Health News

Stress Hormones Lower The Risk Of PTSD

Date: Sep-13-2012
Increasing the presence of glucocorticoids may decrease the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Glucocorticoids, including cortisol, are a group of stress hormones that increase after experiencing stress. Cortisol was originally found to be present as a mechanism to protect the body from the physical demands of stress. Later, high levels of cortisol were connected with depression and other stress-related disorders, implying that high levels of cortisol for a long period of time can diminish the psychological capacity to deal with stress...

Patient With Balint's Syndrome Has 20/20 Vision But Can't Make Sense Of What She Sees

Date: Sep-13-2012
It was a quiet Thursday afternoon when AS, a 68-year-old woman from a suburb of Chicago, awakened from a nap to the realization that something was terribly wrong. Thus begins a Loyola University Medical Center paper on a rare and baffling neurological disorder called Balint's syndrome, which badly impairs a patient's ability to make sense of what he or she sees. The article describes, in novelistic detail, the difficult adjustments two patients have had to make in their lives. The article is published in the Sept...

Marijuana Use May Cause Pregnancy Complications

Date: Sep-13-2012
Pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, may be connected to marijuana-like compounds (endocannabinoids), which were also found to alter genes and biological signals essential to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy...

Finasteride And Quality Of Life In Prostate Cancer Patients

Date: Sep-12-2012
Taking finasteride did not cause any negative effects on the quality of life for patients enrolled in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), according to a study published September 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial was a 7-year randomized placebo-controlled trial that studied the effects of finasteride (a 5-reductase inhibitor) in preventing prostate cancer...

Organized High Fat Diet Changes Metabolism And Prevents Obesity

Date: Sep-12-2012
Recent research suggests a planned high-fat diet can reduce body weight and spark a unique metabolism where ingested fats are stored and used for energy when food is not available. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Professors Oren Froy and Zecharia Madar, conducted a study with mice, and found that those with a scheduled high-fat diet had a lower body weight than mice on a low-fat diet with identical caloric intake...

Sex Can Cause Genetic Changes In Women

Date: Sep-12-2012
Sensational female responses can be triggered by the activation of a diverse set of genes from sex, including immunity, libido, altered fertility, and eating and sleep patterns. A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia set out to determine the response female fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) have to mating...

Fatty Foods During Pregnancy Linked To Breast Cancer In Offspring

Date: Sep-12-2012
Mothers who eat fatty foods while pregnant may increase the risk of breast cancer among their daughters and granddaughters. Experts from Georgetown University have shown through tests on mice that high-fat diets or an overabundance of estrogen may result in a higher risk of breast cancer for coming generations of females in the family...

Map Of 1918 Flu Virus Invaluable For Dealing With Future Pandemics Say Scientists

Date: Sep-12-2012
Having available the complete genetic map of the 1918 flu virus that killed 50 million people worldwide offers new insights into flu virus biology and will help prevent and control future epidemics, according to a paper published online in the journal mBio on Tuesday...

Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements May Not Help Heart After All

Date: Sep-12-2012
A review of 20 studies covering nearly 70,000 participants finds no statistically significant evidence that supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), commonly referred to as fish oil supplements, is linked to a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or premature death.  However, in their attempt to clarify the recent controversy surrounding the use of omega-3 supplements, the authors do not rule out the possibility that certain groups may benefit, and call for future studies to look more closely at this...

Cancer Survivors Express Concerns About Seeing Primary Care Physicians For Follow-Up Care

Date: Sep-12-2012
Nearly one-third of office visits for cancer are handled by primary care physicians, yet this study finds cancer survivors have concerns about seeing their primary care physician for cancer-related follow-up care. Exploring survivor preferences through in-depth interviews with 42 cancer patients, researchers found 52 percent expressed strong preferences to receive follow-up from their cancer specialists...