Health News

Inflatable Leg Wraps Reduce Clot Risk After Stroke

Date: May-31-2013
Stroke patients can reduce their risk of blood clots and death by using a compression device that wraps around their legs, according to new research published in The Lancet. For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that the likelihood of dying after stroke is lowered by gently squeezing the legs. Experts believe that the compression decreases the risk of clots in the veins of the legs by increasing blood flow...

New Technique To Identify Patients At High Risk Of Stroke

Date: May-31-2013
New research reveals that an easy, non-invasive way of predicting the risk of stroke or hemorrhage among children who are receiving cardiac or respiratory support via ECMO is by measuring blood flow to the brain. The finding was published in the journal Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Stroke is the leading cause of death among young cardiac patients receiving support through extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). When a patient can't sustain sufficient oxygen levels in their blood, because of conditions such as heart failure, ECMO is sometimes required...

Anti-Smoking Ads Increase The Chances Of Quitting

Date: May-31-2013
Education through anti-smoking media via television, radio, or billboards, magazines, and newspapers, has greatly increased the chances of current smokers quitting, according to a new report released by the CDC in honor of World No Tobacco Day today. The finding was included as part of this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and was found to be true in 14 out of 17 countries studied. The CDC examined data from 17 countries that took part in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)...

Data On Sports-Related Facial Fractures In Kids May Help To Inform Preventive Measures

Date: May-31-2013
Facial fractures are relatively common, and potentially serious, sports-related injuries among children participating in a wide range of sports, according to a study in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The five-year study provides insights into the characteristics of sports-related facial fractures in young athletes - including the causes and patterns of fractures in specific sports...

What Is Athlete's Foot? What Causes Athlete's Foot?

Date: May-31-2013
Athlete's foot, also known as tinea pedi and ringworm of the foot, is a fungal infection that affects the upper layer of the skin of the foot, especially when it is warm, moist and irritated. Athlete's foot is a form of ringworm. The fungus that causes athlete's foot is called Trichophyton, and is commonly found on floors and in clothing. Athlete's foot fungus will not infect the skin if conditions are not right - it requires a warm and moist environment. Because of this, only about 0.75% of people who regularly walk about barefoot are affected...

New Chemical Discovered To Fight Mosquitoes

Date: May-31-2013
An Ohio State University researcher and his collaborators have discovered a chemical that causes "kidney" failure in mosquitoes, which may pave the way to the development of new insecticides to fight deadly mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. The discovery is reported in the online journal PLOS ONE...

Chemical Structure Of HIV Capsid Revealed

Date: May-31-2013
Researchers report that they have determined the precise chemical structure of the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects the virus's genetic material and is a key to its virulence. The capsid has become an attractive target for the development of new antiretroviral drugs. The report appears as the cover article in the journal Nature. Scientists have long sought to understand how the HIV capsid is constructed, and many studies have chipped away at its mystery...

Previously Unidentified Cells Offer Potential Targets For Future Treatments Of Prostate Cancer

Date: May-31-2013
Researchers have identified a sub-group of cells that could contribute to prostate cancer recurrence, opening up new ways to treat the disease, which claims more than 3000 lives a year in Australia. Published in Science Translational Medicine, a study led by Monash University researchers has found prostate cancer cells that survive androgen withdrawal treatment. Previously unidentified, these cells are potential targets for future treatments. As they are present early in disease development, there is the possibility of therapy before the cancer reaches the aggressive, incurable stage...

Young Adults Benefit Financially From Health Reform

Date: May-31-2013
A new federal law allowing young adults to remain on their parents' medical insurance until age 25 has shielded them, their families and hospitals from the full financial consequences of serious medical emergencies, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Examining hospital emergency department use during the first year after the federal Affordable Care Act provision went into effect, researchers estimate that $147 million in nondiscretionary medical care was newly covered by private insurance...

Risk Of Pregnancy Complications Increased By Thyroid Conditions

Date: May-31-2013
Pregnant women who have thyroid disorders face greater risk of preterm birth and other complications that have short- and long-term consequences for the health of mother and child, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).. The risk of complications is heightened for both women who have underactive thyroid glands - a condition known as hypothyroidism - and those with overactive thyroid glands, or hyperthyroidism. Up to four percent of all pregnancies involve mothers with thyroid conditions...