Health News

Snoring In Kids Could Mean Behavior Problems

Date: Aug-13-2012
Young children who snore persistently and loud have been identified as being linked to problem behaviors, such as hyperactivity, depression and inattention. The study, which is thought to be the first to examine the relationship between the persistence of snoring and behavior problems in preschool-age children was led by Dean Beebe, PhD, director of the neuropsychology program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and is published online in the journal Pediatrics. Dr...

Radiation Therapy After Lumpectomy Helps Prevent A Future Masectomy

Date: Aug-13-2012
To avoid a future mastectomy, older women with early stage breast cancer may want to have radiation therapy following lumpectomy. Although this is contrary to clinical recommendations, a new study featured online in the journal CANCER revealed that current beliefs regarding risks and benefits of radiation for early stage breast cancer in older women might not be accurate...

Benefits Of Statins Outweigh Diabetes Risk

Date: Aug-13-2012
New research by Harvard researchers, published in The Lancet, suggests that the cardiac benefits of taking statins, a cholesterol-lowing drug, are greater than the increased chance of developing diabetes experienced by some patients. The study showed that when people with certain diabetes risk factors, such as obese people and people with high blood sugar, take statins, they experience an increase risk of developing diabetes. On the other hand, significant reductions were seen in these people's risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke...

What Is Cardiology?

Date: Aug-13-2012
Cardiology is the study and treatment of disorders of the heart; it is a medical specialty which is involved in the care of all things associated with the heart and the arteries. A cardiologist is not the same as a cardiac surgeon - the cardiac surgeon opens the chest and performs heart surgery, a cardiologist, on the other hand, carries out tests and procedures, such as angioplasty. Heart disease differs from cardiovascular disease, in that the latter refers to disorders and illnesses of the heart and blood vessels, while the former is only concerned with the heart...

What Is Entropion?

Date: Aug-13-2012
Entropion is a medical eye condition in which the eyelid folds inwards, usually the lower eyelid, but the condition also exists with the upper eyelid. The patient's eyelashes and skin rub against the cornea of the eye, causing watery eye, inflammation, discomfort, irritation and sometimes pain. Some entropion patients have their eyelid turned in permanently, while for others it only occurs when they shut their eyelids tightly or blink hard. Entropion is commonly due to a person's genetic makeup; in some rare cases, the lower eyelid may have an extra fold of skin...

Survival Rates For Trauma Patients Don't Increase When Spending Is High

Date: Aug-13-2012
According to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers, the cost of treating trauma patients in the western United States in 33% higher than in the Northeast of the country. The study, published in The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, also indicates that the increasing health care costs could be controlled if analysts pay more attention on how patients are managed by their caregivers in lower-cost regions of the nation. Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H...

Bird Flu Kills Man In Indonesia

Date: Aug-13-2012
A man in Indonesia has recently died of bird flu, bringing the country's death toll to the disease this year to 9. According to a Global Alert Health Response (GAR) on the World Health Organization Website, dated 10 August, the Ministry of Health in Indonesia recently reported a lab-confirmed new case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. The man was 37 years old and came from Yogyakarta province. He lived 50 metres from a poultry slaughter house and also near a farm. Plus, an investigation revealed he had four pet caged birds in his home...

Diabetic Macular Edema Drug Wins FDA Approval

Date: Aug-13-2012
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Genentech's drug Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), an eye disease that can cause blindness in people with diabetes. In announcing the decision to the press on Friday, the FDA said the drug is for use with "good diabetic sugar control" and is designed to be given once a month as an injection into the eye by a qualified health care professional...

Cancer-Protective Effect Of Daily Aspirin Smaller Than Previously Thought

Date: Aug-13-2012
A new study adds support to the idea that daily aspirin use results in fewer cancer deaths, but the effect may not be as large as previous research might suggest. The researchers say although the collected evidence seems encouraging, it is still too early to recommend routine taking of aspirin just to prevent cancer, because even at low doses, it can increase the risk of serious bleeding in the gut. The study, by a team of epidemiologists from the American Cancer Society, appeared early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on 10 August...

Persistent, Loud Snoring In Young Children And Problem Behaviors Linked

Date: Aug-13-2012
Persistent and loud snoring in young children is associated with problem behaviors, according to a new study published online in Pediatrics. These behaviors include hyperactivity, depression and inattention, according to Dean Beebe, PhD, director of the neuropsychology program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and lead author of the study. "The strongest predictors of persistent snoring were lower socioeconomic status and the absence or shorter duration of breastfeeding," says Dr. Beebe...