Kidney stones, the painful urinary deposits that affect more than 10 percent of people worldwide, are surprisingly dynamic, forming much like microscopic coral reefs, according to new research that could provide insights into how to better diagnose and treat the condition. The findings, published last week in the journal Scientific Reports, challenge assumptions by many…
A few days ago, I sat in a medical recliner at the University of California, San Francisco. A cardiologist placed 10 stickerlike electrodes onto my limbs and chest and then connected the wires to a dated-looking contraption with a screen and a keyboard on a cart. About a minute later, a printer produced a chart…
One was Seattle, the other Mukono, a town in central Uganda, where Dr. Wall-Scheffler spent a semester working at a local university. In each city, she and Ms. Bouterse sought out a local pathway near a major market center, where people often walked to and from stores and other attractions. The researchers identified permanent markers…
A first-of-its-kind study reveals that, as we age, levels of a certain molecule increase, which silences another molecule that creates healthy bone. It also suggests that correcting this imbalance may improve bone health, possibly offering new avenues for treating osteoporosis. Senior women are at a particularly high risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis affects around 200 million…
Happily, studies also find that it’s not hard to convert people to the stress-is-enhancing perspective. To do this in my own work with adolescents, I liken the demands of school to a strength-training program. Everyone understands that lifting weights to the point of discomfort is the only way to build muscle; the process of developing…
I hadn’t realized how quickly my father’s mind was fading until one morning a few years ago when he asked me why he was taking only six medications per day. “What will I take on the seventh day?” he wanted to know. My mother, who had been given a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, had been…
Having Crohn’s disease presents unique challenges for a person when it comes to eating. Some foods can make symptoms worse at times, and people may want to avoid them. People with Crohn’s are subject to “flare-ups,” which are periods of inflammation where a person has diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramping when they eat. As a…
Advertisement Matter Scientists are focusing on a relatively small number of human genes and neglecting thousands of others. The reasons have more to do with professional survival than genetics. Image DNA being sequenced in a process called gel electrophoresis. An enormous chunk of the human genome remains unstudied despite significant technological advances.CreditCreditEurelios/Science Source Sept. 18,…
During pregnancy, the developing baby moves into several different positions. As labor approaches, some positions are safer than others. The ideal position for a fetus just before labor is the anterior position. In this position, the fetus’s head points toward the ground and they are facing the woman’s back. Most fetuses settle into this position…
Advertisement Some studies suggest that taking high doses of folic acid can prevent pre-eclampsia, but a randomized trial found it did not. Sept. 18, 2018 Image Some experts believe that a high daily dose of folic acid can reduce the risk for pre-eclampsia, the dangerous high blood pressure that can occur during pregnancy. A randomized…