Health News

Maternal smoking increases risk to offspring of bipolar disorder

Date: Oct-04-2013
A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests an association between smoking during pregnancy and increased risk for developing bipolar disorder (BD) in adult children. Researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, in collaboration with scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, evaluated offspring from a large cohort of pregnant women who participated in the Child Health and Development Study (CHDS) from 1959-1966...

In heart disease patients, gum inflammation reduced by high-dose statins

Date: Oct-04-2013
Statins, commonly prescribed medications for lowering cholesterol, also reduced inflammation associated with gum disease in a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study suggests that steps taken to reduce gum disease may also reduce inflammation in the arteries and vice versa. "Periodontal disease is characterized by chronic gum inflammation and affects approximately 50 percent of the U.S...

Rural cancer survivors forgo health care over cost

Date: Oct-04-2013
Older cancer survivors living in rural areas are more likely to forgo medical and dental care because of financial concerns, compared with those living in urban areas. This is according to a study published by the American Association for Cancer Research. The study was conducted by a team of researchers, led by Dr. Nynikka Palmer from Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. This is the first population-based study to focus on the likelihood of cancer survivors in rural and urban areas forgoing health care because of concerns about cost. Dr...

Bringing product testing to the foster care system

Date: Oct-04-2013
Ever since cruise lines first began building mock suites for passengers to try out before installing the rooms on ocean liners in the 1940s, businesses have been devising trial runs for a small number of consumers to test merchandise prior to mass production. Today, companies still make important changes based on this "usability testing" before taking their goods to the wider market, and researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are part of a team that says that what works for cell phones and video games may also work for human services...

Breast cancer: 'less is more' for lymph node removal

Date: Oct-04-2013
Scientists say that removing fewer lymph nodes in surgery for breast cancer patients causes less harm and often demonstrates equally good results. This is according to a review published in JAMA. Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center conducted a review of the risks and benefits of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), compared with complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) from 17 previous studies published in JAMA...

Positive impact of free head, neck cancer screenings in urban areas

Date: Oct-04-2013
Offering free head and neck cancer screenings annually to the community not only has the possibility of early detection, but also the opportunity - particularly in an urban city - to increase a person's understanding of risk factors that cause cancer, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Among those who attend free head and neck cancer screenings, the study finds people who reside in an urban city like Detroit were more likely to be African American, a current smoker and have a history of treatment for some other cancer than those who live in a suburban community...

Consumption of fluoridated water not found to increase risk for hip fractures

Date: Oct-04-2013
The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) has published a paper titled "Estimated Drinking Water Fluoride Exposure and Risk of Hip Fracture: A Cohort Study." In this study a team of researchers, led by Peggy Nasman, Karolinska Institute, Department of Dental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden, investigated possible adverse health effects on bone tissue from drinking fluoridated water...

Potential lactation link to aggressive breast cancer in Mexican women

Date: Oct-04-2013
Scientific data suggest that a woman reduces her risk of breast cancer by breastfeeding, having multiple children and giving birth at a younger age. A study led by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and recently published online by Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, indicates that women of Mexican descent may not fit that profile. In fact, results suggest that women of Mexican descent with more children and those who breastfeed are more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer...

Researchers reveal key mechanism behind herpes

Date: Oct-04-2013
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have for the first time managed to measure the internal pressure that enables the herpes virus to infect cells in the human body. The discovery paves the way for the development of new medicines to combat viral infections. The results indicate good chances to stop herpes infections in the future. A virus comprises a thin shell of protein, within which are its genes. A long-standing theory has been that a virus has high internal pressure because it is so tightly packed with genetic material...

Walking can reduce breast cancer risk

Date: Oct-04-2013
Postmenopausal women who were very active or walked for at least seven hours a week had a reduced risk for breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Women who engaged in at least an hour of vigorous physical activity every day had a 25 percent lower risk for breast cancer, and those who walked for at least seven hours a week had a 14 percent lower risk for breast cancer, in this study of 73,615 postmenopausal women...