Living in areas with less sun may increase your risk of OCD

Living at higher latitudes, where there is also less sunlight, could result in a higher prevalence rate of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. “The results of this project are exciting because they provide additional evidence for a new way of thinking about OCD,” said Meredith Coles, professor of psychology […]

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Proteins found in semen increase the spread of Ebola virus infection

Protein fragments, called amyloid fibrils, in human semen significantly increase Ebola virus infection and protect the virus against harsh environmental conditions such as heat and dehydration. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report these findings in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Although Ebola is […]

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Obesity in childhood and adulthood shown to increase risk of knee and hip osteoarthritis

The results of a study to be presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2018) suggest childhood and adult obesity increase the risk of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA) and knee OA but not hand OA. Obesity and OA are two interconnected health care problems affecting a large proportion of the adult population worldwide, however studying causality in this […]

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A wearable device intervention to increase exercise in peripheral artery disease

A home-based exercise program, consisting of wearable devices and telephone coaching, did not improve walking ability for patients with peripheral artery disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), was led by Mary McDermott, MD, ’92 GME, the Jeremiah Stamler Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School […]

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Brachytherapy for cervical cancer does not increase the risk of ureteral stricture

A rare but potentially serious complication following radiation treatment for cervical cancer is a narrowing of the tube (the ureter) that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder, which can lead to kidney damage and sometimes life-threatening infections. This is called ureteral stricture and, until now, there have been concerns that brachytherapy might increase the risk, although the treatment […]

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Anti-epileptic drugs increase the risk of bone fractures in children

New research has shown evidence that anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) reduce bone density in children and therefore lead to an increase in the number of fractures, if used for more than a year. The study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), has prompted experts to highlight the importance of considering side effects […]

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Federal officials urged to increase perinatal depression treatment in minority women

Despite Latinas’ and African-American women’s increased risks of perinatal depression and the availability of reliable screening tools and national awareness campaigns, research has shown that these women are significantly less likely to be screened or treated. In a new position paper, researchers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University are urging federal policymakers to appropriate funds to boost diagnosis […]

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