Health News

Mom's exercise during pregnancy aids newborn brain development

Date: Nov-12-2013
As little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times per week during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital. This head-start could have an impact on the child's entire life. "Our research indicates that exercise during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development," explained Professor Dave Ellemberg, who led the study...

Lifestyle changes in diet and exercise show promise for depression, aging

Date: Nov-12-2013
New studies just released underscore the potential impact of healthy lifestyle choices in treating depression, the effects of aging, and learning. The research focused on the effects of mind/body awareness, exercise, and diet, and was presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. The experiences and choices people make throughout life actively impact the brain. As humans live longer, these choices also affect aging and quality of life...

Discovery of racial difference in blood clotting warrants a closer look at heart attack medications

Date: Nov-12-2013
Thomas Jefferson University researchers have discovered that the formation of blood clots follows a different molecular route in African Americans versus European Americans, providing a new understanding of the effects of race on heart disease. The finding could one day help doctors provide more individualized treatment of heart disease and other blood-clot-related illnesses, according to research published online in Nature Medicine...

Patients' quality of life affected by perceived discrimination and mistrust in health care

Date: Nov-12-2013
Perceived discrimination and mistrust in health care can negatively affect patients' quality of life, according to a study presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Within medicine there has been a renewed focus on a holistic, patient-centered approach to patient care, rather than solely focusing on clinical markers of health and disease. Factors such as experiences of discrimination, racism, and mistrust in health care occur within the medical setting and may affect a patient's quality of life...

Histone demethylase associated with non-small cell lung cancer identified

Date: Nov-12-2013
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Current therapies that target cellular kinases have been effective for some patients: however, many individuals with NSCLS do not respond. Recent studies of other cancers indicate that the global changes in DNA methylation patterns may drive tumor formation...

New understanding, warning signs, and potential treatments for multiple sclerosis

Date: Nov-12-2013
Scientists are gaining a new level of understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) that may lead to new treatments and approaches to controlling the chronic disease, according to new research released at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. MS is a severe, often crippling, autoimmune disease caused by the body's immune system attacking the nervous system. Today, more than two million people worldwide suffer from MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases...

The biological basis of highly impulsive and aggressive behaviors: new evidence

Date: Nov-12-2013
Physical and chemical changes in the brain during development can potentially play a role in some delinquent and deviant behaviors, according to research just released. Studies looking at the underlying mechanisms that influence our ability to exercise self-control were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health...

Antibiotic use cut by nearly a third with new test for patients with sore throats

Date: Nov-12-2013
A new 'clinical score' test for patients with sore throats could reduce the amount of antibiotics prescribed and result in patients feeling better more quickly, research in the British Medical Journal shows. Researchers at the University of Southampton, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Heath Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme, used the five-item FeverPAIN score to decide whether to prescribe patients with an antibiotic immediately or to give them a delayed prescription and compared it with simply offering a delayed prescription...

Potential drug target may nip cancer in the bud

Date: Nov-12-2013
Scientists at A*STAR have discovered an enzyme, Wip1 phosphatase, as a potential target to weed out the progression of cancer. Although studies in the past have revealed that this enzyme plays a critical role in regulating the budding of tumours, scientists have for the first time unearthed a mechanism for its mode of action. The research was conducted by Dr Dmitry Bulavin and his team at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), with their findings published in the prestigious scientific journal, Cancer Cell...

Scientists study factors influencing intestinal microbes

Date: Nov-12-2013
Study results from Texas A&M University and University of North Carolina School of Medicine scientists on the effect of diet complexity and estrogen hormone receptors on intestinal microbiota has been published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. To date, research has shown that promoting the growth of certain beneficial intestinal microorganisms can help to improve overall health. "In this study, we wanted to determine if steroid hormone nuclear receptors, specifically estrogen receptor beta, affect the composition of intestinal bacteria," said Dr...