Woman in vegetative state for decade reportedly gives birth

A woman said to have been in a vegetative state for at least a decade at a private health care facility in Phoenix reportedly gave birth recently, triggering a police investigation and reviews by state agencies in a situation that the state governor's office called "deeply troubling.'"

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No Ebola case in Sweden: officials

A patient in Sweden who was admitted to hospital with a suspected case of Ebola, was found not to be suffering from the highly infectious and potentially fatal disease, health care officials said Friday.

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Stopping cancer from recruiting immune system double agents

Cancerous tumors trick myeloid cells, an important part of the immune system, into perceiving them as a damaged part of the body; the tumors actually put myeloid cells to work helping them grow and metastasize (spread). A research team co-led by scientists at Rush University Medical Center have discovered a potential therapy that can disrupt this recruitment and abnormal function of myeloid cells in laboratory mice. The findings of their latest study were published on Dec. 19 in Nature Communications.

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Evaluating surgeon gowning steps for optimal sterile operating room techniques

For surgeons getting ready to enter the operating room (OR), the chances of contamination may be lower if they put their gowns on by themselves—without the assistance of a surgical technician, according to an experimental study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.

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Study: Computers can be a real pain in the neck

It's a posture so common we almost don't notice it anymore: someone sitting at a computer jutting his or her head forward to look more closely at the screen. But this seemingly harmless position compresses the neck and can lead to fatigue, headaches, poor concentration, increased muscle tension and even injury to the vertebrae over time. It can even limit the ability to turn your head.

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Study shows the brains of people with schizophrenia-related disorders aren't all the same

A new multi-site brain imaging study in The American Journal of Psychiatry shows that sub-groups of people use their brains differently when imitating emotional faces—a task that reflects their ability to interact socially. Interestingly, individuals with schizophrenia do not have categorically different social brain function than those without mental illness, but fall into different sub-groups that may respond to different types of treatments. These findings call into question the most common research approaches in mental health.

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Where will the world's next Zika, West Nile or dengue virus come from?

After collecting data and comparing it with every known mammal and bird species on Earth, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have identified wildlife species that are the most likely to host flaviviruses such as Zika, West Nile, dengue and yellow fever. Flaviviruses are known to cause major epidemics and widespread illness and death throughout the world.

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What does 'dead' mean?

Should death be defined in strictly biological terms—as the body's failure to maintain integrated functioning of respiration, blood circulation, and neurological activity? Should death be declared on the basis of severe neurological injury even when biological functions remain intact? Or is it essentially a social construct that should be defined in different ways?

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Genetic testing does not cause undue worry for breast cancer patients

As genetic testing for breast cancer has become more complex, evaluating a panel of multiple genes, it introduces more uncertainty about the results. But a new study finds that newer, more extensive tests are not causing patients to worry more about their cancer risk.

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Research shows gut microbiome protects against acute arsenic toxicity

Research conducted at Montana State University shows that microbes in the human gut play an important role in protecting against arsenic toxicity, a problem that affects an estimated 200 million people who are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

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BU's service-learning initiative to teach hands-only CPR to high school students is successful

PumpStart, a community service-learning program created by students at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), that teaches hands-only CPR to the general public, is effective for both teaching high school students a life-saving skill and providing medical students with an opportunity to engage in public health and medical education.

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One in ten adults in US has food allergy, but nearly one in five think they do

Over 10 percent of adults in the U.S.—over 26 million—are estimated to have food allergy, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open that was led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University. However, researchers found that 19 percent of adults think they are currently food allergic, although their reported symptoms are inconsistent with a true food allergy, which can trigger a life-threatening reaction. Results are based on a nationally representative survey of over 40,000 adults.

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Catching up on news about catch-up sleep

(HealthDay)—Missing out on needed sleep can bring a host of health woes, including diabetes because a lack of sleep affects insulin levels.

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Obsessive compulsive symptoms in youth may a red flag for other psychological issues

Engaging in repetitive and ritualistic behaviors is part of typical child development. However, behaviors that develop into obsessive and compulsive symptoms (OCS) may represent a red flag for serious psychiatric conditions. Researchers at the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found children and young adults with OCS who also admitted to having bad thoughts were more likely to also experience psychopathology, including depression and suicide. This is the first and largest study examining OCS in more than 7,000 participants aged 11 to 21.

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Working out your exercise schedule

(HealthDay)—The number of weekly recommended workout sessions can really add up.

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Postpartum opioid Rx may lead to persistent use: study

(HealthDay)—New mothers who take opioid painkillers after either vaginal birth or cesarean section may be at increased risk of becoming persistent users, a new study finds.

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Researchers reveal new mechanism to 'activate' the immune system against cancer

A new mechanism for activating the immune system against cancer cells allows immune cells to detect and destroy cancer cells better than before, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature.

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engineers unlock avenue for early cancer diagnosis

Monash University engineers have unlocked the door to earlier detection of cancer with a world-first study identifying a potential new testing method that could save millions of lives.

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Is your 'experience diet' making you unwell?

Just as our food diet affects our physical and emotional health, so does our "experience diet". This is the day-to-day mix of the things we do, see, hear and feel. And, just like our food diet, the quantity, quality and balance of those experiences need to be right.

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Portable DNA sequencer helps identify severity of Lassa outbreak in Nigeria

An international team of researchers has found that it is possible to use portable DNA sequencers to learn more about a viral outbreak as the outbreak is occurring. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their analysis of Lassa DNA in afflicted patients during a recent outbreak in Nigeria, and what they found. Nahid Bhadelia with the Boston University School of Medicine and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, has written a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.

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