Stories related to: health research

Childhood lead exposure has been linked to smaller brains and criminal behavior in adulthood, reports the Los Angeles Times. Researchers studying childhood blood contamination in old Cincinnati buildings with lead-based paint discovered that each 5 microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels by the age of 6 was accompanied by a 50% increase in violent crime. The affect was strongest among males. More »

Researchers have found that microscopic “wonder particles” used in a small number of materials, including bicycle parts and bumpers, have asbestos-like effects if inhaled, the Los Angeles Times reports. Consumers aren’t really at risk from the carbon nanotubes, but factory workers making the products could be, the researchers concluded. More »

Researchers are developing a patch to monitor the wearer’s health by collecting sweat. Embedded in a band or shirt, it analyzes the sweat’s electrolyte content to determine if the person is overexerting or stressed. Other health-monitoring clothing usually detects body temperature and heart rate—testing biochemical signals is “truly unique,” one industry engineer told Technology Review . More »

Medical researchers worry that Internet giants’ ventures into personal health records could turn the system on its head, threatening individual privacy, the New York Times reports. Two experts warn that companies like Microsoft and Google, whose new services put patient information on the web, aren’t subject to standard healthcare regulations, and could be easy targets for advertisers’ probes. More »

Academic scientists are retreating from their traditional cushy advisory roles with drug and medical companies or doing work pro bono, the New York Times reports. Researchers offered fees for advice once didn't think twice. “People thought they were suckers if they didn’t,” one med school professor says. But now, many cite concerns over ethics or reputation as reason to give up the cash. More »

People exposed to pesticides ran a 1.6 times higher risk of developing the neurological disease Parkinson’s, reports a new study of 600 participants. "Recreational pesticide use in the home and garden was more of a source of exposure than occupational use,” says one researcher. Experts now say the link is highly likely, though in combination with other, largely genetic factors, reports the BBC. More »

Electric shocks can sharpen the sense of smell, a finding that suggests new ways of altering sensory perception, the Chicago Tribune reports. MRIs showed subjects’ brains actually changing after researchers administered tiny shocks, which improved their ability to distinguish between similar smells. Because many psychological conditions relate to the senses, the results could shed light on possible treatments. More »

Sure, it’s a warty creepy-crawly that lurks at the bottom of the ocean, but the sea cucumber has inspired scientists to create a new material that could be used in implanted brain electrodes to help people with Parkinson’s disease, reports the BBC. The creature stiffens its skin when faced with an enemy and reverts to its soft self just as easily. Scientists hope the new material, which mimics that variability, will remain hardened during implantation in a human brain, then soften in the body. More »

Here’s the list of people human growth hormone is proven to help: the elderly, AIDS and tuberculosis patients, and people with hormone deficiencies. Baseball players aren’t on that list, Newsweek reports, and neither are thousands of ordinary people who believe HGH slows the aging process. “There’s a great deal of hype,” said one endocrinologist, “but there isn’t a great deal of evidence.” More »

Even people with heart disease or diabetes can hit the century mark if they take care of themselves, two new studies say. The trick for living to 100 is managing illness well enough to stay independent. "It's kind of a threesome: get more years, better years, and better function," the lead author of one study told the Boston Globe. More »

Folic acid, already known to help prevent birth defects, may play a role in the development of dementia, the BBC reports. Elderly subjects with low levels of folate in their blood were three times more likely than people with normal levels to develop dementia, a South Korean study found . But whether dementia is a cause or effect of low folate levels isn't known. More »