Health News

Retirement Bad For Physical And Mental Health

Date: May-16-2013
Retirement is bad for mental and physical health, says a new study published by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Age Endeavour Fellowship, London. The author, Gabriel H. Sahlgren, explained that initially retirement gives most people a small health boost, but over the medium- and long-term, it causes "a drastic decline in health". He added that retirement's detrimental effect on health applies to both males and females equally. Gabriel H. Sahlgren wrote this paper whilst a Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs...

Traumatic Brain Injuries Among The Military Linked To Suicidal Thoughts Risk

Date: May-16-2013
Researchers at the National Center for Veterans Studies, Salt Lake City, Utah, reported that the suicide risk among people in the military increases according to the number of lifetime traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) they have had. They published their findings in JAMA Psychiatry. TBI can cause severe deficits in memory, attention and decision-making, it commonly occurs along with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse...

Erectile Dysfunction Tied To Long Term Painkiller Use

Date: May-16-2013
A new study suggests that long term use of opioid prescription painkillers for back pain is tied to a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). The findings are published in the 15 May online issue of the journal Spine. Lead author Richard A. Deyo, an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research says in a statement: "Men who take opioid pain medications for an extended period of time have the highest risk of ED...

ADHD Incidence May Be Reduced In Breastfed Children

Date: May-16-2013
Breastfeeding has a positive impact on the physical and mental development of infants. A new study suggests that breastfeeding may protect against the development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in childhood. The study is reported in Breastfeeding Medicine, the Official Journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Breastfeeding Medicine website...

Excellent Crash Safety Ratings Of Passenger Cars 'May Provide A False Degree Of Confidence'

Date: May-16-2013
Most consumers who are shopping for a new car depend on good crash safety ratings as an indicator of how well the car will perform in a crash. But a new University at Buffalo study of crashes involving cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) has found those crash ratings are a lot less relevant than vehicle type. The study is being presented May 16 at the annual meeting of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine in Atlanta...

Increase In Access To Routine, Preventive Care For Children, Low-Income Adults Revealed By First Economic Analysis Of Practicing Dental Therapists

Date: May-16-2013
A new report assessing the economic viability of services provided by practicing midlevel dental providers in the U.S. shows that they are expanding preventive dental care to people who need it most: children and those who can't afford care. At the same time, they are providing that care at a reduced cost to the dental practice. The report, released today by Community Catalyst, determined that midlevel dental providers currently practicing in Alaska and Minnesota cost their employers 27 and 29 percent respectively of the revenue they generate...

How One Notch Family Protein, Notch2, Shapes An Eye Structure

Date: May-16-2013
A small ensemble of musicians can produce an infinite number of melodies, harmonies and rhythms. So too, do a handful of workhorse signaling pathways that interact to construct multiple structures that comprise the vertebrate body. In fact, crosstalk between two of those pathways - those governed by proteins known as Notch and BMP (for Bone Morphogenetic Protein) receptors - occurs over and over in processes as diverse as forming a tooth, sculpting a heart valve and building a brain. A new study by Stowers Institute for Medical Research Investigator Ting Xie, Ph.D...

Extreme Heat Waves A Greater Risk For Some Racial Groups

Date: May-16-2013
Some racial groups are more likely to bear the brunt of extreme heat waves because of where they live, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, highlight racial disparities at a time when the frequency and intensity of extreme heat waves is expected to increase with climate change...

ICU Admissions From Emergency Departments Nearly Double

Date: May-16-2013
A study released by George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) researchers offers an in-depth look at hospitals nationwide and admissions to intensive care units (ICU). The study, published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, finds a sharp increase - nearly 50 percent - in ICU admissions coming from U.S. emergency departments. "These findings suggest that emergency physicians are sending more patients on to the ICU," said SPHHS researcher and lead author Peter Mullins...

In Preclinical Studies, New Drug Enhances Radiation Treatment For Brain Cancer

Date: May-16-2013
A novel drug may help increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the most deadly form of brain cancer, report scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. In mouse models of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the new drug helped significantly extend survival when used in combination with radiation therapy. Recently published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, the study provides the first preclinical evidence demonstrating that an ATM kinase inhibitor radiosensitizes gliomas...