familymednews.com
Traumatic brain injuries, as well as infectious diseases such as meningitis, can lead to brain swelling and dangerously high pressure in the brain. If untreated, patients are at risk for brain damage, and in some cases elevated pressure can be fatal. Current techniques for measuring pressure within the brain are so invasive that the measurement is only performed in the […]
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A human infective nematode found in remote northern areas of Australia has been identified in canine carriers for the first time. Flinders University environmental health researchers, with experts in the U.S., have found a form of the soil-borne Strongyloides worm in faeces collected from dogs. Strongyloidiasis, carried by several kinds of Strongyloides spp., is estimated to infect up to 370 […]
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For the Batek people of the Malaysian peninsula rainforest, laughter can be dangerous. Within the system of taboos of these egalitarian hunter-gatherers, laughing in certain situations can cause storms, illness or even death. And yet sometimes, Batek people—like anyone else—laugh when they know they shouldn’t. In fact, laughter can be especially pleasurable when it’s forbidden. What does this paradox tell […]
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Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer in the last decade, yet many tumors do not respond to these new therapies. A new genome-wide screen of 20,000 human genes in T cells have turned up several new candidates to unleash the immune system’s ability to attack a variety of tumor types, Yale researchers report Aug. 22 in the journal Cell. […]
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They’re physically and emotionally wounded—most likely suffering from post-traumatic stress. Members of the United States military who serve abroad often return to the U.S. to treat their injuries and must be transported by aeromedical evacuation between medical facilities. Those who undergo these types of evacuations are in states of both chronic and acute stress. While much is known about the […]
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For decades, neuroscientists have relied on a technique for reading out electrical “spikes” of brain activity in live, behaving subjects that tells them very little about the types of cells they are monitoring. In a new study, researchers at the University of Tuebingen and MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory demonstrate a way to increase their insight by distinguishing […]
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Mary Epp awoke from a deep sleep to the “high, shrill” sound of her dialysis machine’s alarm. Something was wrong. It was 1 a.m. and Epp, 89, was alone at home in Marion Junction, Ala. No matter. Epp has been on home dialysis since 2012, and she knew what to do: Check the machine, then call the 24/7 help line […]
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In a new study of seven people with Parkinson’s disease, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that deep brain stimulation using electrical impulses jumpstarts the nerve cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine to reduce tremors and muscle rigidity that are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, and increases feelings of well-being. “While deep brain stimulation has been used for treating […]
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Karen C.P. McDermott recently completed a study on trash talk, the taunts or boasts meant to intimidate or distract an opponent. Her study was one of the first to statistically model how trash talking during a competition can influence performance. What inspired you to study trash talk? Karen C.P. McDermott: In early 2014, I watched Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman […]
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a new Recommendation Statement for BRCA1/2 evaluation, urging the medical community to widen the parameters used to assess BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation risks and increase the use of genetic counseling and testing for those with the highest risk. While the changes are beneficial, the recommendations still fail to address many persisting […]
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