Health News

Study Shows Mirabegron Effective And Well Tolerated For Overactive Bladder

Date: Mar-07-2013
New Option for Patients Bothered by Antimuscarinic Side Effects, Reported in The Journal of Urology In a new phase III trial mirabegron, a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, given once daily for 12 weeks, reduced the frequency of incontinence episodes and number of daily urinations, and improved urgency and nocturia in adults with overactive bladder (OAB) compared to those in a placebo group. The incidence of common adverse events (hypertension, urinary tract infection, headache, nasopharyngitis) was similar in the mirabegron and placebo groups in this study...

Home Aerobic Walking Program As Effective As Clinical Therapy In Treating Lower Back Pain

Date: Mar-07-2013
Lower back pain is a common complaint, and treatment often requires many hours of physical therapy over multiple weekly clinic visits - a costly commitment. Now Dr. Michal Katz-Leurer of Tel Aviv University's Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that a simple aerobic walking program is as effective in alleviating lower back pain as muscle strengthening programs that require specialized equipment in rehabilitation clinics. The program includes walking two to three times a week for a period of 20 to 40 minutes. Dr...

Obesity In Pregnancy Increases Risk Of C-Section

Date: Mar-07-2013
Researchers from Norway found that women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 40 had an increased risk of vacuum extraction delivery or Cesarean section (C-section). Findings that appear in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, indicate that women with more than a 16 kg (30 lbs) weight gain during pregnancy increased their risk of forceps or vacuum extraction, and C-section. Obesity is a global health crisis, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that 1...

Nurse Migration In North And Central America Could Strengthen Health Systems

Date: Mar-07-2013
International nurse migration is a multibillion-dollar global phenomenon. Historically, Mexicans and Central Americans have not played a significant part in the migration of nurses to the United States. A new report, Strengthening health systems in North and Central America: What role for migration?*, sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), seeks to draw attention to the cross-border migration in the Americas and suggests ways the migration could be managed to meet the demand for health care services in the region...

FMRI Can Identify A Mental Picture Of Others

Date: Mar-07-2013
It is possible to tell who a person is thinking about by analyzing images of his or her brain. Our mental models of people produce unique patterns of brain activation, which can be detected using advanced imaging techniques according to a study by Cornell University neuroscientist Nathan Spreng and his colleagues. "When we looked at our data, we were shocked that we could successfully decode who our participants were thinking about based on their brain activity," said Spreng, assistant professor of human development in Cornell's College of Human Ecology...

Microbiologists On The Trail Of Mucus-Eaters In The Gut

Date: Mar-07-2013
The microbiology team of David Berry, Alexander Loy and Michael Wagner from the Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with scientists at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna) and with the help of NanoSIMS technology, has for the first time succeeded in directly observing microorganisms feeding on the intestinal mucosa. The results of this research project appear in the current issue of the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)...

Improving Public Information On The Law In England And Wales Regarding Sexual Transmission Of HIV

Date: Mar-07-2013
Support services for people living with HIV will benefit from better information about prosecutions for the sexual transmission of HIV, according to a report released by researchers from Sigma Research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Birkbeck, University of London. The study, called 'Keeping Confidence: HIV and the criminal law from service provider perspectives', explores how criminal prosecutions for HIV transmission in England and Wales are handled by those who deliver health and social care services for people with HIV...

Herbal Defluoridation Of Drinking Water

Date: Mar-07-2013
Researchers in India have developed a filter system based on a medicinal herb, which they say can quickly and easily remove "fluoride" from drinking water. The technology described in the March issue of the International Journal of Environmental Engineering uses parts of the plant Tridax procumbens as a biocarbon filter for the ion. Drinking water can contain natural fluoride or fluoride might be added as a protective agent for teeth by water companies...

Scientists Decode The Antihypertensive Impact Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Date: Mar-07-2013
Fish is healthy: easy to digest and with a high level of precious proteins, fish is considered an important part of a healthy diet. And with the so-called omega-3 fatty acids fish contains real 'fountains of youth'. These fatty acids - like docosahexaeonic acid (DHA) occur mostly in fatty fish like herring, salmon and mackerel. They are thought to lower the blood pressure, to strengthen the immune system and to have positive effects on the development on the nervous system and the cardiovascular system...

Marriage And Health: As Self-Rated Health Declines The Mortality Advantage For Married People Diminishes

Date: Mar-07-2013
Marriage may not always be as beneficial to health as experts have led us to believe, according to a new study. Researchers made two discoveries that explain why: First, marriage provides less protection against mortality as health deteriorates, even though it does seem to benefit those who are in excellent health. Secondly, married people tend to overestimate how healthy they are, compared to others...