Health News

When assessing heart blockages, advanced CT imaging proves as accurate as invasive tests

Date: Nov-22-2013
An ultrafast, 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner that shows both anatomy within coronary arteries and blood flow can accurately sort out which people need - or don't need - an invasive procedure to identify coronary blockages, according to an international study. The researchers say their findings could potentially save millions of people worldwide from having an unnecessary cardiac catheterization.The study, known as CORE 320, involved 381 patients at 16 hospitals in eight countries. An article on the results was published online by the European Heart Journal.

Those with hyperthymesia also vulnerable to false memories

Date: Nov-22-2013
People who can accurately remember details of their daily lives going back decades are as susceptible as everyone else to forming fake memories, UC Irvine psychologists and neurobiologists have found.In a series of tests to determine how false information can manipulate memory formation, the researchers discovered that subjects with highly superior autobiographical memory logged scores similar to those of a control group of subjects with average memory.

Computer model for studying HIV virus spread and evolution

Date: Nov-22-2013
This approach distinguishes between susceptible and infected individuals to capture the full infection history, including contact tracing data for infected individuals. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are investigating the complex relationships between the spread of the HIV virus in a population (epidemiology) and the actual, rapid evolution of the virus (phylogenetics) within each patient's body.

High levels of a protein in blood after traumatic brain injury correlate with brain tissue damage

Date: Nov-22-2013
A new blood biomarker correctly predicted which concussion victims went on to have white matter tract structural damage and persistent cognitive dysfunction following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, found that the blood levels of a protein called calpain-cleaved αII-spectrin N-terminal fragment (SNTF) were twice as high in a subset of patients following a traumatic injury.

Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself

Date: Nov-21-2013
Faced with inevitable pain, most people choose to "get it out of the way" as soon as possible, according to research published this week in PLOS Computational Biology. In the study, which was conducted from the Institute for Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, participants chose between real painful stimuli in the form of electric shocks, and imagined painful dental appointments occurring at different times in the future.

Study examines parental perspectives on adolescent hearing loss risk

Date: Nov-21-2013
Despite the rising prevalence of acquired adolescent hearing loss, parents lack education on prevention strategies and few believe their adolescent is at risk, according to a study by Deepa L. Sekhar, M.D., M.Sc., of Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa., and colleagues. One in six adolescents has high-frequency hearing loss, which is typically noise related and preventable, according to the study background. Parental participation can help with behavioral interventions, though little is known about adult perspectives regarding adolescent noise-induced hearing loss.

Older adults experience more vision difficulties at home

Date: Nov-21-2013
Adults have better vision in clinics rather than at home, due to poor home lighting, according to a study by Anjali M. Bhorade, M.D., MSCI, of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and colleagues. Clinicians often assume that vision measured in the clinic is equivalent to vision at home, according to the study background. However, many patients report visual difficulties greater than expected based on their vision testing in the clinic.

Symptoms of PTSD linked to obesity in women

Date: Nov-21-2013
New research from Harvard School of Public Health suggests that women who suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder may have an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. This is according to a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by stressful or frightening events. The disorder can occur immediately after the event, or it can take weeks, months or even years to develop.

Vaccine for rotavirus may protect against seizures

Date: Nov-21-2013
Rotavirus, a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea in children, can lead to seizures in some. But a new study suggests that vaccinating against rotavirus might reduce the risk of related seizures. This is according to research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other institutions undertook a retrospective analysis involving nearly a quarter of a million children in the US born between March 2006 and November 2009.

Genetic tests do not appear to improve control of blood thinner

Date: Nov-21-2013
Contrary to what has been suggested, it appears genetic tests do not help to predict optimal doses of the blood thinner warfarin for patients.This was the finding of a late-breaking clinical trial whose results were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013 in Dallas, TX, recently.It is important to get the dose of warfarin right for individual patients. If the dose is too high, there is a risk of internal bleeding, and if it is too low, it can lead to potentially life-threatening blood clots.