Health News

Survey Finds Teen Misuse And Abuse Of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008

Date: Apr-25-2013
New, nationally projectable survey results released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime - a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants. One in eight teens (13 percent) now reports that they have taken the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, at least once in their lifetime...

Bacteria Evolve Resistance More Quickly When Stronger Antibiotics Are Used

Date: Apr-25-2013
New scientific research published in the journal PLoS Biology shows that bacteria can evolve resistance more quickly when stronger antibiotics are used. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Kiel University in Germany treated E. coli with different combinations of antibiotics in laboratory experiments. Unexpectedly they found that the rate of evolution of antibiotic resistance speeds up when potent treatments are given because resistant bacterial cells flourish most during the most aggressive therapies...

Alabama, April 2011: Neurosurgical Injuries Sustained During Tornado

Date: Apr-25-2013
Neurosurgeons from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center recount their experiences in treating patients with head and spine injuries during the epic April 2011 tornado disaster. The authors focus on injuries sustained on April 27th of that year. Details on these cases and a discussion on the necessity of disaster preparedness are found in "Neurosurgical injuries resulting from the 2011 tornados in Alabama: the experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center. Clinical article," by Joseph H. Miller, M.D...

The Importance Of Physical Activity In Childhood

Date: Apr-25-2013
Researchers have discovered that participation in physical activity of at least moderate intensity is more critical to childhood cardiometabolic health than overall sedentary time. However, when evaluating the risk of cardiovascular disease, screen time appears to be worse than overall sedentary time...

Viewing Sexually Explicit Material Is Less Associated With Young People's Sexual Behavior Than Previously Thought

Date: Apr-25-2013
Viewing sexually explicit material through media such as the Internet, videos, and magazines may be directly linked with the sexual behavior of adolescents and young adults, but only to a very small extent. That is the conclusion of a new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The findings suggest that the practice is just one of many factors that may influence the sexual behaviors of young people. Concerns have been raised that viewing sexually explicit material may negatively affect sexual behaviors, particularly in young people...

Using Microbubbles To Improve Cancer Therapy

Date: Apr-25-2013
Microbubbles decrease the time and acoustic power of ultrasound required to heat and destroy an embedded target, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound. If these results can be replicated in the clinic, microbubbles could improve the efficiency of high intensity ultrasound treatment of solid tumors. High intensity ultrasound is already used to treat solid tumors. Ultrasound can be focused through soft tissue and, because it does not require probes or surgery, is non-invasive...

Do Patients Need To Know They Are Terminally Ill?

Date: Apr-25-2013
In this week's BMJ, experts debate whether patients need to know they are terminally ill. Emily Collis and colleagues at the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust say that decision making can only be ethically sound with a fully informed patient, saying "accurate information enables patients to make informed, realistic choices and helps achieve patient preferences of care...

One Sugary Soft Drink A Day Increases Diabetes Risk By 22%

Date: Apr-25-2013
Drinking one 12oz sugary soft drink a day can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 22%, according to a new study. The study was conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, UK, who used data from the InterAct consortium and was published in Diabetologia. The majority of past studies on this subject have taken place in North America. A previous U.S. study demonstrated a link between soft drink consumption to obesity and diabetes...

3D Breast Screenings Make Detection Easier & Decrease False Positives

Date: Apr-25-2013
3D mammograms could provide significant improvements in cancer detection and decreasing false positives when used in collaboration regular 2D mammograms, according to a new study by a team of Italian and Australian researchers. The finding, published in The Lancet Oncology, analyzed whether using 2D and 3D screenings together was more accurate at detecting cancers and decreasing false positives than just 2D screenings...

Harvard To Close Its Primate Research Center

Date: Apr-25-2013
Harvard Medical School has just announced plans to close down its New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) over the next two years due to "high financial costs". The research center recently underwent a thorough investigation following the death of four monkeys, upon which inspectors identified significant violations of animal welfare rules. However, the school leaders pointed out that the decision to close down the center wasn't related to this issue...