RefBan

Referral Banners

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Global rise in type 1 diabetes may be linked to reduced exposure to pathogens in early life

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 05:33 PM PDT

Countries with lower mortality from infectious disease exhibit higher rates of type 1 diabetes, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the as yet unexplained global rise in type 1 diabetes may be linked to reduced exposure to pathogens in early life.

Hormone combination shows promise in the treatment of obesity and diabetes

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 05:33 PM PDT

A new treatment combining two hormones can reduce appetite, according to new research. This early study provides 'first in human' evidence that a combined therapy using the hormones glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) may form the basis for a new treatment for obesity and diabetes in the future.

Hands-on treatment improves chronic low back pain, reduces medication use

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 05:29 PM PDT

A new study used osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) and ultrasound therapy to treat chronic low back pain in 455 adults. Patients in the study who received ultrasound therapy did not see any improvement, but the patients who received OMT did see significant improvement in pain, used less prescription medication and were more satisfied with their care over the 12 weeks of the study than those patients who did not receive OMT.

Uncontrolled hypertension could bring increased risk for Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 03:04 PM PDT

A new study suggests that controlling or preventing risk factors such as hypertension earlier in life may limit or delay the brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurological deterioration.

Pregnant women's likelihood of Cesarean delivery in Massachusetts linked to choice of hospitals

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 03:04 PM PDT

A new study provides the strongest evidence to date that it's not just medical need that determines who has a Cesarean section, but also something at the hospital level -- in other words, the same woman would have a different chance of undergoing a C-section based on the hospital she chooses.

Millions of people in Asia potentially exposed to health risks of popular herbal medicines

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 03:04 PM PDT

Scientists are warning that millions of people in Asia may be exposed to risk of developing kidney failure and bladder cancer by taking herbal medicines that are widely available in Asia. The medicines, used for a wide range of conditions including slimming, asthma and arthritis, are derived from a botanical compound containing aristolochic acids.

Heart-healthy lifestyle also reduces cancer risk

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 03:04 PM PDT

Following the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 steps for a healthy heart also reduces cancer risk. Meeting six or seven of the health factors can cut cancer risk in half. The benefits are cumulative, with cancer risk decreasing for each additional factor met.

Human microbe study provides insight into health, disease

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

Microbes from the human mouth are telling scientists something about periodontitis and more after they cracked the genetic code of bacteria linked to the condition.

Map of 'shortcuts' between all human genes

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

Researchers have generated the full set of distances, routes and degrees of separation between any two human genes, creating a map of gene "shortcuts" that aims to simplify the hunt for disease-causing genes in monogenic diseases.

Elite athletes also excel at some cognitive tasks

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

New research suggests that elite athletes -- Olympic medalists in volleyball, for example -- perform better than the rest of us in yet another way. These athletes excel not only in their sport of choice but also in how fast their brains take in and respond to new information -- cognitive abilities that are important on and off the court.

Gone but not forgotten: Yearning for lost loved ones linked to altered thinking about the future

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

People suffering from complicated grief may have difficulty recalling specific events from their past or imagining specific events in the future, but not when those events involve the partner they lost, according to a new study.

Widespread 'test-and-treat' HIV policies could increase dangerous drug resistance

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

One of the most widely advocated strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS could double the number of multi-drug-resistant HIV cases in the population of men who have sex with men in LA County over the next 10 years, cautions a new study.

Does Greek coffee hold the key to a longer life?

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:16 PM PDT

The answer to longevity may be far simpler than we imagine; it may in fact be right under our noses in the form of a morning caffeine kick. The elderly inhabitants of Ikaria, the Greek island, boast the highest rates of longevity in the world, and many scientists turn to them when looking to discover the 'secrets of a longer life'.

Difficulty in recognizing faces in autism linked to performance in a group of neurons

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT

Neuroscientists have discovered a brain anomaly that explains why some people diagnosed with autism cannot easily recognize faces -- a deficit linked to the impairments in social interactions considered to be the hallmark of the disorder.

Updated sports concussion guideline: Athletes with suspected concussion should be removed from play

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 12:14 PM PDT

With more than one million athletes now experiencing a concussion each year in the United States, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has released an evidence-based guideline for evaluating and managing athletes with concussion. This new guideline replaces the 1997 AAN guideline on the same topic.

Food memories can help with weight loss

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 10:30 AM PDT

Psychologists have found that using memories of recent meals reduces the amount of food eaten later on. It also found that being distracted when eating leads to increased consumption.

Similar neuro outcomes in preterm infants with low-grade brain bleeding as infants with no bleeding

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 10:30 AM PDT

A new study suggests that preterm infants with a low-grade bleeding in the brain may have similar neurodevelopmental outcomes as infants with no bleeding.

Only one-third of parents follow doctors' orders for kids all of the time

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 10:28 AM PDT

One in 10 say they follow pediatricians' advice 'only occasionally;' most likely to ignore guidance on discipline, sleep, watching TV.

Pneumonia patients nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression, impairments

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 10:26 AM PDT

Long-term cognitive and functional impairments that follow pneumonia hospitalization are comparable to the negative health effects of heart disease.

How some prostate tumors resist treatment, and how it might be fixed

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 10:26 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that the protein Siah2 keeps a portion of androgen receptors constantly active, allowing prostate cancer cells to resist treatment. Based on this new information, Siah2 could make a promising biomarker for tracking a prostate cancer patient's response to therapy. Inhibiting Siah2's interaction with the androgen receptor complex might also provide a new method for re-sensitizing castration-resistant prostate tumors to hormone therapy.

Depression stems from miscommunication between brain cells; Study challenges role of serotonin in depression

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 07:53 AM PDT

A new study suggests that depression results from a disturbance in the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. The study indicates a major shift in our understanding of how depression is caused and how it should be treated. Instead of focusing on the levels of hormone-like brain chemicals, such as serotonin, the scientists found that the transmission of excitatory signals between cells becomes abnormal in depression.

More parents say they won't vaccinate daughters against HPV

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 07:47 AM PDT

Parents are increasingly concerned about potential side effects, a new study shows.

It's in the cards: Human evolution influences gamblers' decisions

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 07:47 AM PDT

New research suggests evolution, or basic survival techniques adapted by early humans, influences the decisions gamblers make when placing bets. The findings may help to explain why some treatment options for problem gamblers often don't work, the researchers say.

Astrocyte signaling sheds light on stroke research

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 07:47 AM PDT

New research suggests that modifying signals sent by astrocytes, our star-shaped brain cells, may help to limit the spread of damage after an ischemic brain stroke. The study in mice determined that astrocytes play a critical role in the spread of damage following stroke.

No comments: