Health News

Cancer Cell Metabolism Kills

Date: Apr-17-2013
ATP is the main energy currency of cells and one might expect that not only contracting muscle, but also uncontrollably dividing cancer cells would have a high demand for ATP. However, for some reason cancer cells have re-programmed their metabolic engines to produce less ATP. The phenomenon, known as Warburg effect, is typical for cancer cells and the mechanism behind is believed to benefit cancer cells by switching biochemical engines from energy manufacturing reactions to anabolic reactions, which primarily support growth of the cell size and proliferation...

Noise Stress Causes Short-Term Hearing Loss As Protection

Date: Apr-17-2013
Contrary to conventional wisdom, short-term hearing loss after sustained exposure to loud noise does not reflect damage to our hearing: instead, it is the body's way to cope. The landmark finding could lead to improved protection against noise-induced hearing loss in future. The research, led by University of New South Wales Professor Gary Housley, has found that "reversible hearing loss" is a physiological adaptation mechanism, allowing the cochlea (the auditory portion of the inner ear) to perform normally when exposed to noise stress...

Real Patients Collect Data About Their Doctors' Behavior Using Concealed Audio Recorders

Date: Apr-17-2013
Patients' health outcomes improve when physicians individualize care and take their patients' life circumstances into account, according to a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The study is the largest ever to be conducted using real patients to collect data about their doctors' behavior using concealed audio recorders. It appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine and was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs...

The Correct Diet Can Help Avoid Kidney Disease

Date: Apr-17-2013
Bad diet choices and habits like smoking and obesity are linked to an increased risk for kidney disease, suggests a new study published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease. A group of investigators, led by Alex Chang, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, discovered that people with regular kidneys whose diet quality was bad - high in processed and red meats, sodium, and sugar-sweetened beverages, and low in fruit, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and low-fat dairy - were more likely to develop kidney disease...

Study Assesses Outcomes Of Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening Among Older Men

Date: Apr-17-2013
A new study has examined the outcomes of an abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening result of 4.0 ng/mL or more among men over the age of 65. The study, led by Louise C. Walter, M.D., of San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, included a total of 295,645 men 65 years or older who underwent PSA screening in 2003. The participants were followed up for a total of five years. Prostate cancer tends to develop in men over the age of 50, it is the sixth leading cause of cancer-death among men. Currently, the U.S...

Chronic Pain Alleviated By Minimally Invasive Cryoneurolysis

Date: Apr-17-2013
Using a tiny ball of ice, a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment called cryoneurolysis safely short circuits chronic pain caused by nerve damage, according to data presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. "Cryoneurolysis could have big implications for the millions of people who suffer from neuralgia, which can be unbearable and is very difficult to treat," said William Moore, M.D., medical director of radiology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in Stony Brook, N.Y...

Farm Bill Reform Could Help Stem The Rise In Superbugs

Date: Apr-17-2013
According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of recently released government tests, the amount of meat tainted with antibiotic-resistant bacteria is on the rise. The last test results from a federal report published last year found that 81 percent of raw ground turkey, 55 percent of raw ground beef, and 39 percent of raw chicken parts were infected with antibiotic-resistant microbes. These are the germs that have been the cause of thousands of cases of infection and food poisoning...

Free Smartphone App Aids Weight Loss

Date: Apr-17-2013
Their study is the first to evaluate a smartphone app as the sole method for monitoring weight loss, with researchers creating My Meal Mate to trial against similar products for monitoring food intake, an online food diary and the traditional paper version. The My Meal Mate app allows users to monitor their food intake and exercise, set a weight loss target and sends a weekly update on progress via text message. The smartphone app was used on average every other day in the trial, whilst the average use of the website and paper diary was about once a week...

Common Pregnancy Conditions Increase Risk Of Diabetes

Date: Apr-17-2013
Two common conditions in pregnancy, preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, may increase the risk of future diabetes, according to a study of more than one million women. The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Denice Feig, from the University of Toronto, Canada and was published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Preeclampsia is a condition in which pregnant women experience high blood pressure, protein in their urine, and fluid retention. Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure linked to pregnancy...

Advanced Cancers That Have Spread To The Lungs Can Be Treated Using Cryoablation

Date: Apr-17-2013
Frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors that have spread to the lungs, according to the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation. The results were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. "Cryoablation has potential as a treatment for cancer that has spread to the lungs from other parts of the body and could prolong the lives of patients who are running out of options," said David A. Woodrum, M.D., Ph.D., an author of the study and interventional radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn...