Health News

Migraines In Childhood And Adolescence Associated With Having Colic As An Infant

Date: Apr-17-2013
In a study including children and adolescents 6 to 18 years of age, those who have experienced migraine headaches were more likely to have had colic as an infant, according to a study in the April 17 issue of JAMA. "Infantile colic is a common cause of inconsolable crying during the first months of life," according to background information in the article. "The pathogenesis and the age-specific presentation of colic are not well understood. Infantile colic is usually interpreted as a pain syndrome and may be multifactorial. ... Migraine is a common cause of headache pain in childhood...

Some Women Feel More Pain

Date: Apr-17-2013
Women who have been abused and who experience strong mood changes in tandem with their menstrual cycle also feel pain more acutely than other women, according to new research. Dr Diana Fleischman, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Portsmouth, and colleagues in the US, are the first to examine links between menstrually-related mood disorder and a history of physical or sexual abuse. Menstrually-related mood disorder is characterised by emotional and physical symptoms that come and go depending on the time of the month and which affect about one in ten women...

Teenage Smoking Behavior Influenced By Friends' And Parents' Smoking Habits

Date: Apr-17-2013
The company you keep in junior high school may have more influence on your smoking behavior than your high school friends, according to newly published research from the University of Southern California (USC). The study, which appears in the April 12 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, identifies how friends' and parental influence on cigarette smoking changes from junior high to high school...

Sensor Technology To Improve Patient Safety In Radiotherapy Treatment Developed At UL

Date: Apr-17-2013
Researchers at the Optical Fibre Sensors Research Centre, University of Limerick have developed a technology to ensure improved safety and more effective treatment for patients undergoing radiotherapy. The research team is led by Dr Sinead O'Keeffe, an internationally recognised sensor technology researcher who has been working on the development of optical fibre sensors for the past 9 years. Dr O'Keeffe explains; "The sensors are smaller than current technology and so it can be placed at critical organs, e.g. lens of the eye, to ensure it is not exposed to high levels of radiation...

The Lancet: Routine Screening And Counselling For Partner Violence In Health-Care Settings Does Not Improve Women's Quality Of Life

Date: Apr-17-2013
New research published Online First in The Lancet confirms that routine intimate partner violence (IPV) screening and counselling in primary-care settings does not improve women's quality of life, but does help reduce depressive symptoms.  "IPV and its health consequences should be prevented and addressed in health services. The time has come to conclude that routine identification of abused women and provision of a standard intervention is not the answer", writes Professor Rachel Jewkes from the Medical Research Council in South Africa in a linked Comment...

Electrocardiographic Abnormality Associated With Increased Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation, Congestive Heart Failure

Date: Apr-17-2013
"Left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) is considered a benign electrocardiographic (ECG) finding, but its long-term consequences have not been comprehensively studied," writes Mala C. Mandyam, B.S., of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues.  As reported in a Research Letter, the authors investigated the long-term outcomes of participants with LAFB in the absence of manifest cardiovascular disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS)...

UF Study Uncovers Key Factor In Alzheimer's Progression

Date: Apr-17-2013
A new study from researchers at the University of Florida may have uncovered a critical factor that drives the relentless progression of Alzheimer's disease - a discovery that could eventually slow its progression. For more than 15 years, scientists have known that two types of brain lesions form in patients with Alzheimer's disease, one type of lesion forming only after the other. David R. Borchelt, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience, and Guilian Xu, Ph.D...

Treatment For Heart Failure Involving Cell Therapy, High-Dose Ultrasound Results In Modest Improvement In Measure Of Cardiac Function

Date: Apr-17-2013
Treatment that consisted of shock wave (procedure using high-dose ultrasound)-mediated preconditioning of the target heart tissue prior to administration of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells was associated with significant, albeit modest improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each contraction) after 4 months in patients with chronic postinfarction heart failure, according to a study in the April 17 issue of JAMA...

Study Examines Relationship Between Occurrence Of Surgical Complications And Hospital Finances

Date: Apr-17-2013
Findings of an analysis that included nearly 35,000 surgical discharges from a 12-hospital system suggest that the occurrence of postsurgical complications was associated with a higher per-encounter hospital contribution margin for patients covered by Medicare and private insurance but a lower one for patients covered by Medicaid and who self-paid, according to a study in the April 17 issue of JAMA. "The rate of inpatient surgical complications is significant, with estimates ranging from 3 percent to 17...

In Countries Of Varying Income Levels, Adoption Of Healthy Lifestyle Low By Individuals With Cardiovascular Disease

Date: Apr-17-2013
Among patients with a coronary heart disease or stroke event from countries with varying income levels, the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors (such as regular physical activity, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking) was low, with even lower levels in poorer countries, according to a study in the April 17 issue of JAMA. "Observational data indicate that following an acute coronary syndrome, those who adhere to a healthier lifestyle have a lower risk of recurrent events...