Health News

Concerns Over The Toxic Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes Resolved

Date: Jan-17-2013
Safety fears about carbon nanotubes, due to their structural similarity to asbestos, have been alleviated following research showing that reducing their length removes their toxic properties. In a new study, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, evidence is provided that the asbestos-like reactivity and pathogenicity reported for long, pristine nanotubes can be completely alleviated if their surface is modified and their effective length is reduced as a result of chemical treatment...

Researchers Develop Virtual Heart That Sheds New Light On Heart Defect

Date: Jan-17-2013
A virtual heart, developed at The University of Manchester, is revealing new information about one of the world's most common heart conditions. Researchers at the School of Physics and Astronomy used cutting edge technology to build an advanced computational model of an anatomically correct sheep's heart. It was made by taking a series of very thin slices of the heart, imaging them in 2D and then using a computer programme to render them into a 3D model...

Non-Invasive Tool Finds Muscle Response Of Footballers Varies With Their Position On The Field

Date: Jan-17-2013
Football players display different muscle response parameters depending on the position that they hold on the pitch, according to a study conducted by a team of Spanish researchers which has been published in the Journal of electromyography and kinesiology. Scientists from the University of Vigo have analysed different muscle response parameters in 78 Spanish first division footballers who have been playing for between four and fifteen years. They found variations depending on the field position of the players...

Aphasia, Hemispatial Neglect And Related Disorders

Date: Jan-17-2013
Approximately half a million individuals suffer strokes in the US each year, and about one in five develops some form of post-stroke aphasia, the partial or total loss of the ability to communicate. By comparing different types of aphasia, investigators have been able to gain new insights into the normal cognitive processes underlying language, as well as the potential response to interventions. Their findings are published alongside papers on hemispatial neglect and related disorders in the January, 2013 issue of Behavioural Neurology...

Leaves Of Carob Tree Fight Food-Poisoning Bacteria

Date: Jan-17-2013
The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series reports that an antibacterial extract from the leaves of the carob tree (the source of a popular chocolate substitute) could fight the microbe responsible for the serious form of food poisoning called listeriosis. Based on a report by Pierluigi Caboni, Ph.D., Nadhem Aissani and colleagues in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from http://www.acs.org/globalchallenges...

Gastric Banding, A Long-Term Obesity Solution

Date: Jan-17-2013
An effective long-term strategy for managing obesity has been identified: laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (lap banding). The finding came from a 15-year follow-up study of obese patients in Australia and was published in the journal Annals of Surgery. Currently, about 1 in 4 Australian adults are affected by obesity. The prevalence of obesity has increased three-fold, from 8% of the total adult population in 1980, to 23% in 2008. The rise in the people affected is resulting in great concern, considering its substantial medical costs and negative impact on health...

Predicting Aggressive Prostate Cancer Through Change In PSA Levels Over Time

Date: Jan-17-2013
Measurements taken over time of prostate specific antigen, the most commonly used screening test for prostate cancer in men, improve the accuracy of aggressive prostate cancer detection when compared to a single measurement of PSA, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the British Journal of Urology International. The retrospective study examined the electronic health records of nearly 220,000 men ages 45 and older over a 10-year period who had at least one PSA measurement and no previous diagnosis of prostate cancer...

Exposure To Light While Pregnant Essential For Fetal Eye Development

Date: Jan-17-2013
The eye, which depends on light in order to see, also requires light to develop normally during pregnancy. The researchers believe these results provide a new basic comprehension of fetal eye progression and ocular conditions caused by vascular issues. The study, conducted by scientists from Cincinnati's Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and published in the journal Nature, reveals information about retinopathy prematurity that causes blindness in babies that are born prematurely...

High-Risk Occupations For Asthma

Date: Jan-17-2013
Despite known risks and recommendations for protective equipment, many people are still at risk of getting asthma after exposure to substances at work. This is the finding of an international study of 13,000 people carried out at Sahlgrenska Academy. Asthma is among the most common adult diseases in the world. Despite the fact that the risks of chemical exposure have long been known and that there are well-established recommendations for handling chemicals and protective equipment, many cases of asthma are still caused by exposure to harmful substances at work...

Increase In Uptake Of Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In 2011

Date: Jan-17-2013
In 2011, 13 percent of all American households relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- the program formerly known as food stamps - with nearly 6.2 million more American households using the program now than five years ago, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "The Great Recession had profound effects on families across the United States, and economic recovery has been slow. Poverty and unemployment remained high in 2011, and job growth was stagnant...