Health News

New treatment for stroke recovery shows early success

Date: Oct-03-2013
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have taken a step toward developing a new treatment to aid the recovery of limb function after strokes. In a study published online in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, researchers report the full recovery of forelimb strength in animals receiving vagus nerve stimulation. "Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide," said Dr. Navid Khodaparast, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and lead author of the study. "Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke...

Cancer risk not increased by depression

Date: Oct-03-2013
The impact of depression on a person contracting cancer has long been suspected, without any study having definitely confirmed or rejected this theory. The links have now been investigated by Cedric Lemogne, a member of the team headed by Marie Zins (INSERM's Mixed Research Unit 1018 "Epidemiology and Population Health Research Centre", AP-HP, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin), who monitored 14,203 people between 1994 and 2009, including 1119 who developed cancer as diagnosed by a doctor...

Gastric bypass should include body contouring

Date: Oct-03-2013
Body contouring surgery to remove excess skin improves long-term weight control in patients after gastric bypass surgery, reports a study in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). "We demonstrated that patients with body contouring present better long-term weight control after gastric bypass," according to the study by Dr. Ali Modarressi and colleagues of University of Geneva, Switzerland...

Motivation a key factor in preserving brainpower later in life

Date: Oct-03-2013
October is Canada's Healthy Workplace Month, but how does one stay mentally fit after the 40-hour workweek is traded in for the gold watch? The more you want to use your brain - and the more you enjoy doing it - the more likely you are to stay sharp as you age. This is according to findings recently published in the Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences by a team of Concordia University researchers...

Wound complications after surgery an increased risk for diabetics with high blood sugar levels

Date: Oct-03-2013
A new study just released shows that among patients undergoing surgery for chronic wounds related to diabetes, the risk of wound-related complications is affected by how well the patient's blood sugar levels are controlled before surgery. These findings appear in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)...

Mothers with prematurely born infants benefited from personal listening sessions with NICU nurses

Date: Oct-03-2013
For most women, childbirth is an intense experience, culminating in the joy of delivering a newborn, swaddled and sweet, resting in the mother's arms within hours. Yet for those who deliver their babies prematurely, the experience is bereft of such bonding, laden with anxiety, confusion, and doubt. "Having a prematurely born baby is like a nightmare for the mother," explains Lisa Segre, assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Nursing. "You're expecting to have a healthy baby, and suddenly you're left wondering whether he or she is going to live...

Link between antimicrobial therapies and neonatal infection outbreaks

Date: Oct-03-2013
Administration of antibiotics may have caused successive outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in a Greek neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), according to a study in the October issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)...

Children with egg allergies can now have flu shot

Date: Oct-03-2013
All children should have flu shots, even if they have an egg allergy, and it's now safe to get them without special precautions. This finding is from the latest update on the safety of the flu vaccine for allergic patients, published in the October issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the official journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). The current recommendation from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is to observe children allergic to eggs for 30 minutes after a flu shot...

Observing preschoolers' behavior across multiple contexts may identify those at risk for later ADHD

Date: Oct-03-2013
Don't rely on one source of information about your preschoolers' inattention or hyperactivity. Rather, consider how your child behaves at home as well as information from his or her teacher and a clinician. This advice comes from Sarah O'Neill, of The City College of New York, based on research she conducted at Queens College (CUNY), in an article published in Springer's Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology...

Study provides insight into combined radiation injury from possible nuclear disaster

Date: Oct-03-2013
A nuclear bomb or nuclear reactor accident can produce a deadly combination of radiation exposure and injuries such as burns and trauma. Now the first study of its kind in 50 years is providing new insights into this phenomenon, called combined radiation injury (CRI). Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have shown how CRI causes the intestines to leak bacteria into surrounding tissue. The study also showed that radiation and burns have a synergistic effect that make them far more deadly when they act in combination...