Health News

Unintentional opioid exposure in young children can be lethal

Date: Sep-01-2013
Medication poisonings among children are an important public health problem. During 2010-2011, an average of 1500 children under 6 years of age was evaluated in emergency departments each year due to unintentional exposure to buprenorphine. Ingestion of strong opioids, such as buprenorphine, can cause central nervous system depression, respiratory depression, and death in young children...

New guidance on vulvovaginal atrophy issued by NAMS

Date: Sep-01-2013
Symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA), such as lack of lubrication, irritated tissues, painful urination, and pain with intercourse, affect as many as 45% of women after menopause. That's according to The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), which has published new guidance for diagnosing and treating VVA. The Society's Position Statement "Management of Vulvovaginal Atrophy" appears in the September issue of Menopause. "The symptoms of VVA can significantly impair women's quality of life and relationships, yet few women whose lives are affected get help...

Men's subconscious self-esteem related to female partner's successes and failures

Date: Sep-01-2013
Deep down, men may not bask in the glory of their successful wives or girlfriends. While this is not true of women, men's subconscious self-esteem may be bruised when their spouse or girlfriend excels, says a study published by the American Psychological Association. It didn't matter if their significant other was an excellent hostess or intelligent, men were more likely to feel subconsciously worse about themselves when their female partner succeeded than when she failed, according to the study published online in the APA Journal of Personality and Social Psychology...

Discovery of human heart disease in chimpanzees

Date: Sep-01-2013
While in the past century there have been several documented examples of young, healthy athletes who have died suddenly of heart disease during competitive sporting events, a new study finds that this problem also extends to chimpanzees. According to an article published today in the SAGE journal Veterinary Pathology, Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a human heart disease that causes sudden cardiac death in teenagers and young adults (particularly healthy athletes), has now been identified in chimpanzees...

Insights into the effects of zinc deficiency offered by potential diagnostic marker for zinc status

Date: Sep-01-2013
According to new research published in The FASEB Journal, a drop in blood zinc levels does not directly harm the blood vessel cells. Rather, zinc regulates the production of a small molecular compound, which then circulates in the blood and causes harmful blood vessel cell effects. Additionally, not only will having adequate amounts of zinc prevent the creation of this compound, but it can protect you when the compound is circulating in your blood...

Perfectionism and work motivation may contribute to workaholism

Date: Sep-01-2013
Research from psychologists at the University of Kent suggests that being a perfectionist and highly motivated at work contributes directly to being a workaholic. Led by Dr Joachim Stoeber, Head of the University's School of Psychology, the research team set out to explore the previously under-researched reasons why some people feel the need to work both excessively and compulsively...

Animal models reveal critical role of gene in many lung cancer cases

Date: Sep-01-2013
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown that a well-known cancer-causing gene implicated in a number of malignancies plays a far more critical role in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease, than previously thought. These findings establish the gene as a critical regulator of lung cancer tumor growth. This new information could turn out to be vital for the design of potentially new therapeutic strategies for a group of patients who represent almost half of non-small cell lung cancer cases...

How body weight affects our health and the health of our children

Date: Sep-01-2013
While there is never a bad time to address one's own obesity, if you're hoping to lose weight before conception for the sake of your child, here's some bad news: Some of the epigenetic damage might have already been done, even if you lose the weight just before conception. According to new research published in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, not only is dieting before getting pregnant not enough to prevent diabetes risks, but it could actually present new risks as well...

Early deaths from pollution in the US total 200,000 annually

Date: Sep-01-2013
Those who live in a particularly smoggy city in the US are able to see the pollution that surrounds them on a daily basis. But a recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reveals that people who live in all types of environments are at risk of pollution-related death. The study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, saw a team from MIT's Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment track emissions from sources including industrial smokestacks, automobile tailpipes, marine and rail activities, and heating systems around the US...

Statins may slow aging process

Date: Sep-01-2013
Researchers have found that statins, a class of drugs widely used for lowering cholesterol, may also slow down the process of human aging, according to a study published online in The FASEB Journal. Statins are commonly used to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who are at high risk. They work by blocking the action of an enzyme in the liver that is responsible for making cholesterol. But now, Spanish researchers have discovered that statins could reduce the rate at which telomeres "shorten," meaning they could potentially be used as an anti-aging therapy...