Category Health/Medical

White wine carried the most significant association, and the increased risk was greater for parts of the body that receive less sun exposure, the study showed.

White wine was the most clearly associated. Alcohol intake is associated with higher rates of invasive melanoma among white men and women. White wine carried the most significant association, and the increased risk was greater for parts of the body that receive less sun exposure. ~3.6% of cancer cases worldwide have been attributed to alcohol, most typically cancers of the aerodigestive tract, liver, pancreas, colon, rectum, and breast. Previous research has suggested that alcohol can cause carcinogenesis as the ethanol in alcohol metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and prevents DNA repair.

Eunyoung Cho, ScD and colleag...

fMRI signals in the brain’s visual cortex as an individual views the checkerboard stimulus. The green, blue and dark blue spots represent signals produced within a fraction of a second after stimulation with dark blue being the fastest responding areas. Source: Lewis, et al.2

By significantly increasing the speed of fMRI, researchers have been able to image rapidly fluctuating brain activity during human thought. fMRI measures changes in blood oxygenation, which were previously thought to be too slow to detect the subtle neuronal activity associated with higher order brain functions...

The INTERACTION system. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Twente

From now on it will be possible to accurately monitor and analyse how stroke patients move during everyday life. This involves the use of a new suit fitted with 41 sensors, plus the infrastructure needed to transmit, store and process all of the data collected. This technology and information will make it possible to improve the rehabilitation process and cut healthcare costs. Bart Klaassen developed the system together with an international team of engineers and healthcare professionals. He will defend his thesis (which is based on this research) on 30 November, at the University of Twente. “The technology is finally ready.”

As many as 33 million people throughout the world suffered strokes in 2010...

Aerobic exercise preserves brain volume and improves cognitive function

Using a new MRI technique, researchers found adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who exercised 4 times a week over a 6-month period experienced an increase in brain volume in specific, or local, areas of the brain, but adults who participated in aerobic exercise experienced greater gains than those who just stretched. The study included 35 adults with MCI participating in a randomized, controlled trial of exercise intervention. Individuals with MCI are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which affects >5 million Americans today.

The participants were divided into two groups...