Not all Europeans receive the same care for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

(IOS Press) Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive muscle disease affecting one in 3,800-6,300 live male births and leads to ambulatory loss, respiratory problems, cardiomyopathy, and early death of patients in their 20s or 30s. While incurable, multidisciplinary treatment can raise life expectancy into the fourth decade. However, in a survey across seven European countries, researchers found striking differences in access to appropriate care. There were significant inequities between different countries and different age groups, which would likely lead to different health outcomes.

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Economics made simple with physics models

(Springer) Both physical and economic phenomena may possess universal features that could be uncovered using the tools of physics. The principal difference is that in economic systems -- unlike physical ones -- current actions may be influenced by the perception of future events. The latest issue of EPJ Special Topics examines the question as to whether econophysics, a physics-based approach to understanding economic phenomena, is more useful and desirable than conventional economics theories.

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Special issue of Future Oncology highlights the field of Psycho-oncology

(Future Science Group) The Future Science Group (FSG) published journal, Future Oncology, has released a special issue that examines the field of psycho-oncology, which aims to bring together the biomedical and psychosocial aspects of cancer care.

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Gambling addiction triggers the same brain areas as drug and alcohol cravings

(Imperial College London) Gambling addiction activates the same brain pathways as drug and alcohol cravings, suggests new research.

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Technology for diagnosing vestibular function disorders created in Kaunas

(Kaunas University of Technology) Researchers of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) have joined forces developing technology for vestibular system disorders diagnosis and research. This is the first technology, which is portable and using virtual reality.

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Maternal depression across the first years of life impacts children's neural basis of empathy

(Elsevier) Since 15-18 percent of women in industrial societies and up to 30 percent in developing countries suffer from maternal depression, it is of clinical and public health concern to understand the effects of maternal depression on children's development. A study published in the January 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) followed children of mothers with depression from birth to preadolescence and tested depression's impact on children's neural empathic response to others' distress.

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UBC discovery opens up new treatments for problem gamblers

(University of British Columbia) After looking at images of slot machines and roulette, problem gamblers experience increased activity in the same part of the brain that lights up when drug addicts have cravings, according to a new UBC psychology study.

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