Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new tool that makes it possible to study the signals in the body that control the generation of blood vessels.  The researchers’ findings, published in the new issue of Lab on a Chip, enable scientists to determine what signals in the body attract or repel blood vessels, knowledge that is extremely interesting in tumor research. The new...

Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) immediately after giving birth is the largest threat to new mothers in high-income countries. An Australian study shows that an increasing number of women suffered severe problems arising from blood loss after delivery. Christine Roberts from the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital led a team of researchers who studied the birth-hospital discharge reco...

Women undertaking a ten week program of 75 minute Restorative Yoga (RY) classes gained positive differences in aspects of mental health such as depression, positive emotions, and spirituality (feeling calm/peaceful) compared to the control group. The study, published February 28 in a special issue of Psycho-Oncology focusing on physical activity, shows the women had a 50% reduction in depression ...

A new gene that provides resistance to a fungal disease responsible for millions of hectares of lost wheat yield has been discovered by scientists from the US and Israel. "This is the first step to achieving more durable resistance to a devastating disease in wheat," said Dr Cristobal Uauy, co-author of the report, recently appointed to the John Innes Centre in Norwich. Resistance to str...

Researchers led by Dr. Changyi Chen at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that HAART contributes to pulmonary hypertension in HIV-infected patients. An estimated 33 million people were living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection) in 2007. Without treatment, approximately 9 out of 10 HIV-infected people will progress to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) with 5-10 years. HAAR...

The potato is a leading human staple diet in the world, with only maize, wheat and rice ahead of it. Its importance as a food is due to its nutritive value, being rich in carbohydrates and for its vitamin C, potassium and phosphorous content. The pattern of consumption has changed over the past few years, in tandem with changes in society and it is increasingly common for the potato to get to home...

Following a review by The Lancet of the medical issues associated with commercial air travel, the European Society of Cardiology has reaffirmed its advice about the risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE), whose risk, according to The Lancet, is increased “up to four-fold” by long-haul flight. Dr Steen Kristensen, Vice-president of the ESC, says: “Long distance flying is associated...

Scientists have developed an intelligent sensor networks monitor to measure important vital signs of patients or measure their activity. Poor sleep can be attributed to many causes, including shift work, stress, snoring or even sleep apnea – a disorder in which the sleeper temporarily stops breathing. Until now, only a sleep laboratory could determine whether a patient is suffering from slee...

Tropical forests hold more living biomass than any other terrestrial ecosystem. A new report in the journal Nature by Lewis et al. shows that not only do trees in intact African tropical forests hold a lot of carbon, they hold more carbon now than they did 40 years ago–a hopeful sign that tropical forests could help to mitigate global warming. In a companion article, Helene Muller-Landau, st...

An experimental therapy using tiny bubbles activated by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound combined with the clot busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is more effective than tPA alone in treating patients suffering from ischemic stroke, according to new research presented at the American Stroke Association`s International Stroke Conference in San Diego. The findings, presented by And...