ebola on Sunday, and two other cases of Ebola in people who were with the boy when he died. Liberia is now monitoring more than 100 people who had contact with the boy who died, and this number is expected to increase.

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Eye Color Linked to Alcoholism Risk

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Eye Color Linked to Alcoholism Risk

People with light-colored eyes may have a higher risk of alcoholism than people with dark-brown eyes, new research suggests. In the study, researchers looked at 1,263 Americans of European ancestry, including 992 people who were diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 271 people who were not diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

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FDA Approved Heart Drug May Decrease Risk of Death by 20%

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FDA Approved Heart Drug May Decrease Risk of Death by 20%

A new heart-failure drug from the drug maker Novartis, has received FDA approved. The company claims that this drug helps reduce death and hospitalizations from heart failure. A lot of excitement has been building up in regards to this drug, Entresto, since the results of a large clinical trial showed a 20% reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease or hospitalization from a worsening heart failure. 

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CDC Warns of Pool Parasite this Summer

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CDC Warns of Pool Parasite this Summer

Outbreaks in pools, hot tubs and other recreational and municipal locations can be dangerous according to a report released late last week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that over 90 outbreaks between 2011 and 2012 results in almost 1800 illnesses and 95 hospitalizations. The outbreaks even caused one death. 

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Hand Washing System Dramatically Improves Hygiene in Hospitals

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Hand Washing System Dramatically Improves Hygiene in Hospitals

A new hand-hygiene compliance system from the company Hill-Rom has reported an analysis of more than 20 million instances of hand washing dramatically increased the hand washing among hospital staff using the system. Hospitals using Hill-Rom's Hand Hygiene Compliance Solution achieved an average 226% improvement in compliance, with some hospitals showing compliance by caregivers nearly tripled. 

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Orbital Medicine: Exploring Health in Space

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Orbital Medicine: Exploring Health in Space

As you can imagine, medicine in space is completely different than it is here on earth. Our bodies operate in many different in zero gravity. One would not want to get sick in space. Zero-gravity plays a lot of games with our bones, muscles, organs, eyeballs and the brain itself. There's also infectious risks on a spacecraft which stems from sealing multiple people inside a self-contained vessel. Virus or bacteria could simply circulate around from person to person throughout an entire mission.

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Listening to the sounds of running water may improve urinary flow

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Listening to the sounds of running water may improve urinary flow

Recent article from Korea says listening to the sound of running water can help improve urinary flow in elderly, which was published in PLOS ONE. Researchers hypothesize that the sound of running water may be effective in the elderly with urination problems. Running water often used to toilet train toddlers.

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Scientists helped smokers quit by giving them doses of a drug found in magic mushrooms

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Scientists helped smokers quit by giving them doses of a drug found in magic mushrooms

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University may have found alternative for people trying to quit smoking unsuccessfully. Psilocybin, the active chemical in magic mushrooms, had double the success rate of other methods. 1950s/60s research involving psilocybin and LSD to treat addiction showed promise. Drugs were criminalized and research was halted. Recently, research has started to reopen with regards to hallucinogens. Notable success with smoking-cessation program.

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