Health News

Better outcomes if pregnancy care led by midwives

Date: Aug-22-2013
Researchers have found that mothers who have a midwife as the main care provider throughout pregnancy, as opposed to multidisciplinary care, are less likely to give birth pre-term and need fewer obstetric interventions during childbirth. The study, published in The Cochrane Library, reviewed data from 13 trials involving 16,242 women. Eight of the trials included women who were at low risk of experiencing complications during labor, while five trials included women at high risk of complications...

Women with gestational diabetes at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea

Date: Aug-22-2013
Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are nearly seven times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than other pregnant women, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Gestational diabetes causes glucose levels in the bloodstream to rise above normal levels. This form of diabetes occurs during pregnancy, typically in the second trimester. Between four and eight of every 100 pregnant women in the United States develop gestational diabetes...

Half of all UK 7 year olds sedentary for 6 to 7 hours every day and not exercising for recommended minimum

Date: Aug-22-2013
Half of all UK seven year olds are sedentary for six to seven hours every day, and only half clock up the recommended daily minimum of moderate to vigorous physical activity, indicates research published in the online journal BMJ Open. Girls, children of Indian ethnic origin, and those living in Northern Ireland are the least physically active of all seven year olds, the findings show. The authors base their findings on a representative population sample of almost 7000 UK primary school children who were all part of the Millennium Cohort Study...

Disease Caused by Repeat Brain Trauma in Athletes May Affect Memory, Mood, Behavior

Date: Aug-22-2013
New research suggests that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with repeat brain trauma including concussions in athletes, may affect people in two major ways: initially affecting behavior or mood or initially affecting memory and thinking abilities. The study appears in the August 21, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. CTE has been found in amateur and professional athletes, members of the military and others who experienced repeated head injuries, including concussions and subconcussive trauma...

HPV infection linked to poor oral health, say cancer prevention researchers

Date: Aug-22-2013
Infection with oral human papillomavirus (HPV) - a main cause of throat cancer - could be linked to poor oral health, including gum disease, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston analyzed data from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some 3,439 participants were included in the data, aged between 30 and 69 years...

New bio-imaging technology peers into the heart of embryo development

Date: Aug-22-2013
Scientists using a pioneering bio-imaging system to record simultaneously the development of hundreds of aquatic embryos have discovered significant parent-offspring similarities in the timing and sequence of that development. Researchers at Plymouth University have found the timing of key developmental milestones - such as the first beating of the heart, formation of the eyes and movement - differs markedly between individuals in a species of aquatic snail, but also that these timings appear to be heritable, i.e. they are passed from mother to offspring...

Eating disorders and alcohol abuse 'share genetic factors'

Date: Aug-21-2013
New research from the US suggests that having a genetic risk for alcohol dependence may also put people at higher risk for certain eating disorders, and vice versa. In the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report how they discovered that some of the genes that influence alcohol dependence also influence certain eating disorder symptoms in men and women. Their analysis suggests genes may explain 38-53% of the risk of developing these disorders. First author Dr...

Melanoma: 'much higher death risk in men'

Date: Aug-21-2013
Melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer - affects men more than women, according to research from Cancer Research UK in partnership with the University of Leeds. Risk factors for the cancer include overexposure to UV from the sun or sunbeds, having pale skin with a lot of moles, and a family history of the disease, say the researchers. Their research uncovered facts and figures about melanoma in the UK, which show that its effects on men and women are inequitable, namely: 3.4 men in every 100,000 die from melanoma each year, compared with only 2...

'Biological signal' of suicide risk found in blood

Date: Aug-21-2013
Researchers have discovered a series of RNA biomarkers in blood that could be used to develop a test to predict the risk of a person committing suicide. The research, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed a large group of male patients from four cohort studies over a three-year period. All patients were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Psychiatrists and other researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine conducted a series of interviews with the patients...

EU Pharmacovigilance Legislation & Risk Management November 21-22, 2013, Budapest Hungary

Date: Aug-21-2013
The new EU legislation for Pharmacovigilance advanced many aspects of Pharmacovigilance to new levels above and beyond the already comprehensive Vol IXa. The legislation is now supported with comprehensive Pharmacovigilance modules that affect Pharmacovigilance; Regulatory; Medical Information; QA; Clinical as well affecting the Senior Management view of Pharmacovigilance requirements and expectations...