Health News

Screening asymptomatic high-risk adults for lung cancer may reduce deaths

Date: Jul-29-2013
A systematic review of the evidence suggests that screening asymptomatic high-risk adults at risk for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) may reduce mortality. Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and is the leading cause of cancer-related death for both men and women. Smoking is the most significant risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for approximately 85 percent of lung cancer cases. The risk continues even after smoking cessation, so current and former smokers are considered at risk...

Treatment for back pain varies despite published clinical guidelines

Date: Jul-29-2013
Management of back pain appears to be variable, despite numerous published clinical guidelines, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Spinal symptoms are among the most common reasons patients visit a physician and more than 10 percent of visits to primary care physicians relate to back and neck pain, the authors write in the study background. John N. Mafi, M.D...

Glucose intolerance, diabetes or insulin resistance not associated with pathological features of alzheimer disease

Date: Jul-29-2013
Glucose intolerance or insulin resistance do not appear to be associated with pathological features of Alzheimer disease (AD) or detection of the accumulation of the brain protein β-amyloid (''β), according to a report published by JAMA Neurology, a JAMA Network publication. Glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus have been proposed as risk factors for the development of AD, but evidence of this has not been consistent, the study background notes. Madhav Thambisetty, M.D., Ph.D...

Breastfeeding duration appears associated with intelligence later in life

Date: Jul-29-2013
Breastfeeding longer is associated with better receptive language at 3 years of age and verbal and nonverbal intelligence at age 7 years, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication. Evidence supports the relationship between breastfeeding and health benefits in infancy, but the extent to which breastfeeding leads to better cognitive development is less certain, according to the study background. Mandy B. Belfort, M.D., M.P.H...

Adolescent kidney transplant recipients appear to be at higher risk of transplant failure

Date: Jul-29-2013
Patients who received their first kidney transplant at ages 14 to 16 years appear to be at increased risk for transplant failure, with black adolescents having a disproportionately higher risk of graft failure, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Existing medical literature does not adequately describe the risks of graft failure among kidney transplant recipients by age...

Print and web-based decision aids associated with increase in informed decision making about prostate cancer screening, study suggests

Date: Jul-29-2013
Both web-based and print-based decision aids appear to improve patients' informed decision making about prostate cancer screening up to 13 months later, but does not appear to affect actual screening rates, according to a study by Kathryn L. Taylor, Ph.D., of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and colleagues. A total of 1,893 men participated in the study, with 628 men randomly given a print-decision aid, 625 men used a web-based interactive decision aid, and 626 men received usual care...

Topical analgesic may provide pain-free "skin glue" repair of cuts in children

Date: Jul-29-2013
More than 50% of children who were given a topical analgesic had no pain during wound repair with "skin glue," according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Tissue adhesive or "skin glue" is regularly used in pediatrics to repair minor cuts but can cause pain or a burning sensation. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether preapplication of lidocaine - epinephrine - tetracaine would decrease pain in children undergoing repair of minor cuts with tissue adhesive...

Migraines could be blamed on 'brain artery structure'

Date: Jul-29-2013
An incomplete network of arteries that supply blood to the brain could be a culprit for migraine headaches. A study recently published in PLOS ONE reveals that variations in the brain's arteries cause inconsistent blood flow, which may trigger migraines. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were particularly interested in a set of connections between major arteries that protect the supply of blood to the brain. These connections are called the "circle of Willis," named after the English doctor who first described it in the 1600s...

More children choking on their food

Date: Jul-29-2013
The number of food-related injuries in the US caused by children choking on food is on the rise, prompting better guidelines on the prevention of choking, reveals a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers analyzed data on non-fatal food-related choking among US children aged 14 years or under between 2001 and 2009. The researchers are from the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and worked alongside colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...

Gastric bypass offers clues to solving diabetes

Date: Jul-29-2013
Scientists have discovered why a gastric bypass can help cure type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Science. Researchers from Boston Children's Hospital reveal that the small intestine, which they had thought to be a passive organ, is actually a major contributor to the body's metabolism. The researchers say that previous research has already shown that gastric bypass surgery can help resolve type 2 diabetes. However, they add that until now, the reason for this has been unclear...