A study reported in the journal Science Translation Medicine proposes that preventative therapy with affordable and safe antibiotics in people living in areas with intense malaria transmission has the potential to act as a ‘needle-free’ natural vaccine against malaria and may likely provide an additional valuable tool for controlling and/or eliminating malaria in resource-poor settings……..

Researchers are reporting development of a substance to enhance the visibility of skin cancer cells during scans with an advanced medical imaging system that combines ultrasound and light. The hybrid scanner could enable doctors to detect melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, in its earliest and most curable stages, the report in the monthly journal ACS Nano indicates……..

Scientists are reporting this week newly released study results they say provide further evidence of the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from bone marrow for patients suffering from acute lung injury, one of the most common causes of respiratory failure in intensive care units. Led by Drs. Michael A. Matthay and Jae W.

Improved drug coverage under Medicare Part D has led to an increase in the use of antibiotics by seniors, especially of brand-name and more expensive drugs, as per a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Reported in the Aug. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine and the first to explore spending on antibiotics under Medicare Part D, the study suggests recent changes in drug coverage improved the use of antibiotics for pneumonia, but could lead to unnecessary spending on expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics and the overuse of inappropriate antibiotics……..

Progestins are used in hormone replacement therapies to counteract the negative effects of estrogen on the uterus and reduce the risk of uterine cancer. However, evidence in recent studies and clinical trials has demonstrated that progestins increase the risk of breast cancer. Now, University of Missouri scientists have compared four types of progestins used in hormone replacement therapies and found significantly different outcomes on the progression of breast cancer in an animal model depending on the type of progestins used……..

Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM), or menstrual cramps, is the most common gynecological disorder in women of childbearing age. Lower abdominal pain starts with the onset of menstrual flow and this ongoing pain stimulus can cause alterations throughout the nervous system. In a study scheduled for publication in the recent issue of PAIN, scientists report abnormal changes in the structure of the brain in PDM patients, whether or not they are in fact experiencing pain……..

Everyone experiences social stress, whether it is nervousness over a job interview, difficulty meeting people at parties, or angst over giving a speech. In a new report, UCLA scientists have discovered that how your brain responds to social stressors can influence the body’s immune system in ways that may negatively affect health……..

Though a valuable weapon against malignant tumors, radiation treatment often harms healthy tissue as it tries to kill cancerous cells. Now, Prof. Israel Gannot of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering is developing a new way to destroy tumors with fewer side effects and minimal damage to surrounding tissue……..

It comes as no surprise that a number of children suffer when a parent is behind bars. But as rates of incarceration grew over the past 30 years, scientists were slow to focus on the collateral damage to children. The best estimate says that at any one time, 1.7 million (about 2.3 percent) of all American children have a parent in prison, says Julie Poehlmann, a professor in the School of Human Ecology and investigator at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison……..

A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body’s own nerve cells. Cannabinoid signaling systems are common throughout the body and affect a variety of functions. Developing new therapies that modulate these molecular communications might help patients with autoimmune or neurological disorders, including brain inflammation following a viral infections. Specifically targeted treatments would have medicinal benefits without mind-altering side effects.