Health News

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease May Be Diagnosed Following Rapid Hearing Loss

Date: Mar-16-2013
Rapid hearing loss in both ears may be a symptom of the rare but always-fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and should be considered a reason for clinicians to test for the disorder. That was the conclusion of Henry Ford Hospital researchers after encountering a 67-year-old patient who had been progressively losing hearing in both ears for two months and was eventually diagnosed with the disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD, is often confused with so-called "mad cow disease," and though they are in the same family of disorders, are not the same...

Stick Or Carrot - Research Could Aid In Diagnosing Neural Development Disorders Such As Autism, ADHD And Personality Disorders

Date: Mar-16-2013
The stick can work just as well as the carrot in improving our performance, a team of academics at The University of Nottingham has found. A study led by researchers from the University's School of Psychology, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, has shown that punishment can act as a performance enhancer in a similar way to monetary reward...

UF&Shands One Of First Facilities Approved To Use Drug-Coated Stent For Peripheral Artery Disease

Date: Mar-16-2013
UF&Shands, the University of Florida's Academic Health Center, is one of 12 institutions nationwide initially approved to implant a new device for treatment of peripheral artery disease. The Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Vascular Stent is drug-coated and designed to help an artery in the upper leg called the superficial femoral artery stay open and unblocked from plaque, which can cause severe narrowing of the artery in peripheral artery disease. The U.S...

How Children Can Meet Recommended Activity Goals

Date: Mar-16-2013
Despite overwhelming evidence about the benefits of physical activity for children, most American youngsters are not meeting the federal recommendation of 60 minutes a day. A new study by a team of University of Tennessee researchers has identified specific ways - and estimated minutes for each approach - that can help children achieve the recommended daily physical activity goal. The results of various approaches, ranging from mandatory physical education in school to changes in playground designs, were published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine...

Devices No Better Than Meds In Recovery From Clot-Caused Strokes

Date: Mar-16-2013
When someone has a stroke, time equals brain. The longer a stroke is left untreated, the more brain tissue is lost. Since the only proven treatment - a clot-busting drug - works in less than half of patients, stroke physicians had high hopes for a mechanical device that could travel through the blocked blood vessel to retrieve or break up the clot, restoring blood flow to the brain...

Study Finds Dwelling On Stressful Events Can Increase Inflammation In The Body

Date: Mar-16-2013
Dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body, a new Ohio University study finds. Researchers discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose. The study is the first time to directly measure this effect in the body. "Much of the past work has looked at this in non-experimental designs. Researchers have asked people to report their tendency to ruminate, and then looked to see if it connected to physiological issues...

First-In-Class Chemical Compound Might Control Metastases

Date: Mar-16-2013
It's the spread of the original cancer tumor that kills most people. That's why cancer researchers vigorously search for drugs that can prevent metastases, the spread of cancer. The research team co-led by Angela Wandinger-Ness, PhD, and Larry Sklar, PhD, at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center has found a chemical compound that appears to control cell migration and adhesion, two important characteristics of metastatic cancer cells. The team recently published a paper describing how the first-in-class compound acts on various cells. Dr...

Mortality Rates Under Age 50 Linked To Life Expectancy In The U.S. Lagging Other High-Income Countries

Date: Mar-16-2013
Higher mortality rates among Americans younger than 50 are responsible for much of why life expectancy is lower in the United States than most of the world's most developed nations. The research, by Jessica Ho, a University of Pennsylvania doctoral candidate in demography and sociology, found that excess mortality among Americans younger than 50 accounted for two-thirds of the gap in life expectancy at birth between American males and their counterparts and two-fifths between females and their counterparts in the comparison countries...

Understanding The Molecular Underpinnings Of Acupuncture's Success Could Increase Its Acceptance By Mainstream Medicine

Date: Mar-16-2013
While acupuncture is used widely to treat chronic stress, the mechanism of action leading to reported health benefits are not understood. In a series of studies at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), researchers are demonstrating how acupuncture can significantly reduce the stress hormone response in an animal model of chronic stress. The latest study was published in the April issue of Journal of Endocrinology...

In Pseudotumor Cerebri, A Potentially Blinding Vein Narrowing, Brain Stent Offers Alternative To Shunt

Date: Mar-16-2013
A team of interventional neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins reports wide success with a new procedure to treat pseudotumor cerebri, a rare but potentially blinding condition marked by excessive pressure inside the skull, caused by a dangerous narrowing of a vein located at the base of the brain. The Johns Hopkins team's latest study, published in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology online, is believed to be the first to show how directly lowering pressure inside the vein alleviates the condition and improves vision...