Health News

Lupus Patients Benefit From The Power Of New Silicon Chip

Date: Aug-22-2012
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Intel Corp. have collaborated to synthesize and study a grid-like array of short pieces of a disease-associated protein on silicon chips normally used in computer microprocessors. They used this chip, which was created through a process used to make semiconductors, to identify patients with a particularly severe form of the autoimmune disease lupus...

Vividness Of Perception And Creation Of Vivid Memories Linked To Emotion

Date: Aug-22-2012
Have you ever wondered why you can remember things from long ago as if they happened yesterday, yet sometimes can't recall what you ate for dinner last night? According to a new study led by psychologists at the University of Toronto, it's because how much something means to you actually influences how you see it as well as how vividly you can recall it later...

Youth With American Indian Spiritual Beliefs More Likely To Resist Drugs And Alcohol

Date: Aug-22-2012
New research indicates that urban American Indian youth who follow American Indian traditional spiritual beliefs are less likely to use drugs and alcohol. Arizona State University social scientists presented their findings at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. The study, "Spirituality and Religion: Intertwined Protective Factors for Substance Use Among Urban American Indian Youth," was recently published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse...

Everyday Medicine Can Employ Some Of 'CSI's Technology

Date: Aug-22-2012
A scientific instrument featured on CSI and CSI: Miami for instant fingerprint analysis is forging another life in real-world medicine, helping during brain surgery and ensuring that cancer patients get effective doses of chemotherapy, a scientist reported. The report on technology already incorporated into instruments that miniaturize room-size lab instrumentation into devices the size of a shoebox was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society...

The Mental Health Benefits Of Spiritualism, Regardless Of Religion

Date: Aug-22-2012
Despite differences in rituals and beliefs among the world's major religions, spirituality often enhances health regardless of a person's faith, according to University of Missouri researchers. The MU researchers believe that health care providers could take advantage of this correlation between health - particularly mental health - and spirituality by tailoring treatments and rehabilitation programs to accommodate an individual's spiritual inclinations...

Decrease In Heart Failure, Especially In Seniors Over Age 85 In Ontario

Date: Aug-22-2012
The number of new cases of heart failure in Ontario decreased 33% over a decade, suggesting preventive efforts may be working. However, mortality rates remain high for people with the disease, states a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Heart failure is a major cause of admission to hospital and has a high death rate for patients. In recent decades, the incidence has been increasing; in 2000, patients with heart failure accounted for the second highest number of days in hospital in Canada...

For A Potassium Boost And Sports Drink, Try Coconut Water

Date: Aug-22-2012
Coconut water really does deserve its popular reputation as Mother Nature's own sports drink, a new scientific analysis of the much-hyped natural beverage concluded at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). However, people who engage in strenuous exercise that involves a lot of sweat might want to take it all with a grain of salt - literally - or stick with a more traditional sports drink like Gatorade, said Chhandashri Bhattacharya, Ph.D...

How Does Radiation Affect Pediatric Cancer Patients Long-Term?

Date: Aug-22-2012
A recent study published in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer has outlined the late effects radiation may have on pediatric cancer patients. Lengthened survival comes from total body irradiation (TBI), a necessary part of treatment during bone marrow transplant, which creates the ability to notice these long term effects of radiation, according to researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center. TBI is a form of radiotherapy which is most commonly used as a preparative regimen for bone marrow transplantation...

Diabetes Patients May Be Able To Decrease Their Blood Sugar With A Tasty Berry Drink

Date: Aug-22-2012
In evaluating the bioactive compounds of Illinois blueberry and blackberry wines, University of Illinois scientists have found compounds that inhibit enzymes responsible for carbohydrate absorption and assimilation. And that could mean a tasty way to help people with diabetes decrease their blood sugar...

To Protect Against Drug Shortages, Canada Needs National Approach

Date: Aug-22-2012
Canada needs a national approach to managing its supply of pharmaceutical drugs, starting with a mandatory reporting system for drug shortages, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). and CPJ (Canadian Pharmacists Journal). Shortages of drugs, particularly those used in chemotherapy, as well as antibiotics, antiepileptics and anesthetics, have become increasingly common, unpredictable and widespread in Canada...