A study found that children with personal exemptions from immunization are 22.2 times more likely to acquire measles and 5.9 times more likely to acquire pertussis than vaccinated children. Exemptions also increase community risk, particularly in schools with outbreaks.
A new study published in Neurology found that selegiline, a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease, does not increase the risk of death for patients taking levodopa. The study compared the death rates of 97 patients with Parkinson's who received selegiline treatment with those of 902 people without the disease.
Researchers identified enlarged pituitary glands in patients with intracranial hypotension syndrome, a condition characterized by headaches that worsen when sitting up. The condition can be diagnosed through low spinal cord fluid pressure readings and treated with conventional therapies such as bed rest, hydration, and corticosteroids.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have engineered a new type of cell that can develop into various tissues, overcoming drawbacks that limited hPSCs for disease therapy. The embryoid body derived cells (EBDs) reproduce readily and are easily maintained, eliminating the need for fetal tissues.
Current diagnostic criteria for diabetes are based on morning measurements, but patients tested in the afternoon may have higher fasting plasma glucose levels, leading to incorrect diagnoses. The study suggests that applying current criteria to afternoon patients could miss up to half of undiagnosed cases.
Researchers found that frontotemporal dementia patients shifted from disliking classical music to appreciating Italian pop, and another patient discovered a taste for pop music after losing interest in her children. The study suggests that novelty-seeking behavior may play a role in these changes.
A new national collaborative network for advanced earthquake engineering research and experimentation is being developed, enabling engineers to pool their experience and perform experiments and simulations on a larger scale. The network will also improve the design of infrastructure to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis.