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NEWS ABOUT: medical research

Why Kids With Autism Hate Hugs

Delayed brain development linked to 'hug-avoidance'

(Newser) - New research suggests that sensitivity to touch, a common symptom of autism, might be caused by delays in brain development in the womb. The study looked at brain development in mice with Fragile X, a condition closely linked to autism. Researchers found that parts of the brain linked to touch... More »

Older Women More Likely to Have Autistic Kids

Women over 40 face double the risk compared to moms under 25

(Newser) - Older mothers face an increased risk of giving birth to a child with autism, a new study says. Researchers analyzed all 4.9 million births in California in the 1990s and found that women who give birth over the age of 40 are 77% more likely to have an autistic... More »

Quitting Smoking Boosts Survival Odds After Cancer Diagnosis

Kicking the habit can double chances of surviving 5 years

(Newser) - Smokers diagnosed with lung cancer could double their chances of surviving for 5 years—if they quit smoking. The "dramatic" finding, based on analysis of 10 previous studies, applies only to early-stage cancer. "If you give up smoking, your body can still partially recover and your risk is... More »

Coffee, Tea Lower Risk of Diabetes

Just drink 4 cups a day; decaf works, too

(Newser) - Consuming four cups a day of coffee, tea, or even decaf dramatically lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, researchers say. In 18 studies that covered a whopping half-million people, coffee drinkers lowered their risk of diabetes by 7% per cup, Bloomberg reports. More research is needed, but the... More »

AMA Mellows on Medical Marijuana

Doctors group nudges Feds toward reclassification, research

(Newser) - The American Medical Association has finally softened on marijuana, urging the government to give it a new classification that would open the door to serious research on its medical merits. Now a Schedule I drug, with no accepted medical uses, under the AMA proposal it would become a Schedule II... More »

Curry Spice Kills Cancer Cells

Chemicals in turmeric turn cancerous cells on themselves

(Newser) - Curcumin, a compound present in that yellow curry spice turmeric, has been shown to kill cancer cells. A new study found that the chemical, which has long been thought to have curative properties, begins to kill esophageal cancer cells within 24 hours of application. The reaction also causes the cells... More »

Bypass Surgery Looks More and More Like Diabetes Cure

No one knows why, but docs are embracing bypass as a cure

(Newser) - Just why it works is still murky, but the connection between gastric bypass surgery and the reduction—or even elimination—of diabetes is so strong that some doctors are suggesting it as a treatment. “We may have a cure for diabetes,” one tells the Los Angeles Times. While... More »

Deadly Carbon Monoxide May Also Be Good For You

Small doses have medical benefits, researchers have found

(Newser) - Low-level doses of the deadly chemical carbon monoxide may actually have medical benefits, pioneering new research suggests. The research is preliminary, and no scientist denies the lethal results of CO poisoning. But studies in animals have found small, controlled doses of the gas can have benefits for organ transplantation and... More »

Moms Can Pass Cancer to Kids In Utero

Mutation makes cancer cells 'invisible' to fetus' immune system

(Newser) - Mothers pass myriad things to their unborn babies via the placenta, and scientists have found that cancer is among them. Researchers studied the case of a mother who died of leukemia soon after she gave birth, and whose child was diagnosed with cancer months later. Though the baby’s cancer... More »

Global Rates of Alzheimer's Disease Soar

Aging populations drive increase; developing world will be hit hard

(Newser) - Rising life expectancy in the developing world will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, HealthDay News reports. The number of dementia cases worldwide will reach 35.6 million in 2010, a 10% increase over the total in 2005. That number is... More »

It's Not Too Late to Extend Your Lifespan

Abandon unhealthy habits and you may live 10 years longer: docs

(Newser) - You knew smoking and fatty foods were bad for you, but thanks to a huge 40-year study, we now know exactly how bad. Researchers followed 19,000 men, starting in the late 1960s. Those who were still smoking, had high blood pressure, and had high cholesterol—the three top killers... More »

Cindy McCain Declares War on Migraines

Launches public campaign on behalf of headache research

(Newser) - Cindy McCain has publicly survived everything from miscarriage to stroke to a painkiller addiction—but the malady she took aim at last week was one she's endured in secret: migraines. “I’ve missed part of my life,” she told an American Headache Society luncheon. “People don’t... More »

Road Noise Drives Blood Pressure Up

Stress, sleep interruptions may be at fault: researchers

(Newser) - People who live close to noisy roads may face a greater threat of developing high blood pressure than residents of quieter areas, researchers in Sweden say. People experiencing average daily noise exposure above 60 decibels have a more than 25% higher risk of hypertension, a study shows. The researchers link... More »

Thick Thighs Decrease Heart Disease Risk

Researchers suggest beefing up skinny legs with exercise

(Newser) - Take off the skinny jeans and beef up those thighs, or you could be bound for an early grave. People whose thighs had a circumference less than 23.6 inches were more likely to suffer from heart disease and premature death than those with more svelte gams, according to a... More »

Chocolate Cuts Risk of 2nd Heart Attack

(Newser) - Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate after recovering are much less likely to suffer a recurrence than people who abstain, AFP reports. People who eat at least two servings a week are three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t consume chocolate. And the... More »

High Cholesterol in 40s Tied to Dementia Later

Lowering it won't necessarily help, studies suggest

(Newser) - High cholesterol in middle age may increase a person’s future risk of Alzheimer’s disease, NPR reports. “Our study shows that even moderately high cholesterol levels in your 40s puts people at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in later life,” says one researcher, who... More »

Pharma Ghostwriters Penned Medical Papers on HRT

Drug firms may play bigger role than thought in medical lit

(Newser) - Ghostwriters funded by a drug firm were deeply involved in writing papers supporting therapies that helped the firm’s sales boom, court papers show. The 26 scientific papers, published in medical journals from 1998 to 2005, highlighted the benefits of hormone replacement therapy over the risks, a boon to Wyeth,... More »

Dearth of Patient Volunteers Cripples Cancer Research

Just 3% of adult patients take part in studies

(Newser) - Cancer death rates have changed little in the past 40 years, and one big reason often goes unremarked on, experts say: only 3% of adult cancer patients participate in studies of treatments, the New York Times reports. More than a fifth of trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute couldn’... More »

Scientists Upgrade Century-Old X-Ray Tech

(Newser) - A team of University of North Carolina scientists are working to bring X-ray technology into the 21st century, the Economist reports. The X-ray machines commonly used today rely on vacuum-tube technology little changed from a century ago, but physicist Otto Zhou and his colleagues have used nanotechnology to create smaller,... More »

Migraine Sufferers Have Lower Breast Cancer Risk

(Newser) - Finally, some good news for migraine sufferers: Those awful headaches come with a reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. The researchers aren’t sure why that would be the case, but they suspect a connection with estrogen and other hormones. “It’s pretty clear... More »

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