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Transcendental meditation is an effective treatment for controlling high blood pressure with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-hypertension drugs, according to a new meta-analysis. The meta-analysis evaluated nine randomized, controlled trials using transcendental meditation as a primary intervention for hypertensive patients. The practice of transcendental meditation was associated with approximate reductions of 4.7 mm systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mm diastolic blood pressure.

Combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography imaging of lymphoma patients is a more effective method to evaluate response to radiation therapy, and may help patients avoid unnecessary follow-up treatments, a new study suggests. The fused imaging results in greater accuracy when evaluating treatment results.

Individuals who carry a rare genetic variant have an increased risk of developing breast cancer over their lifetimes, compared with those who do not have the variant. Few genes have been found to have a large impact on the risk of familial breast cancer, and researchers expect that most breast cancers are influenced by the combined effects of multiple genes, each of which has a small impact on its own. One of those genes may be AKAP9.

A car body that thinks intelligently and protects its occupants at the crucial moment has been every driver's dream for a long time. Research scientists have developed an intelligent side-impact protection system that dramatically reduces the risk of injury. Just recently the system has proved it actually works in a real crash situation.

A gene therapy treatment that restores a missing liver enzyme in test animals could provide a cure for a rare metabolic disorder in humans, according to medical researchers. People born with the disorder, called glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia), can't make an enzyme that helps the liver store and release glucose, the sugar that all cells use for energy. Without treatment, their blood sugar levels drop dangerously low, causing seizures and organ damage.