Health News

Muscle Adaptation Of Transition To Minimalist Running

Date: May-07-2013
For tens of thousands of years, humans ran on bare feet. Then we developed an assortment of specialized shoes, including - particularly since the 1960s - a seemingly limitless variety of running shoes. Despite the perceived advantages of foot protection, some runners in recent years have returned to barefoot running, believing it is a more natural way to run and therefore less injurious to the feet and legs. As a result, several shoe manufacturers have produced specialized "minimalist" shoes to accommodate this, such as the Vibram FiveFingers shoes...

Researchers Reveal How Ebola Short-Circuits The Immune System

Date: May-07-2013
Researchers have discovered the mechanism behind one of the Ebola virus' most dangerous attributes: its ability to disarm the adaptive immune system. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston scientists determined that Ebola short-circuits the immune system using proteins that work together to shut down cellular signaling related to interferon. Disruption of this activity, the researchers found, allows Ebola to prevent the full development of dendritic cells that would otherwise trigger an immune response to the virus...

Bioengineer Reveals That Heart Cells Change Stem Cell Behavior

Date: May-07-2013
Stem cells drawn from amniotic fluid show promise for tissue engineering, but it's important to know what they can and cannot do. A new study by researchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital has shown that these stem cells can communicate with mature heart cells and form electrical couplings with each other similar to those found in heart tissue. But these electrical connections alone do not prompt amniotic cells to become cardiac cells...

More Frequent Monitoring Of Coronary Artery Calcium Buildup Could Save Lives

Date: May-07-2013
Patients with increasing accumulations of coronary artery calcium were more than six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or die from heart disease than patients who didn't have increasing accumulations, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology...

In People With Fibromyalgia, Pain Is Not Worsened By Regular, Moderate Exercise

Date: May-07-2013
For many people who have fibromyalgia, even the thought of exercising is painful. Yet a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that exercise does not worsen the pain associated with the disorder and may even lessen it over time. The findings are published in the current online issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research. According to Dennis Ang, M.D...

Possible Neurobiological Basis For Persistent Pain After Stressful Events

Date: May-07-2013
A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first to identify a genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events such as motor vehicle collision and sexual assault. In addition, the study contributes further evidence that persistent pain after stressful events, including motor vehicle collisions and sexual assaults, has a specific biological basis. A manuscript of the study was published online ahead of print by the journal Pain...

One Fifth Of Suicidal Teens Have Access To Guns At Home

Date: May-06-2013
Around twenty percent of adolescents in the U.S. who are considered "suicidal" have guns in their homes, according to a recent study published at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. In addition, the researchers revealed that 15 percent of those at risk of suicide know how to use the guns and the ammunition and have access to both. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, among young people between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the second leading cause of death...

Vitamin D Supplementation - Be Careful, Researchers Warn

Date: May-06-2013
Very high blood levels of vitamin D confer no additional benefit, researchers from Johns Hopkins reported in the American Journal of Medicine. In fact, when they combined the results of their present and previous studies, they found that raising vitamin D levels in "healthy people" with already normal levels may be potentially harmful...

Young Athletes Not Reporting Concussions

Date: May-06-2013
Many young athletes think it is okay to play with a concussion, even though they know it puts them at risk of serious harm, according to a new U.S. study. The research was conducted by a team from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and is set to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. A total of 120 high school football players in the Cincinnati area were involved in the investigation...

Kidney Disease In Canada: 12.5% Of Adults Afflicted, Yet Many Unaware

Date: May-06-2013
An estimated 12.5% of Canadians in Canada have evidence of chronic kidney disease, including people without risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Chronic kidney disease is a risk factor for death, and it places a significant burden on the health care system; dialysis for 1 person alone over 1 year costs about $60,000. Estimates of kidney disease in Canada are based on extrapolations of the prevalence of end-stage renal disease...