Health News

Avoiding Needless Abdominal CT Scans In Children

Date: Feb-05-2013
A study of more than 12,000 children from emergency departments throughout the country in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has identified seven factors that can help physicians determine the need for a computed tomography (CT) scan following blunt trauma to the abdomen. Because CT scans pose radiation hazards for youngsters, the findings may enable doctors to determine which children do not need to be exposed to such tests after a traumatic injury...

Mental Health Parity Reduces Out Of Pocket Expenses For Patients

Date: Feb-05-2013
In a study examining the impact of a parity policy for mental health insurance benefits, researchers have concluded that parity had a different impact on spending and service utilization for enrollees with illnesses that are more severe and chronic. As a result of the parity policy, individuals seeking treatment for major depression or bipolar disorder had lower out-of-pocket spending, despite no significant difference in the amount of behavioral health services they used...

A Cellular Adhesion Protein Protects Against Inflammation

Date: Feb-05-2013
Cellular inflammation is mediated by a group of proteins known as the inflammasome. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ziad Mallat and colleagues at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England, identified a protein, MFGE8, that blocks inflammasome activity. Using a mouse model of stroke, Mallat and colleagues determined that expression of MFGE8 inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory products and limited the area of injury after stroke...

Defect-Free Graphene With Applications In Fields Such As Electronics, Energy, And Healthcare

Date: Feb-05-2013
A new way of growing graphene without the defects that weaken it and prevent electrons from flowing freely within it could open the way to large-scale manufacturing of graphene-based devices with applications in fields such as electronics, energy, and healthcare. A team led by Oxford University scientists has overcome a key problem of growing graphene - a one atom-thick layer of carbon - when using an established technique called chemical vapour deposition, that the tiny flakes of graphene form with random orientations, leaving defects or 'seams' between flakes that grow together...

Rehabilitation Therapies Can Lead To Recovery From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Date: Feb-05-2013
Research led by Queen Mary, University of London, has shown that recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is possible for some patients, and has identified two treatments most likely to lead to recovery. The latest results from the PACE trial* show that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET), as supplements to specialist medical care, increase the likelihood of recovery from CFS three-fold compared to other treatments studied...

Discovery Opens The Door To A Potential 'Molecular Fountain Of Youth'

Date: Feb-05-2013
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, represents a major advance in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind aging while providing new hope for the development of targeted treatments for age-related degenerative diseases. Researchers were able to turn back the molecular clock by infusing the blood stem cells of old mice with a longevity gene and rejuvenating the aged stem cells' regenerative potential. The findings were published online Thursday, Jan. 31, in the journal Cell Reports...

Disulfiram: New Support For An Old Addiction Drug

Date: Feb-05-2013
Disulfiram was the first medication approved for the treatment of alcoholism over 50 years ago. It works, at least in part, by preventing the metabolism of an alcohol by-product, acetaldehyde. High levels of acetaldehyde in the body quickly cause unpleasant symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, headache, and accelerated heart rate. Thus, disulfiram provides a very strong incentive to avoid drinking...

E-Cigarettes May Help Reduce Tobacco Smoking

Date: Feb-05-2013
Electronic cigarettes are becoming more widely used by people to either help them quit smoking, or reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day, researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Electronic cigarettes are also known as e-cigarettes or ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems). E-cigarettes started off in China in 2003, and rapidly spread around the world in popularity, mainly through the internet, and more recently through shops as well...

A Sedentary Lifestyle Can Reduce Sperm Quality

Date: Feb-05-2013
Over recent years, the overall quality of semen has declined, which is most likely due to the increase in sedentary lifestyles among young men, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship of physical activity with sperm count. The authors wrote: "The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between semen quality and both phys- ical activity and TV watching among young, healthy men...

10% Of Mentally Ill Teenagers Use Cannabis, Drink And Smoke

Date: Feb-05-2013
Approximately 1 in every 10 teenagers with mental health problems drinks alcohol, smokes tobacco and uses cannabis, Australian researchers reported in the journal BMJ Open. The authors believe these behaviors contribute to poor mental and physical health. According to evidence from several studies, teenagers who abuse substances early in life are more likely to have mental ill health, and vice-versa. The authors gathered and examined data on over 2,000 people aged from 12 to 30 years. They were all part of the "National Mental Health Headspace Programme" in Sydney...