New target for drug intervention in Alzheimer’s disease identified

Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified an enzyme in the brain that may be an intriguing target for interventions against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The researchers suggest that the enzyme, a serine/threonine kinase known as LIMK1, may play an important role in the degradation of dendritic spines, the connections between neurons in the brain. In […]

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Heart patients need kindness as much as medical intervention

Heart attack patients can suffer substantial emotional trauma once the medics have finished making their bodies better, according to new research. The emotional whiplash can range from phobia about moving in case their heart rate rises, to difficulty accepting a new identity as someone with a serious health condition. The study found emotional trauma following a heart attack was more […]

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A behavioral intervention for cancer patients that works

This is a story about something rare in health psychology: a treatment that has gone from scientific discovery, through development and testing, to dissemination and successful implementation nationwide. In a new study, researchers found that a program designed at The Ohio State University to reduce harmful stress in cancer patients can be taught to therapists from around the country and […]

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Intervention cuts risk for HIV in young transgender women

(HealthDay)—A culturally specific, empowerment-based, and group-delivered behavioral prevention intervention can reduce sexual risk for HIV acquisition and transmission in sexually active young transgender women (YTW), according to a study published online Aug. 13 in JAMA Pediatrics. Robert Garofalo, M.D., M.P.H., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, and colleagues conducted a randomized efficacy trial of a […]

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Responsive parent intervention in infancy can reduce BMI z score

(HealthDay)—A responsive parenting intervention initiated in early infancy can reduce body mass index (BMI) z score; however, a 36-month multicomponent behavioral intervention does not change BMI trajectory, according to two studies published in the Aug. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ian M. Paul, M.D., from the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and colleagues […]

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Parent-child interactive intervention cuts depression

(HealthDay)—An intervention targeting depression in very young children can be effective in community settings, according to a study published online June 20 in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Joan L. Luby, M.D., from Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy (parent-child interaction therapy with a novel “emotion development” module [PCIT-ED]) for early childhood […]

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Intervention shows promise for treating depression in preschool-aged children

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have shown that a therapy-based treatment for disruptive behavioral disorders can be adapted and used as an effective treatment option for early childhood depression. Children as young as 3-years-old can be diagnosed with clinical depression, and although preschool-aged children are sometimes prescribed antidepressants, a psychotherapeutic intervention is greatly needed. The study, funded […]

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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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Early intervention may minimise later lung problems

A major study has found that controlling asthma through appropriate monitoring and medication is among several variables that can affect whether someone develops chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in later life. The University of Melbourne-led study, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, was the world’s first to characterise lung function trajectories that could lead to COPD in a large general […]

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