Health News

Negative Military Experience Affects Long-Term Religiosity

Date: May-28-2013
After the battle, the moral and mortality stresses of combat influence different people in different ways. Using two large-scale surveys of World War II veterans, this research investigates the role of combat and long-term religiosity. Study 1 shows that as combat became more frightening, the percentage of soldiers who reported praying rose from 42% to 72%. Study 2 shows that 50 years after combat, many soldiers still exhibited religious behavior, but it varied by their war experience...

Spike In Errors Observed Whilst Driving And Hands-Free Talking

Date: May-28-2013
Talking on a hands-free device while behind the wheel can lead to a sharp increase in errors that could imperil other drivers on the road, according to new research from the University of Alberta. A pilot study by Yagesh Bhambhani, a professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, and his graduate student Mayank Rehani, showed that drivers who talk using a hands-free cellular device made significantly more driving errors - such as crossing the centre line, speeding and changing lanes without signalling - compared with just driving alone...

First Drug Targets Identified In Childhood Genetic Tumor Disorder

Date: May-28-2013
Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM) - a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue - may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, may lead to new treatment options for this debilitating disease, for which the only current treatment option is repeated surgical removal of the tumors...

Common Mental Health Problems In Women May Be Related To Their Monthly Menstrual Cycle

Date: May-28-2013
Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL. The results suggest a monthly window of opportunity that could potentially be targeted in efforts to prevent common mental health problems developing in women. The research is the first to show a potential link between psychological vulnerability and the timing of a biological cycle, in this case ovulation...

Promising Strategy To Help Vaccines Outsmart HIV

Date: May-28-2013
A new discovery at Oregon Health & Science University highlights an ingenious method to ensure the body effectively reacts when infected with the highly evasive HIV virus that causes AIDS. The same team of researchers has been utilizing this unique approach to develop its own HIV vaccine candidate, which has so far shown promising results in animal studies. This latest research finding was published in the journal Science. "A major challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine is figuring out how to target this evasive virus," said Dr. Louis Picker, M.D...

Type 2 Diabetes In Youth Greatly Increases Risk For Heart, Kidney Disease

Date: May-28-2013
The news about youth and diabetes keeps getting worse. The latest data from the national TODAY diabetes study shows that children who develop Type 2 diabetes are at high risk to develop heart, kidney and eye problems faster and at a higher rate than people who acquire Type 2 diabetes as adults. "Once these kids have Type 2 diabetes, they seem to be at very high risk for early complications when compared to adults," said Jane Lynch, M.D., professor of pediatric endocrinology in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio...

Audiologists Recommend Smart Phone Apps To Monitor Noise Levels

Date: May-28-2013
After studying noise in one French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans to determine whether or not noise levels exceeded municipal ordinances, Annette Hurley, PhD, Assistant Professor of Audiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and Eric Arriaga, a third-year LSUHSC doctor of audiology student, recommend that people use today's technology to protect their own hearing health. Their case study is published online in the current issue of Advance for Hearing Practice Management...

Registry Confirms TAVI Efficacy And Safety In Asian Patients

Date: May-28-2013
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is effective and safe in Asian patients, according to early experience based on first results from a multicentre Asian registry reported at EuroPCR 2013. "TAVI has become a treatment option for selected patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. But current data are virtually all from North American or European centres," Paul Chiam, senior consultant cardiologist at the National Heart Center, Singapore, told the conference...

Deployment Of New Device For TAVI In Aortic Insufficiency

Date: May-28-2013
A new investigational device - the Helio System (TF-FA) - being developed for use with the Sapien XT Transcatheter Heart Valve was successfully deployed in all four patients in a small, first-in-human feasibility study of its use in high-risk aortic insufficiency reported at EuroPCR 2013. The HELIO dock system acts as an anchor to help stabilise the SAPIEN XT valve for patients with aortic insufficiency. The native leaflets in the heart are captured between the transcatheter heart valve and the dock...

Functional Flow Reserve To Investigate Chest Pain Changes Decisions In 25 Percent Of Cases

Date: May-28-2013
Routinely measuring fractional flow reserve (FFR) using pressure wire assessment during coronary angiography for diagnosis of chest pain leads to significant changes in the management of one in four patients, according to results from a study reported at EuroPCR 2013. The RIPCORD (Does routine pressure wire assessment influence management strategy at coronary angiography for diagnosis of chest pain) study was designed to assess whether routine assessment of FFR in all the main coronary branches would significantly change the management strategy derived from diagnostic angiography alone...