Health News

What are the benefits of cayenne?

Date: Oct-10-2013
Cayenne pepper is a hot chili pepper, frequently used in the preparation of spicy dishes, associated with a wide range of health benefits . The chili originated in Central and South America. It is named after the capital city of the French Guiana, "Cayenne". Cayenne pepper is normally added to food in either its natural or powdered form and is also available as a cream or capsule to be applied topically - to treat arthritis and muscle pain...

Stem cells delivered by patch effective in repairing cardiac damage weeks after heart attack occurs

Date: Oct-10-2013
A new study in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows that in rats, treating a heart attack with stem cells even weeks after the attack occurred can halt deterioration and help the heart regenerate itself. In addition, the doctors delivered the cells using a patch that resulted in a higher survival rate for the stem cells and more of them migrating into the damaged tissue, where they went to work creating new blood vessels...

Improving understanding of brain anatomy and language in young children

Date: Oct-10-2013
Researchers from Brown University and King's College London have gained surprising new insights into how brain anatomy influences language acquisition in young children. Their study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that the explosion of language acquisition that typically occurs in children between 2 and 4 years old is not reflected in substantial changes in brain asymmetry. Structures that support language ability tend to be localized on the left side of the brain...

Most mobile weight loss apps significantly lacking in helping users change lifestyles

Date: Oct-10-2013
In a new study published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, UMass Medical School behavioral psychologist and weight loss expert Sherry Pagoto, PhD, and colleagues find that mobile apps to help people lose weight are lacking when it comes to strategies for changing behaviors. "Apps do include evidence-based behavioral strategies, but only a narrow range," said Dr. Pagoto, associate professor of medicine at UMass Medical School. "Strategies that often were missing are ones that help patients with adherence and motivation...

Association between eating disorders and reproductive health problems

Date: Oct-10-2013
According to a Finnish study, women with eating disorders are less likely to have children than others in their age group. The discrepancy is the most apparent in anorexia sufferers. In this group, the number of pregnancies was less than half of that of the control group. The likelihood of abortion was more than double for bulimics than for others in the same age group. Meanwhile, the likelihood for miscarriage was more than triple for binge-eating disorder (BED) sufferers. For women who had been in treatment for BED, nearly half of their pregnancies ended in miscarriage...

Reducing flu infections and mortality by expanding vaccination policies to include children

Date: Oct-10-2013
The current influenza (flu) vaccination policy in England and Wales should be expanded to target 5 to 16-year-olds in order to further reduce the number of deaths from flu, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine...

Predictable development pattern followed by primate brains

Date: Oct-10-2013
In a breakthrough for understanding brain evolution, neuroscientists have shown that differences between primate brains - from the tiny marmoset to human - can be largely explained as consequences of the same genetic program...

Biological basis likely in abusive parenting

Date: Oct-10-2013
Parents who physically abuse their children appear to have a physiological response that subsequently triggers more harsh parenting when they attempt parenting in warm, positive ways, according to new research. Reporting in the quarterly journal Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, a five-member team, led by Elizabeth A...

The negative consequences of concealing 'the real you' at work

Date: Oct-10-2013
Most know that hiding something from others can cause internal angst. New research suggests the consequences can go far beyond emotional strife and that being forced to keep information concealed, such as one's sexual orientation, disrupts the concealer's basic skills and abilities, including intellectual acuity, physical strength, and interpersonal grace - skills critical to workplace success...

Tackling polio in Pakistan requires better community engagement and stronger health systems

Date: Oct-10-2013
In this week's PLOS Medicine two independently written articles call for a shift away from the leader-centric approach that polio eradication campaigns are currently pursuing in the three countries (Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan) where the disease remains endemic...