Cosmetic surgeons are starting to use a new generation of laser that goes deeper than standard lasers, reducing wrinkles and tightening the skin. – UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons are among a handful in the US deploying a new type of laser that goes deeper into the skin to help reduce wrinkles, tighten surface structures and treat pigmentation differences.
Mutations in immune system gene linked to placental injury common in preterm babies – Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene appear to have significant association with inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences report at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Scientific sessions continue through Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Dallas Hyatt Regency at Reunion.
CDC study estimates 7,000 pediatric emergency departments visits linked to cough and cold medication. Unsupervised ingestion accounts for 66 percent of incidents. – An estimated 7,000 children ages 11 and younger are treated in hospital emergency departments each year because of cough and cold medications, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately two-thirds of those incidents were due to unsupervised ingestion (i.e., children taking the medication without a parent’s knowledge).
An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes. – Just as many scientists had given up the search, researchers have discovered that the pancreas does indeed harbor stem cells with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in adult mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells will represent “an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes,” the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Climate change will have potentially devastating consequences for human health, outweighing global economic impacts, researchers calling for urgent action to protect the world’s population. – Climate change will have a huge impact on human health and bold environmental policy decisions are needed now to protect the world’s population, according to the author of an article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
University of Virginia study shows magnets can reduce swelling when applied after an inflammatory injury. – Magnets have been touted for their healing properties since ancient Greece. Magnetic therapy is still widely used today as an alternative method for treating a number of conditions, from arthritis to depression, but there hasn’t been scientific proof that magnets can heal.
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis remains a major public health problem worldwide. While the majority of complications from chronic liver disease result from progressive hepatic fibrosis, the available diagnostic tests used in clinical practice are not sensitive or specific enough to detect occult liver injury at early or intermediate stages. – MRI imagery is emerging as a non-invasive way to determine the existence and extent of hepatic fibrosis. It could eventually help the development of pharmacologic strategies to combat the condition.
Patients over the age of 60 who have elective surgeries such as joint replacements, hysterectomies and other non-emergency, inpatient procedures, are at an increased risk for long-term cognitive problems, according to a new study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers. – Duke University Medical Center researchers reveal that the patients over the age of 60 who have elective surgeries such as joint replacements, hysterectomies and other non-emergency, inpatient procedures, are at an increased risk for long-term cognitive problems.
Vanderbilt University psychologist reveals that obese people are less likely to use their seatbelts than the rest of the population, adding to the public health risks associated with this rapidly growing problem. – Obese people are less likely to use their seatbelts than the rest of the population, adding to the public health risks associated with this rapidly growing problem.
Vets with injuries to certain parts of the brain were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). – A new study of combat-exposed Vietnam War veterans shows that those with injuries to certain parts of the brain were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
