Health News

Low HDL-Cholesterol - Not Quantity, But Quality

Date: May-02-2013
Many of the genes regulating the inflammation and immune response of the body are also associated with low HDL-cholesterol levels in the circulation, tells the recent study conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. The research also discovered that the quality of HDL particle can vary considerably. Cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Elevated LDL-cholesterol, commonly known as the 'bad cholesterol,' is associated with increased risk of heart disease while HDL-cholesterol, the 'good cholesterol', is associated with decreased risk...

An Internal Circadian Rhythm Causes Increased Appetite In The Evening

Date: May-02-2013
A study published in the most recent version of the journal Obesity found that the body's internal clock, the circadian system, increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings. While the urge to consume more in the evening may have helped our ancestors store energy to survive longer in times of food scarcity, in the current environment of high-calorie food, those late night snacks may result in significant weight gain. "Of course, there are many factors that affect weight gain, principally diet and exercise, but the time of eating also has an effect...

Shedding Light On The Root Cause Of Some Neurodegenerative Diseases

Date: May-02-2013
Scientists have identified a gene that keeps our nerve fibers from clogging up. Researchers in Ken Miller's laboratory at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) found that the unc-16 gene of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a gatekeeper that restricts flow of cellular organelles from the cell body to the axon, a long, narrow extension that neurons use for signaling. Organelles clogging the axon could interfere with neuronal signaling or cause the axon to degenerate, leading to neurodegenerative disorders...

Routine Use Of Cinacalcet Therapy In People With Chronic Kidney Disease No Longer Recommended

Date: May-02-2013
Cinacalcet, a drug commonly given to patients with end stage kidney disease to help keep phosphorus and parathyroid blood levels within a target range has few patient level clinical benefits and several adverse effects, suggesting that it should no longer be routinely prescribed, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. These findings are important as cinacalcet has become the largest single drug cost for patients on dialysis in the US, with an annual expenditure of at least US $260 million...

Larger Babies Are At A Greater Risk Of Autism

Date: May-02-2013
Babies who are above average in size when they are born are at a greater risk of autism, as well as those who are born below average in size, according to the biggest study of fetal growth and autism to date. The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, show the first clear link between large babies at birth and the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study was led by researchers from the University of Manchester, England, and supports prior research that suggests that premature and poorly grown, low weight infants are at a higher risk for the disorder...

Patients With Non-Variceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleed Should Be Re-Assessed For Co-Morbidity

Date: May-02-2013
Individuals who have experienced a major bleed from their stomach or oesophagus (known as an upper gastrointestinal bleed) may be more likely to die from other causes, particularly malignant tumours and cardiovascular disease, than those without an upper gastrointestinal bleed, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. These findings are important as they suggest that an upper gastrointestinal bleed may be either a cause or an indicator of a decline in a coinciding, serious medical condition...

Global Perspective On Integrating Mental Health

Date: May-02-2013
The first article in a landmark series to help health care workers and providers, donors, and decision makers understand the importance of including mental health care in global health programs is being published in this week's PLOS Medicine. Giving a global perspective on integrating mental health into health services around the world, the series focuses on mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders. Although these disorders account for an increasing burden of disease, affected people often lack access to mental health care in high-, middle-, and low-income countries...

Women Using Assisted Reproduction At Greater Risk Of Psychological Trauma After Miscarriage

Date: May-02-2013
Subfertile women who conceive through assisted reproduction are more likely to experience a greater traumatic impact following early pregnancy loss compared with women who conceive naturally, suggests a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy affecting 20% of all clinically recognised pregnancies. This study, conducted at Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, aimed to identify the psychological impact following a first trimester miscarriage (less than 12 weeks of gestation)...

Nonprofit Hospitals Encouraged To Address Obesity

Date: May-02-2013
The nation's more than 2,900 nonprofit hospitals are facing new requirements to qualify for federal tax-exempt status under the Affordable Care Act, including producing a Community Health Needs Assessment that identifies local health needs. With obesity affecting more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States, the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance released five research-based, consensus recommendations today to help guide nonprofit hospitals in developing programs that address obesity in their communities...

Drinking To Alleviate Mood Symptoms Associated With Alcohol Dependence

Date: May-01-2013
JAMA Psychiatry Study Highlights Rosa M. Crum, M.D., M.H.S., of the Johns Hopkins Health Institutions, Baltimore, Md., and colleagues examined whether self-medicating mood symptoms is associated with the increased probability of the onset and persistence of alcohol dependence. The study included a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population with drinkers at risk for alcohol dependence among the 43,093 adults surveyed in 20001 and 2002; 34,653 of whom were reinterviewed in 2004 and 2005...