Health News

Resveratrol could help treat melanoma and other cancers

Date: Oct-15-2013
A recent study by a University of Missouri researcher shows that resveratrol, a compound found in grape skins and red wine, can make certain tumor cells more susceptible to radiation treatment. This research, which studied melanoma cells, follows a previous MU study that found similar results in the treatment of prostate cancer. The next step is for researchers to develop a successful method to deliver the compound to tumor sites and potentially treat many types of cancers...

Irregular bedtimes linked to kids' behavioral problems

Date: Oct-14-2013
Parents, teachers and doctors all agree that lack of sleep makes children cranky, tearful and more prone to tantrums. Now researchers from the UK have found that children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behavioral difficulties. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, undermining brain maturation and the ability to regulate certain behaviors. Adopting a regular bedtime routine is probably the first thing an adult with sleep problems would be advised to do...

Child gunshot traumas more costly than other childhood injuries

Date: Oct-14-2013
Ranking second only to car crashes as a cause of death for adolescents, gunshot injuries are a major cause of injury for kids in the US. And now, a new study reveals that gunshot wounds have a greater mortality rate and higher costs than any other reason for childhood injury. Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) partnered with scientists from the University of California, Davis, to complete a population-based cohort study, which looked at data from 3 years, spanning January 2006 to December 2008...

Young transplant patients 'at higher risk of kidney disease'

Date: Oct-14-2013
A new national study from US researchers suggests that children who undergo solid organ transplants are at higher risk of developing advanced kidney disease. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania say their findings emphasize the importance of continued kidney screening in pediatric transplant patients...

Africa Healthcare Summit 2014, 20-21 February, London

Date: Oct-14-2013
The Africa Healthcare Summit 2014 is the only event of its kind to bring large delegations of government ministers, senior hospital directors and healthcare professionals to Europe to network with international healthcare experts, investors and solution providers. The Africa Healthcare Summit is a completely unique opportunity for any company looking for involvement in Africa's booming healthcare sector...

International acute pain register: Adherence to clinical practice guidelines does not always improve outcomes

Date: Oct-14-2013
Even if postoperative pain is correctly managed as recommended by clinical practice guidelines, this does not necessarily mean a positive effect for patients. That is indicated in any case by data from the international acute pain registry PAIN OUT presented at the Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC in Florence...

Red wine, grape skin compound could treat cancers

Date: Oct-14-2013
A new US study suggests that resveratrol, a compound present in grape skin and red wine, could help treat several cancers. Researchers at the University of Missouri (UM) School of Medicine found the compound made melanoma cells more susceptible to radiation treatment. The findings follow earlier similar findings from UM that showed resveratrol sensitizes prostate cancer cells to treatment. The researchers now want to find a way to use the compound to treat a variety of cancers. One of the challenges is finding a means to deliver the compound into tumors...

Exercise may ward off Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

Date: Oct-14-2013
When US scientists gave non-exercising mice a protein produced by exercising mice, they found it switched on genes that help preserve brain health and boost growth of new nerves in regions important for learning and memory. They suggest their findings could pave the way to a drug that improves treatments against cognitive decline in older people and help slow progression of brain-wasting diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Dr...

Study shows that 'rocker sole' shoes, used worldwide to treat lower back pain, are no more effective than traditional training shoes

Date: Oct-14-2013
New research published in forthcoming issue of the journal Spine shows that 'rocker sole' shoes, widely used worldwide to help treat people with lower back pain are no more effective than traditional training shoes (trainers) and that trainers appear to be more beneficial for those with back pain aggravated by standing or walking. This research provides the first robust evidence showing that, contrary to claims made by manufacturers, rocker sole shoes do not help reduce lower back pain...

Future doctors unprepared to manage pain - one of the most common problems they will encounter in clinical practice, expert group warns

Date: Oct-14-2013
First ever Europe-wide study reveals that even when undergraduate medical students take a compulsory course on pain, they still only receive on average 12 hours' training. There is an alarming lack of dedicated teaching on pain in undergraduate medical schools in Europe, according to the APPEAL (Advancing the Provision of Pain Education And Learning) study,[1] the first Europe-wide study on pain education provision. Even when compulsory courses on pain are in place, they represent on average only 12 hours within an entire six-year degree programme - or just 0...