Health News

Respiratory Complications More Likely Following Use Of Drugs To Immobilize Patients During Surgery

Date: Oct-18-2012
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that medications currently used to immobilize patients during surgery can increase the risk of postoperative respiratory complications. Their study being published online in the journal BMJ also found that the agent most commonly used to reverse the action of the immobilizing drug does not prevent and may possibly increase the risk that patients will need to receive postoperative respiratory support...

New Light Shed On Cancer Risks Associated With Night Work

Date: Oct-18-2012
Night work can increase cancer risk in men, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by a research team from Centre INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier and Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal. The study is one of the first in the world to provide evidence among men of a possible association between night work and the risk of prostate, colon, lung, bladder, rectal, and pancreatic cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...

Analysis Of Data From Lung And Colon Cancer Patients May Enable Prediction Of Cancer Risk

Date: Oct-18-2012
New research at the University of Southampton aims to develop a way of predicting who is more at risk of getting cancer. Led by Paul Little, Professor of Primary Care Research, the CANcer DIagnosis Decision rules (CANDID) study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR), will collect and analyse clinical information and blood samples from 20,000 patients who have had lung or colon cancer. The aim is to determine which signs and symptoms are most predictive of those who go on to be diagnosed with the disease...

During Adolescence The Developing Brain Is A Source Of Stability And Instability

Date: Oct-18-2012
The brain's "reward system," those brain circuits and structures that mediate the experience and pursuit of pleasure, figured prominently in several studies. The studies shed light on adolescents' ability to control impulsivity and think through problems; reveal physical changes in the "social brain;" document connections between early home life and brain function in adolescence; and examine the impact of diet on depressive-like behavior in rodents. The new findings show that:   Adolescents can throw impulsivity out the window when big rewards are at stake...

Is Beauty Skin Deep?

Date: Oct-18-2012
We've all been warned not to "judge a book by its cover," but inevitably we do it anyway. It's difficult to resist the temptation of assuming that a person's outward appearance reflects something meaningful about his or her inner personality. Indeed, research shows that people tend to perceive attractive adults as more social, successful, and well-adjusted than less attractive adults, a phenomenon that's been termed the "what is beautiful is good" stereotype...

Urinary Tract Infections Unlikely To Be Prevented By Cranberry Juice

Date: Oct-18-2012
Cranberry juice is unlikely to prevent bladder and kidney infections, according to an updated systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. The authors analysed the most up-to-date evidence and concluded that any benefit, if present at all, is likely to be small and only for women with recurrent UTI. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect the bladder, as in cystitis, and sometimes the kidneys. Cranberries and cranberry juice have been used to prevent UTIs for decades, although it is not clear how they might help protect against infection...

Routine Health Checks Found To Have No Benefit

Date: Oct-18-2012
Carrying out general health checks does not reduce deaths overall or from serious diseases like cancer and heart disease, according to Cochrane researchers. The researchers, who carried out a systematic review on the subject for The Cochrane Library, warn against offering general health checks as part of a public health programme. In some countries, general health checks are offered as part of standard practice. General health checks are intended to reduce deaths and ill health by enabling early detection and treatment of disease...

HIV Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy Do Not Benefit From High-Dose Multivitamins

Date: Oct-18-2012
A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers suggests that, for HIV patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat HIV, there is no benefit from high- vs. standard-dose micronutrient supplementation - and that, in fact, high-dose supplements may cause harm. The study is the first large randomized trial to look at how high-dose multivitamin supplementation affects clinical outcomes among people on HAART. The study appears in the October 17, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)...

Promising New Noninvasive Test For Colorectal Cancer

Date: Oct-18-2012
A new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer screening demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting colorectal cancer, in particular precancers that are most likely to develop into cancer, according to data presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held here Oct. 16-19, 2012. "This test measures different kinds of DNA changes, known as methylation and mutation, along with a measure of fecal blood...

New Blood-Vessel-generating Cell With Therapeutic Potential Discovered

Date: Oct-18-2012
Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, believe they have discovered stem cells that play a decisive role in new blood vessel growth. If researchers learn to isolate and efficiently produce these stem cells found in blood vessel walls, the cells offer new opportunities in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and many other diseases. The study was published in the PLOS Biology journal on 16 October 2012. The growth of new blood vessels, also known as angiogenesis, is needed in adults when repairing damaged tissue or organs...