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191,281 articles from EurekAlert

Face transplantation calls for 'reverse craniofacial planning'

As surgical teams gain experience with facial transplantation, a careful approach to planning based on the principles of craniofacial surgery can help to maximize patient outcomes in terms of facial form and function, according to an article in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. The journal, under the editorship of Mutaz B. Habal, MD, is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of...

Frankincense is for life, not just for Christmas

High demand for Frankincense means that many Boswellia papyrifera trees are being over-exploited and populations are at risk of dying out. But help may be on hand as the results of a new study led by Motuma Tolera, which could secure a future for the trees by revealing the anatomy of the resin secretory system.

From fish to man: Research reveals how fins became legs

Vertebrates' transition to living on land, instead of only in water, represented a major event in the history of life. Now, researchers reporting in the December issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell provide new evidence that the development of hands and feet occurred through the gain of new DNA elements that activate particular genes.

Glaucoma study could inspire e-reader apps

Better strategies are needed to help glaucoma patients cope with difficulty reading. According to a new scientific study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, adults with glaucoma read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly a result of reading fatigue.

Grateful patient philanthropy and the doctor-patient relationship

Physicians associated with "patient philanthropy" -- financial donations from grateful patients to a medical institution -- are concerned with how these contributions might affect their own behavior and attitudes, and how they might impact the doctor-patient relationship. A new study considers the perspectives of internal medicine physicians working in an academic medical center who have had...

Health-care practitioners must cooperate to reduce medication mismanagement, MU expert says

Medication reconciliation is a safety practice in which health care professionals review patients' medication regimens when patients transition between settings to reduce the likelihood of adverse drug effects. It is among the most complex clinical tasks required of physicians, nurses and pharmacists, who must work cooperatively to minimize discrepancies and inappropriate medication orders. Now, a...

How our nerves regulate insulin secretion

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to graft beta cells into the eyes of mice in order to study them in a living organism over a prolonged period of time. As a result, the group and a team of colleagues from the University of Miami have gained detailed knowledge of how the autonomic nervous system regulates beta-cell insulin secretion.

In vitro study finds digested formula, but not breast milk, is toxic to cells

Free fatty acids created during the digestion of infant formula cause cellular death that may contribute to necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe intestinal condition that is often fatal and occurs most commonly in premature infants, according to a study by University of California, San Diego bioengineers. Their report, which was based on in vitro tests comparing the digestion of fresh human breast...

Infants with severe RSV disease may be immunosuppressed

Infants with severe lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may have a dysfunctional innate immune response that relates to the severity of their disease. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Inspiration from a porcupine's quills

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital now hope to exploit the porcupine quill's unique properties to develop new types of adhesives, needles and other medical devices.

Internet use can reduce fatalistic view of cancer

Many Americans have fatalistic views on cancer prevention -- they believe that getting cancer is a matter of luck or fate. Recent research, published in the Journal of Communication, found that people who use the internet to inquire about their health are more likely to have a positive outlook on cancer prevention and diagnosis.

JCI early table of contents for Dec. 10, 2012

This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, Dec. 10, 2012, in the JCI: Brown fat transplants help mice lose weight; Researchers identify therapeutic targets in neurofibromatosis; Gene regulatory network links obesity and inflammation; research identify inflammatory mediators associated with kidney stones; and...

Low copays, mail-order pharmacies may reduce adherence disparities to hypertension meds

New research suggests that making prescription refills more affordable and easier to get may reduce disparities among hypertension patients.An analysis of more than 44,000 patients recently diagnosed with high blood pressure in Kaiser Permanente Northern California identified important differences in medicine-taking behaviors among racial and ethnic groups. Lower copayments and the use of...

Mayo Clinic researchers uncover toxic interaction in neurons that leads to dementia and ALS

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have uncovered a toxic cellular process by which a protein that maintains the health of neurons becomes deficient and can lead to dementia. The findings shed new light on the link between culprits implicated in two devastating neurological diseases: frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Messages that speak to conservatives' morals narrow partisan gap on environment

Public opinion on environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, and toxic waste seems to fall along increasingly partisan lines. But new research published in Psychological Science suggests that environmental messages framed in terms of conservative morals -- describing environmental stewardship in terms of fending off threats to the "purity" and "sanctity" of Earth and our bodies --...

Metformin improves blood glucose levels and BMI in very obese children

Metformin therapy has a beneficial treatment effect over placebo in improving body mass index (BMI) and fasting glucose levels in obese children, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The study showed reduction in BMI was sustained for six months.