High blood pressure, evidence of arterial disease and markers of inflammation in the blood in middle age appear more common in individuals whose parents have Alzheimer`s disease than in individuals without a parental history of the condition, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previous twin studies estimate that as much...

Spurred by a warming climate, daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental United States, new research shows. The ratio of record highs to lows is likely to increase dramatically in coming decades if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to climb. "Climate change is making itself felt in terms of day-to-day weather in the U...

Alcohol and drug use are known contributors to adolescents engaging in dangerous sexual activity; leading to substantial health risks such as unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted illnesses, drug overdoses and alcohol poisonings. Yet, research suggests that fewer than half of pediatricians report screening patients for substance use and at-risk sexual behavior. CRAFFT, the diagnostic test dev...

It may look like little more than fishing line, but plastic optical fibre or POF promises to revolutionise high-speed last-mile communications networks. Its evolution is being aided by groundbreaking research in Europe. Plastic optical fibre (POF) for data transmission is often described as the "consumer" version of glass optical fibre, the kind that makes up the long-distance trunk rout...

Almost half of adults surveyed in Summer 2009 in Hong Kong (45%) say they would take up free swine flu vaccination. However, this figure drops to around 1 in 7 (15%) if the price they have to pay for the vaccine reaches $HK200 (£16; €17; $26). In the absence of proved efficacy and safety, the figure decreases to less than 1 in 20 (5%), according to one of the first studies on be...

Carbon fiber composite materials (CFRPs) not only make cars and airplanes lightweight but also benefit the light weight constructions for valuable bicycle concepts. At the Composites Europe trade show in Stuttgart (October 27-29), Fraunhofer researchers will present a spring-loaded seat post made of CFRPs. The roadside features such as curbstone edges, potholes, streetcar tracks etc. frequently ra...

One of the many reasons to pick a low-calorie, low-fat diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and fish is that a host of epidemiological studies have suggested that such a diet may delay the onset or slow the progression of Alzheimer`s disease (AD). Now a study published in BioMed Central`s open access journal Molecular Neurodegeneration tests the effects of several diets, head-to-head, for their effect...

Critical illness from 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Mexico occurred among young patients, was associated with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, and had a fatality rate of about 40 percent, according to a new study. Novel 2009 influenza A(H1N1) was first reported in the southwestern United States and Mexico in March 2009. Between March 18 and June 1, 2009, 5,029 cases and 97 documen...

A new study from the University of New Hampshire finds that U.S. children are routinely exposed to even more violence and abuse than has been previously recognized, with nearly half experiencing a physical assault in the study year. "Children experience far more violence, abuse and crime than do adults," said David Finkelhor, director of the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center an...

A daily supplement of vitamin D at a dose of 700-1000 IU reduces the risk of falling among older people by 19% according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website. But a dose of less than 700 IU per day has no effect. IU is an international unit of measurement for vitamins and other biologically active substances. Each year, one in three people aged 65 and older experience at lea...