Health News

Using Stories To Help Patients Make Health Decisions

Date: Jun-06-2013
Stories often appear in health communication in order to encourage individuals to change behaviors, such as smoking or not wearing sunscreen. A University of Missouri researcher studied how stories influence patients' decision-making when behavior change is not the desired outcome of the health communication. "Patient stories can be very persuasive, and people tend to seek stories from others when they make health decisions," said Victoria Shaffer, an assistant professor of health sciences and psychological sciences at MU...

Drug Benefits In Spinal Muscular Atrophy Animal Models

Date: Jun-06-2013
In a new publication that appears in Human Molecular Genetics, the laboratory of Christine DiDonato, PhD reports on their pharmacological characterization of the drug RG3039, demonstrating that it can extend survival and improve function in two spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) mouse models. They have determined the minimum effective dose and drug action, thus contributing to dose selection and exposure estimates for the first studies with RG3039 in humans...

Male Victims Of Sex Assault And The Services They Use

Date: Jun-06-2013
While only a small percentage of adult males who are victims of sex assault report the crime, a new study by Women's College Research Institute (WCRI) and the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres (ONSA/DVTCs) shows of those who do, an overwhelming majority - almost 90 per cent - use five or more services ranging from counselling to medical care and treatment. The study, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, sheds light on the characteristics of male victims of sex assault and the services they use...

Smoke Exposure Puts Infants With Family History Of Allergies At Higher Risk For Severe Infection

Date: Jun-06-2013
More evidence has surfaced that supports the war on smoking, especially if smokers have an infant in their household. A study published today in the June issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), found that infants with a family history of allergic disease with lower respiratory tract infections, who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk for longer hospital stays...

Improved Understanding Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Date: Jun-06-2013
A joint project between the Griffith University and the UQ Centre for clinical Research (UQCCR) has characterised an in vitro model that allows further studies on the breast cancer biology. These studies include the confirmation that primary tissue obtained from patients with breast cancer behaves similarly to those derived from long-term cultured cell lines. Griffith University's Associate Professor Alejandro Lopez said the team was working towards making breast cancer stem cells the target of specific cancer therapies, to improve current treatment outcomes...

Thought-Controlled Helicopter Offers Hope For Patients With Paralysis, Neurodegenerative Disorders

Date: Jun-06-2013
A remote controlled helicopter has been flown through a series of hoops around a college gymnasium in Minnesota. It sounds like your everyday student project; however, there is one caveat...the helicopter was controlled using just the power of thought. The experiments have been performed by researchers hoping to develop future robots that can help restore the autonomy of paralysed victims or those suffering from neurodegenerative disorders...

Smartphones May Disrupt Your Sleep

Date: Jun-06-2013
Smartphones and tablets can make for sleep-disrupting bedfellows. One cause is believed to be the bright light-emitting diodes that allow the use of mobile devices in dimly lit rooms; the light exposure can interfere with melatonin, a hormone that helps control the natural sleep-wake cycle. But there may be a way to check your mobile device in bed and still get a good night's sleep...

Obese Women Advised To Lose Weight Between Pregnancies

Date: Jun-06-2013
The research, led by Arun Jain, M.D., visiting scholar in SLU's department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health, also found that obese women should be counseled not to gain excessive weight during pregnancy. "This data suggested that the interval between pregnancies is a crucial period for obese women to lose weight," Jain said. "In addition, the pregnancy and postpartum periods provide a unique opportunity for behavior change because health care professionals are well positioned to counsel women...

Black Patients In Most Segregated Areas More Likely To Receive Surgery At Low-Quality Hospitals

Date: Jun-06-2013
Black patients are more likely to have surgery performed at low-quality hospitals even though they frequently live closer to better facilities than white patients. A study that examined Medicare data from 2005-2008 revealed that although black patients live nearly twice as close to high-quality hospitals as white patients, they were between 25-58 percent more likely to receive surgery at low-quality hospitals...

Reduced Risk Of Heart Attacks For Patients On Alzheimer's Disease Drugs

Date: Jun-06-2013
Drugs that are used for treating Alzheimer's disease in its early stages are linked to a reduced risk of heart attacks and death, according to a large study of over 7,000 people with Alzheimer's disease in Sweden. The research, which is published online in the European Heart Journal [1], looked at cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), such as donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine, which are used for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease [2]...