Three in 10 veterans prescribed psychotropic drugs do not have a diagnosis of a mental illness, a new Yale study shows. Veterans over 65 were much more likely to be prescribed drugs without a psychiatric diagnosis than younger veterans, according to the study to be published in American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “Older adults are […]
Knowledge about incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse lower among women of color
Knowing what symptoms to look for may help women with pelvic floor disorders improve their chances of successful treatment. But knowledge of these disorders is lacking among most women, and especially among women of color, according to a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine. The study appears in the October issue of […]
Bee sting venom can help develop immunity to bee stings
Bee stings can be painful, and for people who are allergic to the bee’s venom, they can be deadly. But a new study from Yale School of Medicine finds that the key toxic component in bee venom — the major allergen — can actually induce immunity and protect against future allergic reactions to the toxin. […]
Controlling the triggers of age-related inflammation could extend ‘healthspan’
Inflammation is the common denominator of many chronic age-related diseases such as arthritis, gout, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. But according to a Yale School of Medicine study, even in the absence of a disease, inflammation can lead to serious loss of function throughout the body, reducing healthspan — that portion of our lives spent relatively free […]
Researchers rewrite an entire genome — and add a healthy twist
Scientists from Yale and Harvard have recoded the entire genome of an organism and improved a bacterium’s ability to resist viruses, a dramatic demonstration of the potential of rewriting an organism’s genetic code. “This is the first time the genetic code has been fundamentally changed,” said Farren Isaacs, assistant professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental […]
Yale team identifies molecular ‘finger’ that pushes the domino of life
The basics of conception are familiar to any high school freshman biology student, yet scientists have yet to find the initial molecular mechanisms that set off the cascade of events that form a developing embryo. Yale University geneticists report online Sept. 22 in the journal Nature that they have identified one such trigger of life […]
From hospital to home: a critical transition
Two new studies from Yale School of Medicine reveal the myriad ways in which communication between doctors and patients fails when patients are released from the hospital, potentially contributing to serious setbacks or rehospitalization. The studies are published in the August 5 issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine (JHM), and the August 19 issue […]
Random, scattered, and ultra tiny: A spectrometer for the future
Sometimes a little disorder is precisely what’s in order. Taking advantage of the sensitive nature of randomly scattered light, Yale University researchers have developed an ultra-compact, low-cost spectrometer with improved resolution over existing micro models. The innovation represents an advance in “lab-on-a-chip” technology, or the consolidation of laboratory capabilities in miniature, highly portable devices. “The […]
Dr. Mark Michalski is ready to print a 3-D brain (maybe yours)
In a year’s time, the 3-D printers at Yale’s Center for Engineering Innovation and Design (CEID) have churned out countless parts, prototypes, and curiosity-driven experiments in plastic — rotorheads and racecar uprights, cardiac pump pieces and thermostats, snowmen, keychains, and fantastical geometric shapes. Radiology resident Dr. Mark Michalski uses them to print organs — arteries […]
The rhythm of everything
Dawn triggers basic biological changes in the waking human body. As the sun rises, so does heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The liver, the kidneys and many natural processes also begin shifting from idle into high gear. Then as daylight wanes and darkness descends, these processes likewise begin to subside, returning to their […]