Stuff that matters
Excessive opioid prescriptions following childbirth may lead to higher rates of addiction within communities, according to a new report in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. A significant correlation exists between the number of pills supplied and the continued use or abuse of opioids. Currently, no national guidelines exist for physicians who prescribe opioids […]
Up to one-third of physicians reported sending patients for a thyroid ultrasound for reasons not supported by clinical care guidelines, a new study led by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers finds. Routine use of ultrasounds to detect cancerous thyroid nodules have led to a significant increase in thyroid cancer cases in recent years, […]
A new insight into cell signals that control cancer growth and migration could help in the search for effective anti-cancer drugs. A McGill-led study reveals key biochemical processes that advance our understanding of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer among Canadians. Using the CMCF beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University […]
A new study by a team of researchers from the University of Toronto (U of T) has identified the region of the brain’s hippocampus that links low income with decreased memory and language ability in children. Previous research has shown that children from lower income families on average score lower in memory and language abilities […]
To understand language, we have to remember the words that were uttered and combine them into an interpretation. How does the brain retain information long enough to accomplish this, despite the fact that neuronal firing events are very short-lived? Hartmut Fitz from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and his colleagues propose a neurobiological explanation […]
Young children will pass up rewards they know they can collect to explore other options, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when adults and 4- to 5-year-old children played a game where certain choices earned them rewards, both adults and children quickly learned what choices would give them the biggest returns. But while adults […]
A single intravenous dose of MRG-110, an anti-microRNA drug, significantly reduced miR-92a levels in the blood of healthy humans. Inhibition of miR-92a has shown beneficial effects in animal models, including improved vascularization after myocardial infarction, and accelerated wound healing, according to the peer-reviewed journal Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. “Based on documented, promising therapeutic potential, locked nucleic […]