Health News

UK Aims To Make Genetic Testing Available To All Cancer Patients

Date: May-21-2013
A research program that should eventually allow all cancer patients to have access to genetic testing has been launched with £2.7 million ($4 million) funding from the Wellcome Trust. The program, involving the Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and Illumina Inc, aims to find a way to allow more cancer genes to be tested in more people. Mutations in some genes, referred to as cancer predisposition genes, considerably raise the probability that a person will have cancer...

ADHD In Childhood May Lead To Obesity In Adulthood

Date: May-21-2013
Boys who are diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are twice as likely to become obese in adulthood than those who did not have the condition when they were young, a new long-term study has shown. The finding, published in the journal Pediatrics, revealed that men who have childhood ADHD were more likely to have a greater body-mass index (BMI) and obesity - even when they no longer experience symptoms of the condition. Among these men, socioeconomic status did not matter - all seemed to have a predisposition to becoming obese...

Smoking During Pregnancy Raises Daughter's Risk Of Gestational Diabetes And Obesity

Date: May-21-2013
Women who smoke while pregnant are at a higher risk of having daughters who become obese and/or develop gestational diabetes, according to a new study published in Diabetologia. The fact that smoking is harmful during pregnancy has long been known, however, studies that examined possible adverse effects that last until adulthood are scarce and outcomes have been inconsistent. A study led by the University College London (UCL) in the UK suggested that children born to women who smoke during pregnancy are at a higher risk for birth defects...

Mediterranean Diet Seems To Boost Ageing Brain Power

Date: May-21-2013
Better than low fat option for those at risk of vascular dementia A Mediterranean diet with added extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts seems to improve the brain power of older people better than advising them to follow a low-fat diet, indicates research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. The authors from the University of Navarra in Spain base their findings on 522 men and women aged between 55 and 80 without cardiovascular disease but at high vascular risk because of underlying disease/conditions...

The Incidence Of Eating Disorders Is Increasing In The UK

Date: May-21-2013
The increase is due to more cases of eating disorder not otherwise specified rather than rises in either bulimia or anorexia More people are being diagnosed with eating disorders every year and the most common type is not either of the two most well known--bulimia or anorexia--but eating disorders not otherwise specified (eating disorders that don't quite reach the threshold to be defined as anorexia or bulimia), shows a study published online in BMJ Open...

Bed Sharing With Parents Increases The Risk Of Cot Death Fivefold Even If The Parents Are Non-Smokers

Date: May-21-2013
Rates of sudden infant death would plummet if parents avoided bed sharing, advise authors Bed sharing with parents is linked to a fivefold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), even when the parents are non-smokers and the mother has not been drinking alcohol and does not use illegal drugs, according to a large analysis published online in BMJ Open...

Immune System Status May Affect A Women's Reproductive Ability

Date: May-21-2013
New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females. The study appears in the American Journal of Human Biology. An animal's energetic resources must be carefully allocated, said University of Illinois anthropology professor Kathryn Clancy, who led the new research. The body's first priority is maintenance, which includes tasks inherently related to survival, including immune function, she said. Any leftover energy is then dedicated to reproduction...

Unnecessary Breast Biopsy Surgery Performed On More Than One Third Of Texas Women Diagnosed With A Breast Mass

Date: May-21-2013
Many women in Texas who are found to have an abnormality on routine mammogram or discover a lump in one of their breasts end up having an old-fashioned surgical biopsy to find out whether the breast abnormality is malignant. Since 2001, national expert panels have recommended that the first course of action for women with breast lumps or masses should be minimally invasive biopsy. Minimally invasive biopsies are most commonly done under ultrasonographic or X-ray guidance, with either a fine needle or preferably a "core tissue extraction" needle...

Practice Changes To Improve Value And Quality Of GI Procedures

Date: May-21-2013
There are significant cost and risk factors associated with two procedures commonly used to diagnose or treat gastrointestinal problems, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). A study by New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill-Cornell Medical College suggests that more objective testing may substantially reduce the cost and risk of managing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)...

New Malaria LAMP Test Kit Will Boost Elimination Efforts Worldwide, Improve Diagnosis For Imported UK Cases

Date: May-21-2013
A new, highly sensitive blood test that quickly detects even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the body could make a dramatic difference in efforts to tackle the disease in the UK and across the world, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases...