Health News

The Damaging Effects Of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure May Be Complicated By A Family History Of Alcoholism

Date: Oct-18-2012
Prenatal exposure to alcohol (PAE) can lead to serious deficiencies associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), such as impairments in general intelligence, adaptive function, verbal learning and memory, attention, executive function, and visual-spatial functioning. The role of family history of alcoholism (FHP) in the neurocognitive effects of PAE has not yet been studied...

Lifespan Shortened By Alcohol Dependence, Especially Among Women

Date: Oct-18-2012
While researchers and clinicians know that the mortality rates among alcohol dependent (AD) individuals are high, most of that knowledge is based on studies of clinical populations. A new study is the first to examine excess mortality and its predictors among AD individuals in the general population throughout a 14-year span, finding that annualized death rates were 4.6-fold higher for AD females and 1.9-fold higher for AD males when compared to the general population, indicating that females with AD merit particular attention...

Multivitamins Reduce Cancer Risk In Some Men

Date: Oct-17-2012
Middle-aged and older men who regularly take multivitamins were found to have an 8% lower risk of developing cancer, compared to other men of the same age who took no multivitamins, researchers from Harvard Medical school wrote in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). The authors carried out a randomized trial involving 15,000 male doctors. They found that those taking multivitamins over the long-term had a statistically significant, albeit modest reduction in cancer incidence after being tracked for ten years...

Protein Mechanism That Spurs Tumor Growth In Prostate, Other Cancers, Unveiled

Date: Oct-17-2012
US researchers have discovered how a protein called Trop2 controls the growth and proliferation of cancer cells in prostate and probably other epithelial cancer tumors, It involves a mechanism where the protein "cleaves" into two parts: one inside the cell and the other outside. They hope their discovery will lead to new therapies that stop cancer growing. Study leaders Tanya Stoyanova and Owen Witte, of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and colleagues, write about their findings in the 15 October issue of Genes and Development...

Honeybee Bites Can Act As Anesthetics

Date: Oct-17-2012
Honeybees not only sting, but bite as well, and these bites can act as natural anesthetics which assist the bees in defending themselves against enemies, such as the wax-moth and parasitic varroa mite, however, this anesthetic may be beneficial for humans too.  This new discovery, by a group of experts from French and Greek organizations together with Vita (Europe) Ltd., honeybee health specialists in the UK, may result in new medical advances, including the manufacturing of a natural, low toxicity local anesthetic for animals and humans...

How Does Diet Affect Brain Function?

Date: Oct-17-2012
The biological processes of the brain may play a role in serious public health issues, including diabetes, obesity, binge eating, and the temptation of high-calorie meals. The finding came from studies that were unveiled today at Neuroscience 2012, the yearly meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's greatest source of new information regarding neurology and well-being. While using imaging technology to investigate how neurology contributes to dietary disorders, scientists were able to associate the foods people eat to how and what they think...

General Health Checks Seem Of Little Benefit

Date: Oct-17-2012
General health checks, such as the "annual physical", are common elements of health care in many countries, including the United States. Their purpose is to reduce ill health and prevent premature death by improving early detection and treatment of diseases. Now a systematic review for the October issue of The Cochrane Library questions whether they have any benefit, especially as it finds they do not reduce deaths, either overall or from serious diseases like cancer and heart disease...

Adult Cholesterol Levels Improving In The U.S.

Date: Oct-17-2012
A new study suggests that between 1988 and 2010, there has been a decreasing movement of average levels of total cholesterol, as well as non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the overall U.S. population. It has recently been reported that cholesterol has improved among youths in the U.S over the past twenty years, following that study, the same trend is seen among U.S. adults...

Electronic Health Records Linked To Much Better Quality Care

Date: Oct-17-2012
Doctors who go digital do appear to provide significantly better health care, researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. US health authorities as well as the federal government itself are pushing doctors, clinics and health centers to move into the digital world. The US government has introduced incentives worth up to $29 billion for "meaningful" use of EHRs (electronic health records)...

Innovative Drug R&D In Russia Forum

Date: Oct-17-2012
Adam Smith Conferences' 3rd International Innovative Drug R&D In Russia Forum will be taking place on 21 - 23 November 2012 at the Marriott Grand Hotel in Moscow. This year the Forum's programme will present the best solutions to the most pressing problems in innovative pharma, during unique interactive sessions and discussions...