The evolution of male songbirds as the colorful consorts of drab female partners is more complicated than long thought, says a McMaster researcher on a team that looked at nearly 6,000 species for a massive study published in the journal Nature.
Music has long been described, anecdotally, as a universal language. This may not be entirely true, but we're one step closer to understanding why humans are so deeply affected by certain melodies and modes.
A team of researchers has discovered that bacteria found in the gut may contribute to the body’s response to gluten, an important finding that could lead to new treatments for celiac disease. The findings, published today in The American Journal of Pathology, address a lingering question that has preoccupied scientists: why only a small amount – 2 to 5 per cent — of individuals who are genetically susceptible go on to develop the disease.
Researchers compared nearly 800 pregnant South Asian and white Caucasian women. While the South Asian mothers—who were smaller in stature than their white counterparts—gave birth to significantly smaller babies, those newborns had more adipose or fat tissue, termed the “thin-fat” phenotype and a higher waist circumference.
Data support the call to increase global awareness of the harmful use of alcohol and the need to further identify and target the modifiable determinants of harmful alcohol use. The authors also identified differences between countries of different levels of prosperity.
A new exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art brings together years of painstaking research by an international team of scientists, engineers, conservators and art historians who have used sophisticated equipment and techniques to uncover new details—once hidden to the human eye—by some of history’s greatest artists.
The researchers studied almost 700,000 hip surgery patients more than 45 years old in France between 2010 and 2013, and found that the total hip replacement patients were younger, more commonly men and had less other medical problems than hip fracture patients.
Symmetric peripheral gangrene and venous limb gangrene are identified and a rational approach to treating these conditions explored.
Contrary to prevailing dietary advice, a recent evidence review found no excess cardiovascular risk associated with intake of saturated fat. In contrast, research suggests that industrial trans fats may increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
The study showed that patients with community-acquired pneumonia who received corticosteroids were discharged from hospital sooner, and results showed a reduction in the need for mechanical ventilation and the likelihood of life-threatening complications.
The research explains the complex mechanisms of interaction and dynamics between the gut microbiota and its host. Data show that relatively minor changes in microbiota profiles or its metabolic activity induced by neonatal stress can have profound effects on host behaviour in adulthood.
A study at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences has found a reduction in breast cancer recurrence when additional radiation is given to the lymph nodes as well as the standard treatment of whole-breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery.
A research review for the Cochrane Library, led by McMaster University researchers, has found that eliminating Helicobacter pylori bacterium— the main cause of stomach ulcers - with a short course of therapy of two commonly used medicines may help to reduce the risk of gastric cancer.
Eliciting and honoring the last wishes of patients helps to humanize dying in the ICU, according to research from McMaster University. Overall, 98% of the wishes were implemented at a cost ranging from $0 to $200 per patient.
Canadian researchers have launched the world’s first clinical trial of a novel investigational therapy that uses a combination of two viruses to attack and kill cancer cells, and stimulate an anti-cancer immune response.
Infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and some of the world’s deadliest superbugs—C. difficile and MRSA among them—could soon be detected much earlier by a unique diagnostic test, designed to easily and quickly identify dangerous pathogens.
The McMaster team recruited 75 patients with a flare up of their ulcerative colitis and randomized them to fecal transplant therapy given as an enema derived from stool donated by an anonymous healthy donor, and placebo.
By knowing that AMPK is vital for maintaining muscle mass with aging, researchers can now try to adapt exercise regimes and existing drugs to switch on AMPK in muscle more effectively. The development of new selective activators of the AMPK pathway in muscle may also be effective to prevent muscle loss with aging.
The rare corpse flower, widely known as the world’s smelliest plant, has started to bloom McMaster, one of only a handful in the world to do so this year.
Stem cell scientists at McMaster can now directly convert adult human blood cells to both central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) neurons as well as neurons in the peripheral nervous system (rest of the body) that are responsible for pain, temperature and itch perception. This means that how a person’s nervous system cells react and respond to stimuli, can be determined from his blood.
McMaster researchers who have modelled planetary systems far beyond our own solar system have found that massive moons larger than Mars might be the best bet in the search for life beyond Earth.
The study followed almost 140,000 adults aged 35 to 70 over four years in 17 countries. Their muscle strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. They were taking part in the institute’s Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.
The study provides an explanation for why many people with even very trivial head injuries, or even injuries to other parts of their bodies, experience incapacitating post-concussion like syndromes.
An international team of researchers has sequenced the nearly complete genome of two Siberian woolly mammoths—revealing the most complete picture to date—including new information about the species’ evolutionary history and the conditions that led to its mass extinction at the end of the Ice Age.
Consumers are one step closer to benefiting from packaging that could give simple text warnings when food is contaminated with deadly pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella, and patients could soon receive real-time diagnoses of infections such as C. difficile right in their doctors’ offices, saving critical time and trips to the lab. Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new way to print paper biosensors, simplifying the diagnosis of many bacterial and respiratory infections.
The study offers new insight into the link between neurodegenerative disorders and inflammation, and provides a framework to explore more fully the possibility that viral infection may lead to onset of these diseases.
A new five-year plan to fight the critical problem of antibiotic resistance brings welcome momentum and attention to a fight that demands a global effort, say leading Canadian researchers in the field, who are available to comment this afternoon.
As people become overweight, their skeletal muscle develops insulin resistance that can lead to type two diabetes. Researchers found the activity of this protein, called PTEN (for Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10), is different between men and women.
Routine strategy of blood clot removal during treatment for heart attacks not beneficial and associated with an increased risk of stroke.
The McMaster Evidence Review and Synthesis Centre reviewed hundreds of recent studies about overweight and obesity published in the past decade. The last of its five related papers was published today.
The science behind many anti-depressant medications appears to be backwards, say the authors of a paper that challenges the prevailing ideas about the nature of depression and some of the world’s most commonly prescribed medications.
Traditional decision aids to help patient-doctor discussions have drawbacks, but a new electronic model developed by McMaster University researchers holds promise of revolutionizing shared decision-making in the doctor’s office with the touch of an electronic tablet.
The study found that extremely low birth weight babies whose mothers received a full course of steroids prior to giving birth are at even greater risk for psychiatric disorders.
Two issues emerged: Conversations about death and dying need to be normalized so that people can be more comfortable having advance care planning discussions within families before there’s a crisis. And, clinicians need more training to be highly skilled and sensitive communicators.
The study has identified a significant risk for potentially-fatal breathing disruption when morphine is administered at home after surgery to treat pain in children who undergo tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy.
Researchers show that when comparing the potency of an isolated strain-specific flu antibody (the type that current vaccines generate) with an isolated broadly-neutralizing flu antibody (the type generated by universal vaccines) in a lab setting, the latter have much weaker neutralization activity than the strain-specific antibodies.
Brown adipose tissue, widely known as brown fat, is located around the collarbone and acts as the body’s furnace to burn calories. It also keeps the body warm. Obese people have less of it, and its activity is decreased with age. Until now, researchers haven’t understood why.
Human stem cells made from adult donor cells “remember” where they came from and that’s what they prefer to become again. This means the type of cell obtained from an individual patient to make pluripotent stem cells, determines what can be best done with them.
In comparison with open surgery, while minimally invasive surgery for cervical or lumbar discectomy may speed up recovery and reduce post-operative pain, it does not improve long-term function or reduce long-term extremity pain.
The vast amount of research that has been done has not moved us further forward in our understanding of how to address this problem. We don't know how to get patients to take their medications, despite many studies looking at the issue.
Researchers studying the roots of depression have developed a test to measure analytical thinking and rumination, that are hallmarks of the condition, leading them closer to the idea that depression may actually be an adaptation meant to help people cope with complex problems such as chronic illnesses or marriage breakups.
New evidence that suggests patients with a history of adverse reaction to the blood thinner heparin may be ready for urgent heart surgery sooner with a combination of appropriate blood screenings and therapeutic plasma exchange.
The five most important aspects of care identified by patients are infrequently discussed and concordance between preferred and prescribed goals of care is low.
Hospitalized patients wash their hands infrequently. They wash about 30 per cent of the time while in the washroom, 40 per cent during meal times, and only three per cent of the time when using the kitchens on their units.
People were more likely to cope with stress by problem-solving; looking on the bright side, trying to relax, talking to others, blaming oneself, ignoring stress or praying, rather than being active.
Aging baby boomers and others caring for seniors are, more than ever, turning to the Internet to self-diagnose illnesses and find information on issues related to aging, without knowing whether the information is accurate or trustworthy.
A new one-of-a-kind virtual acoustics lab and theatre, wired to mimic nearly any conceivable environment, is set to open at McMaster University. The $8-million facility—nearly a decade in the planning and construction—allows researchers to explore how musicians perform together, how rhythm might help an autistic child or Parkinson’s patient, and how hearing aids might work better in noisy settings, among other endeavors.
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