SEATTLE — It is well known that exposure to radiation has multiple harmful effects — including causing cancer — but until now, it has been unclear to what extent such exposure increases a person’s risk of developing more than one cancer.
The …
A child who can’t stop scratching himself may well be suffering from atopic dermatitis, also known as neurodermatitis. Extreme irritability of the skin with a concomitant urge to scratch is typical of the disorder. The condition often appears during…
(PHILADELPHIA) — Patients with asthma who are exposed to violence in their community are at an increased risk for an asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room visits for asthma or any cause, according to new research from the University …
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A new study of the genetic basis of circadian rhythms — the biological responses related to daily light exposure — has found that a few minutes of light exposure in a fungus directly affects a huge range of its biological f…
New studies show that treatments targeting specific viral genes protected monkeys infected with deadly Ebola or Marburg viruses. Furthermore, the animals were protected even when therapeutics were administered one hour after exposure — suggesting t…
NEW YORK (August 20, 2010) — Casual smokers may think that smoking a few cigarettes a week is “no big deal.” But according to new research from physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, having an infrequent…
Berkeley — Children who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in their mother’s womb were more likely to develop attention disorders years later, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. …
The prevalence of sex in the mainstream media has led many researchers to study its effect on impressionable adolescents. Several published, peer-reviewed studies have indicated that there is a link between exposure to sex in the media and the early…
It’s been almost two decades since the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) first asked the public what they know about skin cancer, sunscreens and sun exposure. Despite countless health messages about the dangers of the sun and the alarmingly high rates of skin cancer in the United States, the results of a new AAD survey show that Americans, particularly young individuals, recognize that overexposure to the sun is unhealthy but are still not protecting themselves when outdoors. However, as people age, attitudes towards sun safety begin to change ? not only for themselves but for the children in their care.
University of Arizona researchers report new evidence that exposure to nicotine in the developing rat fetus enhances the function of GABAa receptors, a key component of brain cells that control breathing rhythm. The increased functional capacity of the GABAa receptors may make these newborns more likely to have episodes of apnea, in which breathing simply stops.
Virginia Tech researchers have discovered that exposure to some insecticides may cause a cascade of chemical events in the brain that could lead to Parkinson?s Disease. “We found low-level exposures set in motion a process with an early onset that develops slowly and is persistent,” one of the lead researchers said. “More surprising is that high-level exposures resulted in few immediate effects that we could observe, but in the longer term there was a delayed effect.”
Researchers have found disturbing new evidence suggesting that environmental exposure to a ubiquitous substance may cause chromosomally abnormal pregnancies. They have learned that low levels of a compound used in the manufacture of common plastic food and beverage containers and baby bottles interfere with cell division in the eggs of female mice. The disruption of cell division can result in an abnormal number of chromosomes in the eggs, a condition known as aneuploidy, which is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in humans. Down syndrome is an example of a disorder caused by the addition of an extra chromosome.