Category: Research

MEwens
By Scott McCartney
New guidelines for travelers published by the American College of Chest Physicians recommend using below-knee compression stockings on long airline flights for people at higher risk for deep vein thrombosis -– but only if travelers have a risk factor for blood clotting.
Those risk factors include the use of oral contraceptives, advanced […]

MEwens
Researchers are making slow progress in understanding the numerous ailments that a growing number of people suffer after eating foods with gluten, a protein found in wheat.
As the Health Journal column reports, a group of 15 experts from seven countries took a step forward this week, proposing a new classification and diagnosing system […]

Melinda Beck
Merck’s Plans: Merck said it plans to apply this year for FDA approval of suvorexant, an experimental treatment for insomnia, the WSJ reports. The drug, an orexin receptor antagonist, produced positive results in two later-stage studies that will be presented at scientific meetings this year, Merck said.
On-Campus Eating: Research published in the […]

MEwens
The government estimates that more than 15,000 women died last year from ovarian cancer.
But routine screening of women with no symptoms isn’t recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or other professional groups, even for women at high risk for the disease. That’s because the […]

MEwens
Ever clam up at a meeting even though you knew a lot and wanted to contribute? Have you tripped over yourself as you tried to explain a complex subject? Have you felt tongue-tied when the spotlight turns to you at a party? You’re not alone. WSJ’s Bonds columnist Elizabeth Bernstein writes this week […]

Katherine Hobson
Ever clam up at a meeting even though you knew a lot and wanted to contribute? Have you tripped over yourself as you tried to explain a complex subject? Have you felt tongue-tied when the spotlight turns to you at a party? You’re not alone. WSJ’s Bonds columnist Elizabeth Bernstein writes this […]

MEwens
Does online dating work?
Well, it’s a great way to meet people, but not for leading you to the partner of your dreams, according to a comprehensive new review published in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
The authors, all academic researchers without any financial ties to dating […]

Shirley S. Wang
Cancer patients with advanced disease should have access to palliative care early on in their illness, according to new guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
That doesn’t mean oncologists are being encouraged to give up on extending the lives of those patients, says Thomas Smith, an author of the guidance […]

MEwens
Social Media and Funding Brouhaha: Social media helped galvanize supporters of Planned Parenthood last week after Susan G. Komen for the Cure said it would cut off funding for the women’s health nonprofit — and then reversed its stance, the WSJ reports. According to social-media monitor NetBase Solutions, Komen-related chatter rose 80% from […]

MEwens
There are many mysteries when it comes to understanding Alzheimer’s disease, with one of the biggest questions centering on how the memory-robbing disease progresses.
Decades ago, researchers discovered that the damage starts in the same part of the brain in all patients and systematically moves on to affect nearby regions. It wasn’t clear, however, why this progression […]