Concurrent imaging of metabolic and electric signals in the heart

Cardiac rhythm disorders can result from disturbances in cardiac metabolism. These metabolic changes are tightly linked with specific cardiac electrophysiology (CEP) abnormalities, such as depressed excitability, impaired intra- and extracellular conductivities, wave propagation block, and alteration of conduction velocity, action potential amplitude, and duration. more  

Despite risk, Older African Americans more likely than others to avoid flu vaccine

A study about why African American seniors do or do not get influenza vaccinations finds that many of them do not have accurate and complete information about the flu itself, the safety and efficacy of the inoculations, and the ease and necessity of getting the shots. more

Canadian scientists link fat hormone to death from potentially deadly blood infection

A new Canadian study has found that lower-than-normal levels of a naturally-occurring fat hormone may increase the risk of death from sepsis—an overwhelming infection of the blood which claims thousands of lives each year. more  

Why antidepressants don't work for so many

More than half the people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief. Why? Because the cause of depression has been oversimplified and drugs designed to treat it aim at the wrong target, according to new research from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The medications are like arrows shot at the outer rings of a bull's eye instead of the center. more

Liposuctioned fat, a viable alternative to breast implants  

There's been some debate over the safety and effectiveness of fat injections for cosmetic breast augmentation primarily due to a lack of research and concern that fat may calcify and obscure mammograms, be mistaken for cancer growths, or be re-absorbed by the body. But a new study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2009 conference, Oct. 23-27, in Seattle, found using liposuctioned fat for breast augmentation may be a viable option for some women. more

Study conclusively ties rare disease gene to Parkinson's Risk of Parkinson's Disease is five times greater for gaucher disease carriers  

An international team led by a National Institutes of Health researcher has found that carriers of a rare, genetic condition called Gaucher disease face a risk of developing Parkinson’s disease more than five times greater than the general public. The findings were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. more

NHGRI launches improved online talking glossary of genetic terms

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, today launched the next generation of its online Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms. The glossary contains several new features, including more than 100 colorful illustrations and more than two dozen 3-D animations that allow the user to dive in and see genetic concepts in action at the cellular level. more

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