A new study reports that treatment with the experimental antibody “cocktail” known as ZMapp resulted in recovery in 100% of the 18 rhesus macaques treated with the drug, even when initiated up to five days after infection. This experimental therapy still requires safety testing in humans, but these results indicate that it could be a […]
Tag: health
A healthy mind with a healthy heart
A new study confirms that exercise and healthy lifestyle maintains the elasticity of the arteries and is linked to preserved cognitive abilities later in life. Researchers performed MRI scans and physical tests on 31 young people (aged 18-30) and 54 older participants (aged 55-75) and while they found that age-related decline of cognitive functions and […]
Antidepressants during pregnancy may be linked to ADHD in kids
A new study finds that exposure to antidepressants in the womb may be linked to an increased risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the researchers caution that the risks of depressed mothers-to-be stopping their medication may be greater for the unborn child than the increased risk of developing ADHD associated with continuing […]
RNA research could lead to tailored prostate cancer treatment
New genetic research could help doctors predict which treatments will work best for a given prostate cancer patient. Researchers sequenced the RNA – molecules that tell them which genes are being expressed – from tumours in 25 prostate cancer patients. They then cross-referenced the RNA data detailed follow-up information, including reactions to different therapies. They […]
Marijuana legalization linked to lower overdose rates
U.S. states that implemented medical marijuana laws appear to have lower overdose death rates from prescription painkillers and drugs such as heroin, a new study shows. The authors examined ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) which enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010 and compared […]
Hearths hazardous to heart health
Black carbon pollutants from wood-burning stoves and vehicle emissions are associated with elevated blood pressure in Chinese women, a new study shows. Black carbon is an air pollutant that comes from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or wood; while it’s only one component of airborne dust, this is the first study to single it out […]
MERS-CoV: Marmosets get sick like humans
Researchers have found that marmosets could be used as an animal model to study the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, also known as MERS-CoV. They observed that marmosets carry the same variant of a cell surface protein (DPP4) that MERS-CoV uses to invade human cells. This means that marmosets infected by MERS-CoV get as sick […]
Ancient tuberculosis may have come from seals
Tuberculosis was already present in the Americas before European contact, and new research indicates that some strains may have arrived via an unusual route; seals and sea lions. Researchers have now sequenced the genomes of three strains of tuberculosis from 1000-year-old mummies from Peru. The strains are genetically very different from the European strains that […]
Taking extra precaution before recommending physical activity to children
New recommendations from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology state that physicians should promote physical activity to children, but not before checking whether the child has underlying medical conditions or is sedentary. Researchers maintain that children should exercise for at least 60 minutes, 3 times a week. The new guidelines advise checking for previous medical […]
How gut bacteria train our immune system
A new study helps shed light on which beneficial bacteria are needed to help train our immune system. Newborn mice were treated with vancomycin or streptomycin, two antibiotics that each kill certain species of gut bacteria but leave others relatively unaffected. Those treated with streptomycin were much more likely to develop a lung condition that […]
Researchers shed (X-ray) light on how cystic fibrosis causes lung damage
Researchers are now able to directly visualize, for the first time, how the ability of airways to deal with inhaled bacteria is impaired in cystic fibrosis (CF) thanks to a new technique. Previous research has suggested that CF – which is caused by a mutation in the gene for a protein called CFTR – prevents […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Public Health
A group of doctors has published an editorial raising concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a trade agreement between Canada and eleven other Pacific Rim countries – and the effect it could have on the public health system. In particular the authors cite possible changes to intellectual property rules that could impact medications or […]
Hand sanitizers in classrooms do not reduce school absences in children
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in classrooms do not lead to reductions in the rate of school absences in children, a new study shows. The researchers conducted a randomized trial on 68 city primary schools (2443 children aged between 5-11 years old) in New Zealand. They found that the rate of absence was similar in the […]
Quantifying breast cancer risk to due gene mutation
Researchers have accurately quantified the risk of breast cancer due to a mutation of a known gene linked to the disease. The study tracked 362 people from families known to carry mutation of a gene called PALB2 which has been linked to breast cancer. Researches found that among those younger than 40, the risk of breast […]
Clot-busting drugs could be used more widely
A new study suggests that while administering clot-busting drugs as quickly as possible to stroke victims is important, they can help even when administered late or in high-risk groups. The study, which followed 6,700 stroke patients, found that those who received treatment with clot-busting drugs such as alteplase within 3 hours of the onset of […]
Sleep apnea not linked to cancer
People suffering from sleep apnea are not more likely to develop cancer, a new study shows. Sleep apnea is a common disorder where breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep; about 5 per cent of Canadian adults over 45 experience it. Previous reports had hinted that the low blood oxygen levels brought on […]
