Health News

Vasectomy Reversal Cases Should Be Handled By Specialist Urologists: 10-Year Study

Date: Sep-21-2012
Vasectomy reversals should be carried out by urology specialists with access to appropriate micro-surgical training and assisted reproductive technologies and not general urology surgeons, according to research published in the October issue of BJUI. The findings are based on a series of surveys carried out among consultant members of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) over a ten-year period...

Europe-Wide Study Finds Death Rates After Surgery Double That Of Recent Estimates

Date: Sep-21-2012
National estimates of death following general surgery have been too optimistic, suggests the first large-scale study to explore surgical outcomes across Europe published in the first Article in a special Lancet theme issue on surgery. New estimates generated using a snap-shot of death after surgery in over 46 000 patients from 500 hospitals in 28 European countries indicate that overall crude mortality (death from all causes) is 4%, which is more than double previous estimates. The overall picture shows that mortality rates vary widely between countries, from 1.2% in Iceland to 21...

Blood Pressure Lowered, Cholesterol Improved By Sesame And Rice Bran Oil

Date: Sep-21-2012
People who cooked with a blend of sesame and rice bran oils saw a significant drop in blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.  The researchers found cooking with a combination of these oils in a variety of ways worked nearly as well as a commonly prescribed high blood pressure medication, and that the use of the oil blend with medication yielded even more impressive results...

Prehistoric Tooth Filled With Beeswax Gives Rare Glimpse Of Ancient Dentistry

Date: Sep-20-2012
Traces of beeswax filling inside a tooth in a prehistoric human jawbone have given scientists a rare glimpse of early dentistry. Team leaders Federico Bernardini and Claudio Tuniz, of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy, worked with researchers at Sincrotrone Trieste and other centers in Italy and Australia to analyze the 6,500-year-old "human mandible". They write about their findings in a paper published online in the open access journal PLoS ONE on 19 September. The tooth is part of a human jawbone found in Slovenia near Trieste...

Yogurt May Protect Against High Blood Pressure

Date: Sep-20-2012
A new study finds adding low calorie yogurt to your diet may help lower your risk of high blood pressure. The new information presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions, has found that long-term yogurt eaters had a lower systolic blood pressure, as well as a diminished risk of developing high blood pressure.  Systolic blood pressure is the measure of how powerful the blood is against the walls of your arteries when your heart is beating. It is the top number in a blood pressure reading...

Acupuncture Helps Parkinson's Patients

Date: Sep-20-2012
Acupuncture may help relieve some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, researchers from the University, Seoul, Korea, reported in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. It appears that acupuncture reactivates parts of the brain that have become too deactivated, the authors added. The scientists explained that several studies had shown that acupuncture treatment relieved symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease in human and animal subjects...

Stressed Black Girls Gain More Weight Than White Females

Date: Sep-20-2012
There is a stronger connection between stress and weight gain in American black girls than American white girls. Although dealing with large amounts of stress for a period of 10 years predicts greater increases in body weight for both white and black girls, the experience of chronic stress appears to have a larger negative impact on the weight of black girls. This finding, published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine may explain racial disparities in obesity levels. The prevalence of obesity in black populations in the United States is 50% higher than in those of whites...

Medicare Costs Continue To Hold Steady

Date: Sep-20-2012
The Medicare Advantage (MA) program has remained strong and is going to continue growing, with an expected 11% increase over the next year in terms of enrollment, according to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, has resulted in an 18% increase in enrollment and a 10% decrease in premium cost for Medicare Advantage. Sebelius commented: "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug programs have been strengthened and continue to improve for beneficiaries...

Mirapex (Pramipexole) For Parkinson's Treatment May Be Linked To Heart Failure Risk

Date: Sep-20-2012
Mirapex (pramipexole), a medication used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, may raise the risk of developing heart failure, the FDA warned today in a public communiqué. Mirapex is also prescribed for people with restless leg syndrome. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) said that available data on Mirapex needs to be reviewed again in more detail. After gathering and examining data from randomized trials, FDA assessors found that the incidence of heart failure was higher among patients on Mirapex compared to those on placebo...

MS Relapses Reduced In Trials Of New Pill

Date: Sep-20-2012
Two studies of a new pill for multiple sclerosis (MS) suggest it may reduce relapses and disability progression in people with the more common, relapsing-remitting form of the neurological condition, which accounts for around 85% of cases. The studies report the results of two phase 3 clinical trials, DEFINE and CONFIRM, evaluating oral BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) for the treatment of MS. They are published in the 19 September online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM...