Health News

Research shows incentives may spur homeless to save more

Date: Nov-21-2013
With the temperature outside falling, the plight of the homeless during the winter months is coming into sharper focus. New research by a University of Pittsburgh professor - showing that competition can spur the homeless to save more - offers a possible insight into helping the homeless improve their future prospects.

New genetic risk factor identified for severe psychiatric illness

Date: Nov-21-2013
Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder called NDST3. The findings are published online in Nature Communications.The study, by a team lead by Todd Lencz, PhD, associate investigator at the Zucker Hillside Hospital Department of Psychiatry Research and Feinstein Institute, studied more than 25,000 individuals. In collaboration with Ariel Darvasi, PhD, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr.

Autism increases risk for synaesthesia

Date: Nov-21-2013
Synaesthesia involves people experiencing a 'mixing of the senses', for example, seeing colours when they hear sounds, or reporting that musical notes evoke different tastes. Autism is diagnosed when a person struggles with social relationships and communication, and shows unusually narrow interests and resistance to change. The team of scientists from Cambridge University found that whereas synaesthesia only occurred in 7.2% of typical individuals, it occurred in 18.9% of people with autism.

Brain abnormalities from concussion 'visible after symptoms gone'

Date: Nov-21-2013
New research suggests that after a person experiences mild concussion, brain abnormalities are still evident from diffusion tensor imaging brain scans months later, even though most symptoms of concussion have gone. This is according to a study published in the journal Neurology.Concussion, also know as traumatic brain injury (TBI), is defined as injury to the brain as a result of a hard blow or violent shaking to the head. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1.7 million people in the US experience TBI every year.

Too much sport 'may be bad for teens' health'

Date: Nov-21-2013
Teenagers have long been told that being active and taking part in sports is good for their health. But new research suggests that too much sport for teenagers could negatively impact their well-being just as much as too little sport.The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that young people aged between 6 and 17 years carry out at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, equating to 7 hours a week.

Mid-life economic recessions linked to later cognitive decline

Date: Nov-21-2013
Lay-offs, lower pay and downward job mobility are all a depressing reality of economic recessions. But new research suggests these factors not only affect our bank accounts, but also our risk of cognitive decline in later life.Researchers from the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health by the BMJ, note that previous research has suggested working conditions can affect build-up of "cognitive reserve," which can in turn influence cognitive performance later in life.

What are the health benefits of cranberries?

Date: Nov-21-2013
Cranberries are often a popular part of holiday celebrations in the form of cranberry sauce, cranberry drinks and dried cranberries added to stuffing, casseroles or dessert.No one knows for sure how cranberries became associated with holiday feasts, but historians guess that it had something to do with the Native Americans, who used cranberries not only for food and medicine but also to make dyes for clothing and blankets.As far as healthy foods go, cranberries are at the top of the list due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content and are often referred to as a "super food.

Focus on Helicobacter pylori in special issue of Gut Microbes

Date: Nov-21-2013
A special issue on Helicobacter pylori has been published by Landes Bioscience (Austin, TX USA). The articles contained in this special issue of the journal Gut Microbes have been authored by world-class investigators and provide new insights into the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of this microbe.Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach. Identified in the early 1980s, it was shown to be present in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, conditions that were not previously believed to have a microbial cause.

Fruit bats in Africa widely infected with two deadly viruses that could spread to humans

Date: Nov-21-2013
Fruit bat population covering central Africa is carrier of 2 deadly virusesThe study, conducted jointly by the University of Cambridge and the Zoological Society of London's Institute of Zoology and published today in the journal Nature Communications, found that the "gregarious" bats span over 4,500 km of central Africa (around the distance from California to New York). The researchers also discovered that thirty-four per cent of the bats had been infected with Lagos bat virus, a disease similar to rabies, and 42 per cent had been infected with henipaviruses.

Medical detection dogs: how they could save our lives in a sniff

Date: Nov-20-2013
The term "man's best friend" is commonly used when it comes to dogs, and it is not hard to understand why. The loyalty of a dog toward its owner is something that cannot be questioned. But in recent years, the tables have turned and humans have become more reliant on dogs than ever before - to help save lives.According to The Humane Society of the United States, there are around 83.3 million owned dogs in the US alone, showing that America is clearly a nation of dog lovers. But do we underestimate the talent of these amazing creatures and see them purely as pets?