We humans spend a third of our lives asleep, oblivious to our surroundings and temporarily paralyzed. It’s a vulnerability that would seem to diminish our odds of survival, so evolutionarily speaking it must also somehow confer tremendous benefits. Yet our best guesses about what those benefits are tend to come from observing what happens when…
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I’m a professional wedding officiant and longtime L.G.B.T.Q. rights advocate. While I recognize that some officiants and other vendors may have ethical or religious objections to same-sex unions, I rejoice that marriage equality is the law of the land. Many wedding expos, websites, registries, professional organizations and social media groups have nondiscrimination policies requiring all…
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The endometrium is the lining of the uterus. It is one of the few organs in the human body that changes in size every month throughout a person’s fertile years. Each month, as part of the menstrual cycle, the body prepares the endometrium to host an embryo. Endometrial thickness increases and decreases during the process.…
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ROCKVILLE, MD — The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) last Thursday, November 14, conducted its latest Salisbury Award Competition for Entrepreneurial Translational Research. This event featured 16 individual cancer research projects from 15 institutions, selected from among a total of 36 applications. It concluded with an evening ceremony at which finalists were recognized, the…
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The liver performs several critical functions including filtering blood, detoxifying chemicals and metabolizing drugs. When the liver is damaged by hepatitis, alcohol, or primary liver disease, fibrosis ensues. Long-term fibrosis contributes to cirrhosis of the liver, which in turn can cause severe complications, including hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a condition that results in a temporary decline…
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CAMBRIDGE, MA — When your immune system is exposed to a vaccine, an allergen, or an infectious microbe, subsets of T cells that can recognize a foreign intruder leap into action. Some of these T cells are primed to kill infected cells, while others serve as memory cells that circulate throughout the body, keeping watch…
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DARIEN, IL — Patients and medical providers should be aware that chronic opioid use can interfere with sleep by reducing sleep efficiency and increasing the risk of sleep-disordered breathing, according to a position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Opioid use has boomed in the last decade, with nearly 92 million Americans using…
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Berkeley — Teen girls in South Africa face an extraordinary threat of HIV: By the time they reach adulthood, one in four South African girls will have contracted the virus, and most are first infected during adolescence. Experiencing depression puts these girls at even higher risk of HIV infection, reveals analyses led by researchers at…
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INDIANAPOLIS — Regenstrief Institute is investing and partnering with Care Revolution, a medical startup focused on improving care at nursing facilities, controlling costs and reducing trips to the hospital. The new venture expands on a successful and ongoing project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Innovation. In return for…
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WASHINGTON (November 19, 2019) — The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $70 million to fund 21 studies and related projects designed to improve care for health conditions that impose high burdens on patients, their families and the healthcare system. Eighteen of the awards, totaling about $65 million, will fund studies…
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