Health News

Dishonest deeds lead to 'cheater's high,' study shows

Date: Sep-08-2013
Most of us would hopefully not consider cheating, particularly in serious situations. The feeling of guilt would overcome us. Or would it? New research suggests that cheaters are more likely to feel upbeat than remorseful following a dishonest deed. Researchers from the University of Washington, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and London Business School conducted a study that analyzed people's emotions following the act of an "unethical" deed...

MRI right before or after surgery does not benefit women with early breast cancer

Date: Sep-08-2013
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center study shows that the use of MRI before or immediately after surgery in women with DCIS was not associated with reduced local recurrence or contralateral breast cancer rates. The findings are being presented on Saturday, September 7, 2013, at the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium. While no clinical practice guidelines exist for the use of MRI around the time of surgery, some surgeons use the screening tool to obtain a clearer picture of the cancer before surgery is performed or immediately after surgery to check for any residual disease...

Review highlights links between problem gambling and substance abuse, and lack of treatment options

Date: Sep-08-2013
Problem gamblers are a hidden population among people with mental health or substance abuse issues who often don't get the treatment they need, a new study shows. Anywhere from 10 to 20 per cent of people with substance abuse problems also have significant gambling problem, yet few programs are targeted at them and most social service agencies don't have funds to treat them, the study's main author says. Dr. Flora Matheson, a research scientist at St...

Biomaterials for repair of long-segment peripheral nerve defects

Date: Sep-08-2013
Autografts or allografts are commonly used in the repair of damaged peripheral nerves. However, similar problems have been encountered in allografting or xenografting. Previous studies concerning artificial neural tubes to repair nerve defects mainly focus on peripheral nerve defects less than 30 mm. Dr. Esmaeil Biazar and colleagues from Islamic Azad University, Iran investigate the feasibility of poly(3-hydroxy- butyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) conduits in the repair of 30-mm sciatic nerve gap in a rat model...

Lack of sleep leads to increased food purchasing

Date: Sep-08-2013
It can sometimes be difficult to resist buying tasty candy and snacks while doing the weekly grocery shopping. But according to new research, a bad night's sleep could make the temptation even harder and lead to increased food purchasing. The study, published in the journal Obesity, analyzed whether sleep deprivation would impair or alter an individual's shopping habits, based on the hypothesis that sleep deprivation can decrease higher-level thinking and increase hunger...

Simian foamy viruses readily occur between humans and macaques in urban Bangladesh

Date: Sep-08-2013
Throughout Asia, humans and monkeys live side-by side in many urban areas. An international research team from the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Jahangirnagar University has been examining transmission of a virus from monkeys to humans in Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated countries. The scientists have found that some people in these urban areas are concurrently infected with multiple strains of simian foamy virus (SFV), including strains from more than one source (recombinant) that researchers originally detected in the monkeys...

Antioxidant effect of resveratrol in the treatment of vascular dementia

Date: Sep-08-2013
Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound, is synthesized in several plants and possesses beneficial biological effects, which include anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Resveratrol exhibits neuroprotective effects in models of many diseases, such as cerebral ischemia, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. However, there is a lack of data evaluating the effect of resveratrol in vascular dementia...

Spouses play an important role in planning for retirement, MU researcher finds

Date: Sep-08-2013
As Baby Boomers begin entering retirement, some may find themselves unprepared for the transition. New research from the University of Missouri indicates that spouses tend to have similar levels of planning for retirement. This planning can lead to more success and less stress when they leave the workforce. "The transition into retirement, in some ways, is like the transition into parenthood," said Angela Curl, an assistant professor in the MU School of Social Work. "When couples prepare to become parents, they do a lot of planning for the future...

What is moderate drinking?

Date: Sep-07-2013
Moderate drinking is defined as up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women in any single day, according to The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAA), USA, and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and 7 drinks for women per week. The National Health Service (NHS), UK, states that: Men should not *regularly consume more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol per day Women should not regularly consume more than 2 to 3 units per day *Regularly means either everyday or most days of the week. The NHS defines 1 unit of alcohol as 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol...

PET predicts outcomes for patients with cervical spinal cord compression - Metabolic activity in spine indicates optimal time for surgery

Date: Sep-07-2013
For patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy, imaging with 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) could act as a marker for a potentially reversible phase of the disease in which substantial clinical improvement can be achieved. According to research published in the September issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, patients who exhibited hypermetabolism at the point of compression in their spine experienced improved outcomes after undergoing decompressive surgery. Cervical spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal narrows in the neck...