Health News

Brain Training To Improve On Problem-Solving Tasks

Date: Apr-18-2013
A brain-training task that increases the number of items an individual can remember over a short period of time may boost performance in other problem-solving tasks by enhancing communication between different brain areas. The new study, presented in San Francisco, is one of a growing number of experiments on how working-memory training can measurably improve a range of skills - from multiplying in your head to reading a complex paragraph...

Post-Surgical Complications Contribute To Hospital Revenue

Date: Apr-18-2013
Post-surgical complication contribute significantly to hospital profit margins, says a new study published in the journal JAMA. Is that why hospitals are slow to implement changes to reduce post-surgical complication rates? The per-encounter hospital contribution margin was highest among patients who were covered by private insurance and Medicare and lowest among those covered by Medicaid and self-paid. The study included a total of 35,000 surgical discharges. The researchers identified that the rate of inpatient surgical complications is actually quite high (from about 3 to 17...

Potential Target Identified For Reducing The Progression Of Metastases, The Main Cause Of Death For Breast Cancer Patients

Date: Apr-18-2013
A team of researchers at the IRCM, led by Dr. Jean-Francois Cote, made an important discovery in breast cancer, which is publisheded online this week by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The Montreal scientists identified the DOCK1 protein as a potential target to reduce the progression of metastases in patients suffering from breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in women.  Dr. Côté's laboratory is interested in metastasis, which is the spread of cancer from an organ (or part of an organ) to another...

Neurosurgical Boot Camp Courses A Success

Date: Apr-18-2013
In July 2010, the Society of Neurological Surgeons initiated nationwide boot camp courses designed to teach incoming postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) trainees fundamental skills related to the field of neurosurgery. According to a new paper in the Journal of Neurosurgery, follow-up tests and surveys returned from course attendees 6 months after completion of the courses show that the first-year residents retained the knowledge and skills they had learned and found the courses relevant and beneficial to their residency experiences and to patient care...

Routine Early Dementia Screening "A Disaster In Slow Motion"

Date: Apr-18-2013
A leading dementia screening expert from the University of East Anglia will call for the brakes to be put on plans for routine screening today. Dr Chris Fox, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, will speak out at a TEDMEDLive healthcare conference in Bristol. He says that the stigma and anxiety caused by being diagnosed with early dementia - long before symptoms are apparent - greatly outweigh any benefits. This is bolstered by the fact that there is no prospect of an imminent breakthrough in treatment. The number of people with dementia is set to double in the UK within 25 years...

Tylenol May Treat Those Experiencing Existential Dread

Date: Apr-18-2013
Thinking about death can cause us to feel a sort of existential angst that isn't attributable to a specific source. Now, new research suggests that acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain medication, may help to reduce this existential pain. The research is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science...

"New Wave" Of Cholera Evolving To Be More Like Virulent 1800s Cholera

Date: Apr-18-2013
The cholera strain that transferred to Haiti in 2010 has multiple toxin gene mutations that may account for the severity of disease and is evolving to be more like an 1800s version of cholera, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The strain, "altered El Tor," which emerged around 2000, is known to be more virulent and to cause more severe diarrhea and dehydration than earlier strains that had been circulating since the 1960s. This study reports the altered El Tor strain has acquired two additional signature mutations during the past decade that may further increase virulence...

Antiretroviral Therapy Not Found To Affect Resting Energy Expenditure Among Women With HIV

Date: Apr-18-2013
Studies have shown that about 10 percent of men infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an elevated resting energy expenditure (REE). Their bodies use more kilocalories for basic functions including circulation, body temperature, and breathing. Most studies have been conducted in men and those with solely women have had small sample sizes. A team of researchers has sought to rectify this with a matched, prospective, cross-sectional study. The results are featured in a new report published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics...

Seniors Benefit From Social Media

Date: Apr-18-2013
The use of social media by older people can offer valuable additional support in cases of sickness and diseases, new research from the University of Luxembourg has shown. In a new publication, Dr Anja Leist from the University's Research Unit INSIDE, concludes that possibilities for a systematic application in clinical practice seem promising. With the rise of user-friendly devices such as tablets and other web-enabled devices, older adults now engage in social media, such as online social networks, discussion boards, and online forums, more frequently...

Why Circumcision Provides HIV Protection

Date: Apr-18-2013
Circumcision drastically alters the microbiome of the penis, changes that could explain why circumcision offers protection against HIV and other viral infections. In a study published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers studied the effects of adult male circumcision on the types of bacteria that live under the foreskin before and after circumcision...