Should Antipsychotic Drugs Be Taken For Dementia? July 31, 2007
Antipsychotic drugs are approved mainly for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but they are also used for many other purposes. One of the most controversial is reducing disruptive behavior among elderly people with dementia. Concern about this issue is not new.
U.S.-Cuban Dig Seeks Insight Into People Columbus Encountered
Researchers in an ongoing U.S.-Cuban archaeological expedition are attempting to learn more about the native people Christopher Columbus encountered on his first voyage to the New World. The people Columbus encountered during his first voyage to northeastern Cuba in 1492 were Arawakan Indians.
Origins Of Cardiac Fibrosis In Patients With Heart Disease Illuminated
A report helps explain the origins of cardiac fibrosis, a stiffening of the heart muscle that leads to a variety of cardiac diseases, most notably heart failure. The animal study also demonstrates that a bone morphogenic molecule known as rhBMP7 can reverse the cardiac fibrosis process, offering the possibility of a therapeutic target for this debilitating condition.
Seawater Intrusion Is The First Cause Of Contamination Of Coastal Aquifers
About 60 percent of coastal aquifers are contaminated by seawater intrusion, a generalised phenomenon in 20 percent of cases. Experts have found viable solutions implying not so much investment, but rather an "intelligent" management of water resources. Scientists from France, Italy, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia have taken part in an international project to address sustainable water management in Mediterranean coastal aquifers.
Obese Patients Get Patchy Weight-loss Support From Their Local Health Surgery
Most doctors' surgeries don't provide well-developed support programs for obese patients, and one in five primary care nurses feel awkward or embarrassed speaking to patients about their obesity.
Curiosities: Why Do Flowers Smell, And Why Do Plants Smell, Too?
The luscious aroma of flowers attracts lovers, and the biological role of that smell is similar: to attract pollinators. "Plants need to attract insects, bats and hummingbirds to transfer the pollen and create fertile seeds," says one of the researchers.
Aegean Sea Seen As Driver Of Changes In The Eastern Mediterranean
The process of deep-water formation involves the sinking of aerated surface waters down to the bottom of the ocean. This process replenishes the deep ocean with oxygen, which is otherwise consumed by decomposition of organic material raining down from the surface waters where primary productivity occurs. However, releases of freshwater to the ocean reduce the sea surface density, which in turn suppresses new deep-water formation. A failure of deep-water formation eventually leads to oxygen depletion at the seafloor, eliminating benthic life and promoting the accumulation of organic carbon in the sediments.
System To Analyze Beating Heart Stem Cells Could Lead To Heart Attack Treatments
New research is paving the way for techniques that use stem cells to repair the damage caused by heart attacks. The research is looking at the process that turns a stem cell into a cardiomyocyte — the beating cell that makes up the heart.
Genomics Study Provides Insight Into The Evolution Of Unique Human Traits
Researchers report the results of a large-scale, genome-wide study to investigate gene copy number differences among ten primate species, including humans. In the report, the scientists speculate how unique, lineage-specific gene copy number expansions and contractions in humans may underlie traits such as endurance running, higher cognitive function, and susceptibility genetic disease.
Hip And Knee Replacements Rarely Performed In Patients Over 100
A new study found that hip and knee replacements are very infrequent among this age group, but that they should not be denied to these patients solely because of short-term life expectancy.
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