Suboptimal dialysis initiation common in patients with advanced CKD

A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope—and hype—in the growing buzz around wearable health technology.

In the first multinational study of a proposed change to how obesity is defined—which calls for health factors beyond a person's height and weight to be considered—an international team of researchers found the prevalence of obesity would drop significantly, highlighting concerns that the new criteria could hinder the prevention and early detection of serious health conditions.

According to recent estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five children in the United States is affected by obesity. Research has shown obesity often begins in infancy, emphasizing the need for early intervention strategies to prevent long-term health consequences such as cardiovascular disease.

University of Pennsylvania and Syracuse University scientists have discovered that a hindbrain-derived peptide, octadecaneuropeptide (ODN), can suppress appetite and improve glucose regulation without causing nausea or vomiting. Results suggest a glia-to-neuron signaling axis in the dorsal vagal complex that may be harnessed for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

A "weekend warrior" exercise schedule can lower diabetics' risk of early death, a new study says.

Almost 40 percent of perimenopausal women in a Monash University-led study had untreated and potentially debilitating vasomotor symptoms (VMS) such as hot flushes, night sweats.

Knowing how many people are vaccinated against an existing or re-emerging threat is a key factor guiding public health decisions, but such information is often sparse or non-existent in many regions, according to researchers at Penn State. Now, in collaboration with a team at the World Health Organization, the researchers have developed a new method to estimate and predict regional measles vaccination coverage levels even when accurate or timely survey data on vaccination is not available. The method uses data that is routinely collected when potential measles cases present at clinics to model vaccination coverage and can be used to guide public health interventions to slow or prevent measles outbreaks.

Melbourne scientists are teasing out how the "Hippo pathway" works at the molecular level, improving understanding of how it exerts control and its potential as a much-needed treatment for the deadly cancer mesothelioma.

A wound can leave a lasting imprint—even after it has healed. A new study in Current Biology finds that past injuries can quietly prime the body to overreact and be more sensitive to stress, pain and fear long after the damage is gone.

Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches are being recalled due to the possible presence of undeclared peanuts, a major allergen.

Keurig K-Cups are being recalled nationwide due to a packaging issue that could cause ink to run into the coffee during brewing.

Faced with a lack of running water, unsanitary conditions and poverty, the Kinshasa neighborhood of Pakadjuma has struggled to end a cholera epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this year.

China is experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne infection, with thousands of cases reported in the south.

Each cell in our bodies carries about two meters of DNA in its nucleus, packed into a tiny volume of just a few hundred cubic micrometers—about a millionth of a milliliter. The cell manages this by winding the strings of DNA around protein spools. The protein-DNA complexes are called nucleosomes, and they ensure that DNA is safely stored.

The origin of some neuropsychiatric diseases, such as autism, bipolar disorder, or depression, and certain neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, can be found in very early stages of brain formation in the fetus. That is, earlier than previously recognized, according to a study by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Yale University, published in Nature Communications.

The laminin-411 protein is vital for the formation of the myelin membrane by oligodendrocytes, report researchers from Japan. Furthermore, the A4G47 peptide from the E8 region of laminin-411 was found to be the main active amino acid sequence that drives myelin formation. The research findings have the potential to transform current cell culture practices to study myelination and may enable the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat demyelinating diseases.

Autophagy is essentially the "rubbish collection" of our cells. If there are problems in this process, which is so important for our health, diseases such as Parkinson's can result. In their latest study, leading cell biologists at the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna investigated mitophagy—a form of autophagy—and came to a remarkable conclusion: the researchers have described a new trigger for mitophagy.

People who are gestational carriers (or "surrogates") appear more likely to be diagnosed with a new mental illness during and after pregnancy, according to new research from ICES, McGill University, and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center.