Health News

Survey Reveals Disagreement On The Role Of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners

Date: May-17-2013
At a time when the U.S. health system is facing both an increasing demand for primary care services and a worsening shortage of primary care physicians, one broadly recommended strategy has been to increase the number and the responsibilities of nurse practitioners...

Its Not Too Late To Get Fit In Middle Age To Reduce Heart Failure Risk

Date: May-17-2013
Middle aged and out of shape? It's not too late to get fit - and reduce your risk for heart failure, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2013. Researchers ranked fitness levels of 9,050 men and women (average age 48) who took two fitness tests - eight years apart - during mid-life. After 18 years of follow-up, they matched the fitness information to Medicare claims for heart failure hospitalizations...

Bankruptcy An Increased Risk Following Cancer Diagnosis

Date: May-17-2013
People diagnosed with cancer are more than two-and-a-half times more likely to declare bankruptcy than those without cancer, according to a new study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Researchers also found that younger cancer patients had two- to five-fold higher bankruptcy rates compared to older patients, and that overall bankruptcy filings increased as time passed following diagnosis. The study, led by corresponding author Scott Ramsey, M.D., Ph.D., an internist and health economist at Fred Hutch, was published online as a Web First in the journal Health Affairs...

Brain Dopamine Transporter Levels Increased By Long-term ADHD Treatment

Date: May-17-2013
Long-term treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with certain stimulant medications may alter the density of the dopamine transporter, according to research published in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Gene-Jack Wang and colleagues from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the intramural program at NIH. ADHD is commonly treated using drugs to target dysfunctional dopamine signaling in the brain, such as methylphenidate (commonly known as Ritalin)...

Study Explores Providers' Perceptions Of Parental Concerns About HPV Vaccination

Date: May-17-2013
A new Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) study has found that low-income and minority parents may be more receptive to vaccinating their daughters against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), while white, middle-class parents are more likely to defer the vaccination. The findings appear online in the May issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Cervical cancer incidence and mortality are markedly higher for low-income and minority women due to higher rates of HPV and limited access to screening and treatment...

Assessing The Efficacy Of Different Types Of Training Programs On Cognitive Performance In Elderly Patients

Date: May-17-2013
Forget apples - lifting weights and doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. The study, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, followed 86 women, aged 70- to 80-years-old, who were randomly assigned to participate in weight training classes, outdoor walking classes, or balance and toning classes (such as yoga and pilates) for six months. All participants have mild cognitive impairment, a well-recognized risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and dementia...

Nutrition Science Focuses On White Vegetables In Supporting A Healthy, Well-Balanced Diet

Date: May-17-2013
Potatoes and other white vegetables are just as important to a healthy diet as their colorful cousins in the produce aisle, according to the authors of a scientific supplement published in the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition. Although green, red and orange veggies are often promoted as top nutrient sources, white vegetables are nutrient powerhouses in their own right and deserve a place on your plate...

The Role Of Double-Stranded RNA In Antiviral Host Defense Systems

Date: May-17-2013
Animals, insects, and plants use a variety of sensing mechanisms to detect invading pathogens such as viruses. One complex and effective antiviral defense system they share is based on recognition of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), often produced when a virus invades a host cell. New information leading to a clearer understanding of the mechanisms underlying viral dsRNA sensing is presented in a comprehensive Review article published in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers...

Blocking The Protein-Protein Interaction Which Causes Ewing Sarcoma

Date: May-17-2013
Continuous infusion of a novel agent not only halted the progression of Ewing sarcoma in rats, while some tumors also regressed to the point that cancer cells could not be detected microscopically, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Their study, which will be presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology*, provides pre-clinical evidence necessary to initiate a clinical trial...

Why Some African Americans Don't Call 9-1-1 Immediately For Stroke Symptoms

Date: May-17-2013
African-Americans know the signs of stroke, but concerns about medical cost, ambulance response time and unfamiliarity with the need for prompt hospital care impacted whether they called 9-1-1 immediately. A study that included 77 African-Americans in Flint, Mich., revealed barriers among adults and youth in getting help for stroke which is significantly higher among African-Americans and leads to more deaths and disability...