Scientists at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified a previously unknown biological pathway that promotes chronic inflammation and may help explain why sedentary people have an increased risk for heart disease and strokes. In a study to be published in the November issue of Nature Medicine, MGH scientists and colleagues at several other institutions found… Read More »
Fatty tissue has been found in the lungs of overweight and obese people for the first time. Australian researchers analysed lung samples from 52 people and found the amount of fat increased in line with body mass index. They said their findings could explain why being overweight or obese increased asthma risk. Lung experts said… Read More »
For the first time, the type of deadly Ebola virus responsible for recent epidemics has been found in a bat in West Africa, Liberian health officials announced on Thursday. Bats carrying the disease had already been found in Central Africa, and scientists have long suspected that bats were a natural host of Ebola and a… Read More »
A prospective analysis of back pain and rates of disability may help explain the association between back pain and mortality. Back pain is common and often debilitating. Back pain is very common, affecting millions of people worldwide. It is also a major cause of disability and missed work days. Risk factors such as posture, sedentary… Read More »
Scientists have discovered that irisin, a hormone released by muscles during exercise, directly acts on key regulatory cells that control the breakdown and formation of bone. The researchers say this insight raises the prospect of new treatments for bone-thinning disorders such as osteoporosis. Reporting in Cell, Bruce Spiegelman and colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for… Read More »