Archives

Exposure of the developing brain to cocaine can cause neurological and behavioral abnormalities in babies born to mothers who use the drug during pregnancy. Researchers -- who note that cocaine use occurs in several hundred thousand pregnancies per year in the United States alone -- investigated the mechanism of cocaine's effect on fetal brain development.

Smoking and body mass index are risk factors in the development of age-related hearing loss, says one of the largest-ever studies into risk factors for hearing loss -- but alcohol has a protective effect.

Caloric intake negatively influences sleep patterns in healthy adults. Positive and statistically significant correlations were found between total energy intake and late-night snack energy intake and awakenings during sleep.

Researchers have identified a panel of proteins linked to early development of pancreatic cancer in mice that applies also to early stages of the disease in humans -- a breakthrough that brings scientists a significant step closer to developing a blood test to detect the disease early, when cure rates are highest.

A new stud suggests the release of lipids from abdominal fat, which drains directly to the liver, increases overnight, providing additional insight as to how abdominal fat is associated with type 2 diabetes risk. The findings suggest that the increase of lipids released overnight from abdominal fat may cause insulin resistance.

Children with bigger age-adjusted neck sizes may be at increased risk for a sleep-related breathing disorder, as well as increased severity of the disease.

While consumers are increasing demand for pork produced without antibiotics, more of the pigs raised in such conditions carry bacteria and parasites associated with food-borne illnesses, according to a new study. A comparison of swine raised in antibiotic-free and conventional pork production settings revealed that pigs raised outdoors without antibiotics had higher rates of three food-borne pathogens than did pigs on conventional farms.

Primary snoring in children may have an impact on cardiovascular functioning equivalent to that of moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

An acute session of moderate aerobic exercise, but not heavy aerobic or moderate strength exercises, can reduce the anxiety state and improve the sleep quality of insomnia patients.

Manipulating the immune system in elderly people appears to be the most likely way to help older patients wage an effective battle against tuberculosis, a new study suggests. Mathematical modeling of how mice respond to TB infection suggests that potential therapy options for elderly TB patients could either increase their white blood cell count or enhance infected cells' interaction with their immune system.