Characterized by painful red patches on the skin covered with thick silvery scales, psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin condition that afflicts roughly 125 million people worldwide. Newly released data from a clinical study shows that Cosentyx, a psoriasis treatment manufactured by Novartis, is 21 percent more effective than the widely administered treatment Stelara.
Controversy surrounding e-cigarettes has spilled from the scientific realm to the political one as of late.
Seizures are almost like firestorms in the brain, causing neurons to fire uncontrollably and resulting in aberrant motor behavior and the loss of consciousness. Despite their seriousness, we still have no good way to treat them. However, a recent study by Taito Matsuda and colleagues from Japan has uncovered a novel pathway between hippocampal neurogenesis and the immune system, potentially providing a new treatment avenue for epilepsy.
Just as the elusive dog whistle is beyond our mere human auditory capabilities, there is an entire reality out there full of waves beyond our visual spectrum, patterns beyond our recognition and dimensions beyond our reach.
It may seem as though danger from the Ebola epidemic is gone, but new research from the Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) suggests otherwise. The study, led by Justin Lessler and released in the March 13 issue of Science, found that disruptions to the West African health care, caused by the Ebola crisis, have led to a significant decrease in vaccinations and a consequent increase in susceptibility to a variety of other diseases.
In recent decades, studies have investigated the efficacy of certain gun policies in reducing violent crime and preventing high-risk individuals, such as those issued with domestic violence restraining orders or stricken with serious mental illnesses, from gaining access to firearms.
As full-time students, most of us spend a lot of time indoors, and that could be hurting our health.
There are 21 million people living with diabetes in the U.S., six million of whom take insulin. Although insulin has been used as the life-saving drug of choice to control diabetes for nearly 100 years, generic insulin has yet to be seen on the market.
Electrical signals, conducted through five billion cells in the human heart, synchronize the contraction and relaxation of the cardiac muscle, culminating in a perfect heartbeat.
The recent announcement of Angelina Jolie Pitt’s removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes after showing early signs of ovarian cancer has women across the nation thinking about genetic testing for cancer. Some doctors describe ovarian cancer as one of the most deadly due to its late-stage discovery, which limits treatment options.
On every medical form, there is that one box to check off: “allergies.” It’s a question that most people are lucky enough to gloss over, but allergies are a very real problem in the United States and the world, especially among children. It is estimated that between two percent and 10 percent of children in the world are afflicted with food allergies.
The Japanese believe that everyone has a “reason for being,” or “ikigai.” In Japanese culture, searching for one’s ikigai is regarded as very important, as the discovery of one’s ikigai is believed to bring meaning, direction and satisfaction to life. In fact, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner theorizes that one of the main reasons Okinawans are among the longest-lived people on the planet is because they have a high sense of ikigai.
On Friday, a solar eclipse darkened the skies of the North Atlantic for four hours, prompting dramatic photographs for some and disappointment for others in the many countries where cloudy skies unexpectedly blocked the view.
The brain is an overwhelmingly complex structure comprised of diverse cell types. Understanding how each population of cells works will lead us toward a deeper insight into the biology of brain function.
Radioactive decay happens naturally to all materials. However, some elements decay much faster than others, allowing scientists to detect and identify certain materials. The importance of radioactivity detection is not often understated. These detection methods have a variety of uses, including monitoring nuclear power plants and screening cargo for potential terrorist activities. Some methods use helium-3, a material that is traditionally hard to obtain, but a new idea from the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) may have solved the problem of its rarity.
On Earth, plant and animal species are continuously going extinct — more species are extinct than are alive on our planet right now.
In the past few years, a flood of flavored alcohols has entered the market with the intention of drawing in more consumers. For some who don’t like the taste of beer or vodka, products like hard lemonade offer an appetizing alternative at parties or just relaxing at home.
Both children and adults can develop cancer, but are pediatric cancers different than adult ones? A new study has found that, at least for melanoma, the two are fairly alike. It appears as though skin cancer in kids and skin cancer in adults have many similarities, which could help in treating this deadly condition.
Our stomachs contain millions of beneficial microorganisms that help us with digestion. Their importance in our health and well-being is highlighted by reports that show the role an abnormal gut microbiome plays in the development of obesity. Other studies also suggest a close interaction between our immune system and the microorganisms. This interaction is large enough that it may even have an impact on certain types of cancer therapy. Indeed, research into the role that the gut microbiome plays on our physiology is becoming one of the most exciting scientific fields.
While people may claim that they take after their mothers in appearance, temperament or character, genetically speaking, they are more like their fathers. A recent study shows that even though mammals inherit an equal amount of genetic mutations from each parent, they tend to display more of the mutations they inherited from their dads.
