Health News

NICE Launches Quality Standards To Help Improve Health And Wellbeing Of People With Dementia

Date: Apr-04-2013
Dementia is one of the first conditions to have been given social care quality standards by the renamed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today (Wednesday 3 April 2013). The standards include a set of 10 statements for care homes and services to follow in order to maintain the mental and physical health and wellbeing of people with dementia. The standards range from people with dementia being given choice and control in decisions affecting their care through to being enabled to take part in activities based on their individual interests...

Both Black And White Americans Have Similar, Higher Than Expected, Lifetime Risk Of Heart Failure

Date: Apr-04-2013
Lifetime risk for heart failure is similar for blacks and whites and higher than expected for both groups -- ranging from 20 to 45 percent -- according to a new Northwestern Medicine® study. "This is a bad news scenario for both race groups," said Northwestern Medicine researcher Mark Huffman, M.D., the first author of the study. "With lifetime risks this high, heart failure prevention is paramount for all Americans...

Early Osteoarthritis Detection Via Cartilage Damaged From Exercise

Date: Apr-04-2013
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, affecting about one-third of older adults, and currently there is no cure. A study published by Cell Press in the Biophysical Journal reveals how the nanoscale biomechanical properties of cartilage at joints change at the earliest stages of osteoarthritis, making the tissue more prone to damage during fast physical activities. The findings could improve early detection of the disease as well as tissue engineering strategies to repair damaged cartilage in patients...

40 Percent Of Dental Bib Clips Retained Aerobic Bacteria; 70 Percent Retained Anaerobic Bacteria Post-Disinfection

Date: Apr-04-2013
Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Forsyth Institute published a study that found that a significant proportion of dental bib clips harbored bacteria from the patient, dental clinician and the environment even after the clips had undergone standard disinfection procedures in a hygiene clinic...

65 To 75 Percent Of Asthmatic Adults Also Have An Allergy

Date: Apr-04-2013
Asthma is becoming an epidemic in the United States. The number of Americans diagnosed with asthma grows annually, with 26 million currently affected. And according to a new study, nearly two-thirds or more of all asthmatics also have an allergy, which can make this spring season particularly bothersome...

Ongoing Research On Real-Life Exposure Of Consumers To Snus Constituents

Date: Apr-04-2013
Scientists at British American Tobacco have used a multi-analyte approach to determine the level of exposure to tobacco constituents of snus users. The results show that, generally, less than a third of each constituent measured was extracted by consumers during use. Snus is a moist snuff that is placed under the upper lip. Epidemiological evidence, particularly from Sweden, suggests that snus use is substantially less hazardous than cigarette smoking because it is not associated with increased risks of lung cancer, oral cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...

3-D Stem Cell Culture Technique Developed To Improve Understanding Of Alzheimer's Disease

Date: Apr-04-2013
A team of researchers at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute led by Scott Noggle, PhD, Director of the NYSCF Laboratory and the NYSCF - Charles Evans Senior Research Fellow for Alzheimer's Disease, and Michael W. Nestor, PhD, a NYSCF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, has developed a technique to produce three-dimensional cultures of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells called embryoid bodies, amenable to live cell imaging and to electrical activity measurement...

How Deposits Of Cholesterol Contribute To Macular Degeneration And Atherosclerosis

Date: Apr-04-2013
A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over 50, shares a common link with atherosclerosis. Both problems have the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol. The new study is published online in the journal Cell Metabolism...

Biodegradable Polymer/Bioglass Composite System Helping To Mend Bones

Date: Apr-04-2013
Jose Ramon Sarasua and Aitor Larrañaga, researchers in the materials engineering department of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, have been studying new materials or implants that are of interest in medicine and in helping to mend bones, in particular. They have in fact measured the effect that the bioglass has on the thermal degradation of polymers currently used in medicine. The results have been published in the journal Polymer Degradation and Stability. Bones are capable of regenerating themselves if they suffer slight damage...

Public Satisfaction With NHS Increases Slightly, UK

Date: Apr-04-2013
The UK public's satisfaction with the NHS has finally stabilized after a record fall in 2011, according to the British Social Attitudes survey published by The King's Fund.  Currently, 61 percent of the British population are satisfied with the way the NHS (National Health Service) is run, this is the third highest rate since the 1983 - when the surveys began. From 2010 to 2011, public satisfaction with the NHS dropped from 70 percent to 58 percent...