To make progress in this investigation of a suspected sonic attack against American diplomats, the U.S. will Cuba's cooperation. That seemed to be occurring, but no longer. This week Cuban scientists declared that there was no sonic attack at all. Instead, they blamed stress and mass hysteria.
Disease
Obesity is known to be a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as well as for the insulin resistance that's a hallmark of the disease. Mouse studies suggest that obesity results in the production of microRNAs by adipose tissue, which diminishes the ability of tissues to respond to insulin.
Clostridium difficile infections are terrible, because they are both debilitating and very costly. But researchers are now considering the use of an unexpected tool that might prevent these infections.
Everyone knows you get a fever when you have an infection. But why? And while we're on the topic, what causes our temperature to rise?
Concussion research is hampered by only having subjective diagnostic criteria. Without an evidence-based diagnosis, there can be no evidence-based treatment. However, saliva may hold a key objective measure.
A pilot study of involving veterans from this war conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs may indicate a decades-long infection with a parasite could be causing cancer of the bile duct.
The "all-natural" food craze has extended to pets, with some companies making raw meat products for dogs and cats. Recent research makes us question the wisdom of such a practice, since some raw cat foods are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That, of course, could spread to pet owners.
Some members of the Old Order of Amish carry a gene mutation that helps them live longer and avoid some of the health problems of aging. Having one copy of the mutation is associated with longer telomeres and less risk of developing diabetes.
The California Department of Public Health says that there's been a 34 percent increase in the number of cases of valley fever over the past year. Nobody seems to know why.
Women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers are commonly treated post-surgery for five years with drugs that interfere with the hormone-tumor interaction. But sometimes the cancer reoccurs, and the initial tumor and lymph node status seems to be important in determining who would be at the greatest risk of recurrence.
Twitter, the social media device that often produces a toxic mixture of snark and narcissism, rarely bringing out the best in people. But scientists studying the platform are searching for a useful signal: A predictor of mental illness.
This article, written by Dr. Alex Berezow, was cited by New York Daily News. Obviously, measles outbreaks are garnering a lot of national attention. People seem to have forgotten that, at one time, measles killed thousands of Americans every single year. To this day, measles kills more than 100,000 people around the world annually. But without a doubt, health officials –- especially those who trek to remote and sometimes dangerous locations to administer vaccines – are true public servants.