Health News

Conditions identified that are most likely to kill encephalitis patients

Date: Aug-23-2013
People with severe encephalitis - inflammation of the brain - are much more likely to die if they develop severe swelling in the brain, intractable seizures or low blood platelet counts, regardless of the cause of their illness, according to new Johns Hopkins research. The Johns Hopkins investigators say the findings suggest that if physicians are on the lookout for these potentially reversible conditions and treat them aggressively at the first sign of trouble, patients are more likely to survive...

Pro-social spending boosts happiness, especially when spending allows for social connection

Date: Aug-23-2013
People usually feel good when they make a charitable donation, but they feel even better if they make the donation directly to someone they know or in a way that builds social connection. Research to be published in the International Journal of Happiness and Development investigates for the first time how social connection helps turn generous behavior into positive feelings on the part of the donor...

7.8 million young adults gained new or better coverage through Affordable Care Act

Date: Aug-23-2013
An estimated 7.8 million of the 15 million young adults who were enrolled in a parent's health plan last year likely would not have been eligible for this coverage without the health reform law's dependent coverage provision, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey. However, the survey also found that only 27 percent of young adults were aware of the state health insurance marketplaces that are launching October 1. Moreover, millions of low-income young adults are at risk of remaining uninsured if the states they live in choose not to expand Medicaid...

Alcohol dependence, eating disorders associated with common genes

Date: Aug-23-2013
People with alcohol dependence may be more genetically susceptible to certain types of eating disorders, and vice-versa, according to a study in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In a study of nearly 6,000 adult twins, researchers found that common genetic factors seemed to underlie both alcoholism and certain eating disorder symptoms - namely, binge eating and purging habits, such as self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse. Genes appeared to explain 38 percent to 53 percent of the risk of developing those disorders...

The burden of AIDS growing in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia

Date: Aug-23-2013
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is changing in unexpected ways in countries around the world, showing that greater attention and financial investment may be needed in places where the disease has not reached epidemic levels, according to a new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of disease burden in 21 countries concentrated in four regions: Eastern and Southern Africa, Central Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. In another seven countries, it's the second leading cause of disease burden...

Access to safe drinking water a step closer to reality for those in developing countries

Date: Aug-23-2013
The study paves the way for the next generation of portable water purification devices, which could provide relief to the 780 million people around the world who face every day without access to a clean water supply. An international team of researchers - led by Associate Professor Hui Ying Yang from Singapore University of Technology and Design - showed that water purification membranes enhanced by plasma-treated carbon nanotubes are ideal for removing contaminants and brine from water...

Impaired autophagy associated with age-related macular degeneration

Date: Aug-23-2013
A new study published in the prestigious PLoS One journal changes our understanding of the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The researchers found that degenerative changes and loss of vision are caused by impaired function of the lysosomal clean-up mechanism, or autophagy, in the fundus of the eye. The results open new avenues for the treatment of the dry form of AMD, which currently lacks an efficient treatment. The University of Eastern Finland played a leading role in the study, which also involved research groups from Italy, Germany and Hungary...

Iron may be at the core of Alzheimer's disease

Date: Aug-23-2013
Alzheimer's disease has proven to be a difficult enemy to defeat. After all, aging is the No. 1 risk factor for the disorder, and there's no stopping that. Most researchers believe the disease is caused by one of two proteins, one called tau, the other beta-amyloid. As we age, most scientists say, these proteins either disrupt signaling between neurons or simply kill them. Now, a new UCLA study suggests a third possible cause: iron accumulation. Dr...

Lymphoma treatment aided by 25% cut in normal calories - animal study

Date: Aug-22-2013
A new experiment in mice suggests that a diet with below-normal calories could help the effectiveness of drug cancer treatment. The team, led by Jean-Ehrland Ricci of the French Institute for Health and Medical Research in France, put mice who had developed lymphoma into two separate groups: those who ate a diet with caloric intake 25% lower than normal, and those who ate a regular diet...

MERS may have started in bats in Saudi Arabia

Date: Aug-22-2013
Researchers have discovered what they believe could be the animal origin of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) - after examining a bat in Saudi Arabia near where the first person was infected with the mystery virus. Extensive tests revealed that the insect-eating bat was a 100% genetic match for MERS. However, if bats are indeed the source, then the team suggests it is likely another intermediary animal host is getting the virus from bats and then infecting humans...