Health News

Sleep Can Be Affected By Self-Luminous Tablet Computers

Date: Aug-23-2012
According to new study published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, a two-hour exposure to electronic devices with self-luminous "backlit" displays can affect evening melatonin, which might result in delayed sleep, especially in adolescents. The study was conducted by the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Pensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was led by Mariana Figueiro, associate professor at Rensselaer and director of the LRC's Light and Health Program...

Schizophrenia Signs Can Be Reversed With Training

Date: Aug-23-2012
Researchers studying an animal model of schizophrenia have discovered that the animals can behave normal as adults if they underwent cognitive training in adolescence. The study is published in Neuron. André Fenton of New York University said: "The brain can be loaded with all sorts of problems. What this work shows is that experience can overcome those disabilities." The teams finding was accidental - they originally focused on one of the fundamental problems in schizophrenia: the inability to sift through confusing or conflicting information and focus on what's relevant...

Impact Of Bipolar Disorder During Pregnancy Is Unclear

Date: Aug-23-2012
A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University is calling for more targeted, prospective research in to the effects of bipolar disorder during pregnancy. Bipolar disorder, which is more common among women, is characterized by depression, hypomania, or mania. Episodes of the disorder are usually concentrated during the peak of the reproductive years. Bipolar disorder can increase the risk for psychiatric hospitalization, infanticide, and even lead to suicide. However, during pregnancy, the impact of the disorder is unclear. Dr...

HIV-Related Stigmas Linked To Births Away From Hospitals

Date: Aug-23-2012
According to a new study published in the journal PLoS Medicine, expectant mothers in one Kenyan province often choose to give birth away from health-care facilities, due to the fear of being labeled as HIV-positive. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered a strong association between HIV-related stigma and the fact that only 44.2% of expectant mothers give birth in facilities with skilled caregivers in Nyanza Province, Kenya. According to the researchers, around 16% of women aged 15-49 in the area are HIV-positive...

Antifungal Drug Thiabendazole Offers Inexpensive Cancer Therapy Alternative

Date: Aug-23-2012
During investigations into the relationship between yeast, frogs, mice and humans, researchers from Texas University's College of Natural Sciences have discovered that an inexpensive antifungal drug called thiabendazole, slows tumor growth and could potentially be used as chemotherapy for cancer treatment. The study was published the PLoS Biology. Thiabendazole has been used for antifungal treatment for 4 decades. The FDA-approved generic drug that is taken orally is currently not used for the treatment of cancer...

Musical Training During Childhood Shapes Brains As Adults

Date: Aug-23-2012
A new Northwestern University study shows that a little music training in childhood has a great benefit in improving brain functions in adulthood when it comes to listening and the complex processing of sound. The study entitled "A Little Goes a Long Way: How the Adult Brain is Shaped by Musical Training in Childhood" will be featured in the August 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Over the last decade, the effect of music on the brain has been a major scientific topic...

Researchers Find Cancer-Causing Agent In Chewing Tobacco

Date: Aug-23-2012
Approximately 9 million people in the U.S. use chewing tobacco, snuff or other related products. Now researchers have identified a strong oral carcinogen substance in smokeless tobacco. The teams findings are reported at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, who led the study, explained: "This is the first example of a strong oral cavity carcinogen that's in smokeless tobacco...

Anorexics Overestimate Their Own Body Size

Date: Aug-23-2012
Anorexic people appear to be less able to judge the size of their own bodies than that of others. This was the finding of an intriguing new French study published this week in the open access journal PLoS ONE. People with anorexia usually report feeling their bodies are bigger than they actually are. But this is not easy to investigate in research. Dewi Guardia of the University Hospital of Lille in France, and colleagues, have been studying how patients with anorexia nervosa perceive whether their bodies can fit through different sizes of door openings...

Strong Oral Carcinogen Identified In Smokeless Tobacco

Date: Aug-23-2012
Scientists have reported identification of the first substance in smokeless tobacco that is a strong oral carcinogen - a health risk for the 9 million users of chewing tobacco, snuff and related products in the U.S. - and called upon the federal government to regulate or ban the substance. The researchers reported here at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society...

Exercising 30 Minutes Daily As Good As 60 For Weight Loss

Date: Aug-23-2012
A new study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that sedentary, slightly overweight healthy young men who worked up a sweat exercising 30 minutes daily for three months lost a similar amount of weight and body fat as those who did 60 minutes of daily exercise. The researchers describe the findings of their randomized controlled trial in a study reported online recently in the American Journal of Physiology...