Health News

Better treatment for macular degeneration shows promise

Date: Sep-16-2013
New research on mice raises hope of a better, more lasting treatment for macular degeneration, which uses a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors to regress the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease. Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and colleagues write about their findings in a recent online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation...

'Beauty rest' effect of CPAP sleep apnea treatment

Date: Sep-16-2013
Getting a good night's rest can improve our health in many ways. And now, a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the first of its kind to analyze how patients appear more alert, youthful and attractive after undergoing sleep apnea treatment for 2 months. The treatment, called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, can stop snoring, improve alertness and reduce blood pressure by keeping the airway open through a stream of air delivered by a mask that is worn during sleep...

US teens eating better, 'obesity epidemic' declining

Date: Sep-16-2013
Researchers say that efforts to tackle youth obesity rates in the US may be "having some success," as a new study reveals that teenagers in the US are eating healthier, carrying out more physical activity and watching less TV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010 more than a third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. The "obesity epidemic," particularly in children and adolescents, has become an increasing concern, although there have been positive signs of decline...

Study suggests antioxidant treatment may help NF1-linked behavioral issues

Date: Sep-16-2013
New research in mouse models suggests that treatment with antioxidants may help reduce behavioral issues linked to the genetic nervous system disorder Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and an associated condition called Costello syndrome. Scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report their findings Sept. 12 in Cell Reports. The authors show that defects in the NF1/Ras molecular pathway, which cause the disorders, trigger production of harmful oxidative nitric oxide molecules in the oligodendrocyte glial brain cells of mice...

"Incidental findings" rare but significant events in pediatric CT scans

Date: Sep-16-2013
The largest study of computed tomographic (CT) scans taken in emergency departments across the country for children with head injuries describes the prevalence of "incidental findings" - results that were not expected from the injury - and categorizes them by urgency. The article, titled "Incidental findings in children with blunt head trauma evaluated with cranial CT scans," was published in the August issue of Pediatrics, and provides a context for doctors in emergency departments who encounter these situations...

Younger women with type 2 diabetes face higher risk of heart disease

Date: Sep-16-2013
Type 2 diabetes independently increases the risk of heart disease in premenopausal women, according to a study presented at the American Heart AssociationHigh Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2013. Researchers studied 1,256 Argentine premenopausal and menopausal women with and without type 2 diabetes, ages 19 to 84, who underwent ultrasound imaging to measure plaque in their carotid arteries, the major artery running down the neck...

Local animals' role in human drug-resistant Salmonella may previously have been overstated

Date: Sep-16-2013
A new study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, local domestic animals are unlikely to be the major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans. The result comes from a detailed study of DNA from more than 370 Salmonella samples collected over a 22-year period. By studying the genetic variation in the Salmonella bacteria and their drug resistance genes, researchers found that distinguishable bacterial populations exist in human and animal populations living side by side...

Health care safety net catches suburban poor

Date: Sep-16-2013
A new study shows significant health benefits for uninsured people living under the federal poverty level in the suburbs when they receive access to primary care. Uninsured residents in a suburban collar county of Chicago reported a big improvement in their health status and increased their preventive care and screenings after one year of access to primary care, reports Northwestern Medicine research...

Youth more likely to be bullied at schools with anti-bullying programs, UT Arlington researcher finds

Date: Sep-16-2013
Anti-bullying initiatives have become standard at schools across the country, but a new UT Arlington study finds that students attending those schools may be more likely to be a victim of bullying than children at schools without such programs. The findings run counter to the common perception that bullying prevention programs can help protect kids from repeated harassment or physical and emotional attacks...

Carnegie Mellon researchers say Twitter analysis can help gamblers beat the spread on NFL games

Date: Sep-16-2013
Analyses of Twitter feeds have been used to track flu epidemics, predict stock market changes and do political polling, but now that the National Football League season is underway, the natural question is: Can Twitter help beat the spread on NFL games? The answer, say computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, is yes. Or, at least it can help a little bit at certain times during the season. They will report their findings Sept. 27 at the Machine Learning and Data Mining for Sports Analytics conference in Prague, Czech Republic...