Health News

Asthma Identified As A Potential New Risk For Sleep Apnea

Date: May-21-2013
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have identified a potential new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea: asthma. Using data from the National Institutes of Health (Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)-funded Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, which has been following approximately 1,500 people since 1988, researchers found that patients who had asthma were 1.70 times (95% CI=1.15-2.51) more likely to develop sleep apnea after eight years...

Treating Sleep Apnea In Prediabetes Improves Glucose Levels

Date: May-21-2013
Optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar (glucose) levels and thus can reduce cardiometabolic risk, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference May 17-22, 2013 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

Relationship Discovered Between Sleep Apnea And Alzheimer's Disease

Date: May-21-2013
A new study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging adds to the growing body of research linking the two. But this latest study also poses an interesting question: Could AD in its "preclinical stages" also lead to SDB and explain the increased prevalence of SDB in the elderly? The study was presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference May 17-22, 2013 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "It's really a chicken and egg story," said Ricardo S...

Researchers Able To Prevent And Cure Type 1 Diabetes In Animal Models

Date: May-21-2013
Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed. The discovery has wider repercussions, as the protein is responsible for protecting the body against excessive immune responses, and could be used to treat, or even prevent, other immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis...

During CA Pertussis Outbreak, Whole-Cell Vaccine More Effective Than Acellular Vaccine

Date: May-21-2013
Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics. Whole-cell pertussis vaccines, also called DTwP, were available from the 1940s to 1990s, but were associated with safety concerns that ultimately led to the development of acellular pertussis vaccines, which are also called DTaP. By the late 1990s, the United States had switched from whole-cell to acellular vaccines for all five recommended infant and childhood doses...

Common Foot Deformities Like Bunions Are Inherited

Date: May-21-2013
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot Study - the first to estimate the heritability of foot disorders in humans - appear in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Previous studies show that as many as 60% of older adults have foot disorders which may limit mobility and reduce their quality of life...

Potential For Medicinal Clays In Fight Against Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Date: May-21-2013
In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance. Shelley Haydel, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute has a new approach to developing effective, topical antibacterial agents - one that draws on a naturally occurring substance recognized since antiquity for its medicinal properties: clay...

The Earlier The Age At Which Youth Take Their First Alcoholic Drink, The Greater The Risk Of Later Alcohol Problems

Date: May-21-2013
Research shows that the earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of developing alcohol problems. Thus, age at first drink (AFD) is generally considered a powerful predictor of progression to alcohol-related harm. A new study shows that individuals who have their first drink during puberty subsequently have higher drinking levels than do individuals with a post-pubertal drinking onset. Results will be published in the October 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View...

High Fiber Diets Linked To Increased Risk Of E.coli

Date: May-21-2013
According to new research published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people who consume diets rich in fiber are at an increased risk of contracting Escherichia coli (E. coli) which can lead to O157:H7 infection and severe disease. Escherichia coli, which is also known as E. coli, is a bacterium that is found in the gut of endotherms (warm blooded organisms). Most E. coli strains are of no harm to human health, except for serotype O157:H7, which is a leading cause of food poisoning in humans and can eventually become life-threatening...

Greatest Global Health Challenge Providing Healthcare In Developing Countries

Date: May-21-2013
One of the world's biggest challenges is improving global healthcare in developing countries. However, according to the World Bank Group President Dr Jim Yong Kim, although there's been progress in improving global health over the past twenty years, the failure to address "the gritty business of actually delivering health care in developing countries", is causing ineffective and inefficient health care for many...