Health News

First-Of-Its-Kind Self-Assembled Nanoparticle For Targeted And Triggered Thermo-Chemotherapy

Date: Oct-22-2012
Excitement around the potential for targeted nanoparticles (NPs) that can be controlled by stimulus outside of the body for cancer therapy has been growing over the past few years. More specifically, there has been considerable attention around near-infrared (NIR) light as an ideal method to stimulate nanoparticles from outside the body. NIR is minimally absorbed by skin and tissue, has the ability to penetrate deep tissue in a noninvasive way and the energy from NIR light can be converted to heat by gold nanomaterials for effective thermal ablation of diseased tissue...

Detailed And Compelling Overview Of The Landscape Of Next Generation Sequencing Technology

Date: Oct-22-2012
The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) published the report of the Whole Genome Analysis (WGA) Working Group of the AMP Clinical Practice Committee in the November 2012 issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (JMD). Titled "Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Clinical Diagnostic Genome Sequencing," the timely report provides a detailed and compelling overview of the landscape of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology and its clinical relevance and impact on improving patient care. The issues addressed in the report are comprehensive, including "...

Implementing A Bicycle Infrastructure Could Halve The Risk Of Cycling Injuries

Date: Oct-22-2012
Certain types of routes carry much lower risk of injury for cyclists, according to a new University of British Columbia study on the eve of Vancouver's Bike to Work Week. The study, published today in the American Journal of Public Health, analyzed the cause of 690 cycling injuries in Vancouver and Toronto from 2008 to 2009 and various route types and infrastructure. The greatest risk to cyclists occurs when they share major streets with parked cars, with no bike lanes present - like on Broadway in Vancouver or Dundas Street in Toronto...

Women Taking Birth Control Containing Drospirenone May Be At Increased Risk Of Blood Clots

Date: Oct-22-2012
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration-funded study led by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research found an increased risk of arterial thrombotic events (ATE) and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) - commonly referred to as blockage of arteries and blood clots, respectively - associated with drospirenone-containing birth control pills compared to four low-dose estrogen combined hormonal contraceptives. The study appears in the current online issue of Contraception...

Women Who Do Not Breastfeed At Increased Risk For ER/PR-Negative Breast Cancer

Date: Oct-22-2012
Breast-feeding reduces the risk for estrogen receptor-negative and progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer, according to a study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Researchers examined the association between reproductive risk factors - such as the number of children a woman delivers, breast-feeding and oral contraceptive use - and found an increased risk for estrogen receptor- and progesterone receptor- (ER/PR) negative breast cancer in women who do not breast-feed...

Child Mental Health Affected By Collective Violence And Poverty On The Mexican-US Border

Date: Oct-22-2012
Collective violence attributed to organized crime and poverty are adversely affecting the mental health of children living near the Texas-Mexico border, according to a poster presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans. In the study, "Children's Mental Health and Collective Violence: A Bi-National Study on the United States/Mexican Border," researchers compared psychosocial and behavior scores among children and adolescents living in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico in 2007 and again in 2010...

Emergency Departments Rarely Perform Pregnancy Testing Of Teens Before Exposure To Radiation

Date: Oct-22-2012
Few adolescent females undergo pregnancy testing in the hospital emergency department (ED), even when they complain of lower abdominal pain, or before they are exposed to radiation for tests or examinations, according to an abstract presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans. In the abstract, "Pregnancy Testing Rates Among Adolescent Emergency Department Patients," researchers reviewed National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data from 2000 to 2009 on female patients aged 14 to 21 who were examined in a hospital ED...

The Impact Of Sports On People With Disabilities

Date: Oct-22-2012
Ashley Thomas was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. She also holds a position on the U.S. national para-kayak team, and founded and runs a successful nonprofit organization called "Bridge II Sports." The North Carolina-based organization develops programs that provide opportunities for children and adults with physical disabilities to play team and individual sports. Ms. Thomas spoke about her experiences at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition (NCE) in New Orleans...

Factors Other Than Cyberbullying Alone Lead To Teen Suicides

Date: Oct-22-2012
Cyberbullying - the use of the Internet, phones or other technologies to repeatedly harass or mistreat peers - is often linked with teen suicide in media reports. However, new research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, shows that the reality is more complex. Most teen suicide victims are bullied both online and in school, and many suicide victims also suffer from depression...

The Benefits Of School Vaccinations To Avoid Flu's Deadly Danger

Date: Oct-22-2012
New data being presented at IDWeek 2012TM shows the fatal risk that influenza poses even for children without underlying health conditions and the effectiveness of school-based vaccination programs in protecting student populations. Together, these findings support the crucial public health message that families should take the flu virus seriously every year. One study viewed influenza from an epidemiological perspective, analyzing U.S...