Health News

Cyberbullying: One In Two Victims Suffer From The Distribution Of Embarrassing Photos And Videos

Date: Jul-27-2012
A new study by researchers at Bielefeld Univiersity revealed that young people who suffer from cyberbullying or cyber harassment struggle the most when fellow classmates make fun of them by distributing embarrassing photos and videos. An online survey published on July 19th says that almost half of the victims feel severely distressed or very distressed by this type of bullying. The study was conducted by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG) and consisted of 1881 schoolchildren in Germany...

Obesity Theories Challenged By Hunter-Gatherer Study

Date: Jul-27-2012
A new study comparing the lifestyle of Westerners with that of hunter-gatherers challenges the idea that the current obesity crisis is due to lack of physical activity. The researchers suggest the more likely explanation is over-consumption of calories, particularly due to the presence of energy-dense foods in the Western diet. The researchers write about their findings in a paper published online in PLoS ONE on 25 July...

Alcohol Could Intensify The Effects Of Some Drugs In The Body

Date: Jul-27-2012
According to scientists, there is yet another reason to avoid drinking alcohol while taking certain medicines, besides the known consequences such as possible liver damage, stomach bleeding, and other side effects. Their laboratory experiments were reported in American Chemical Society's (ACS) journal Molecular Pharmaceutics explaining how alcohol made several medications up to 3 times more available to the body, which triples the appropriate dose...

Alcohol/Energy Drink Mixes Linked With Casual, Risky Sex

Date: Jul-27-2012
A new study from the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) has found a link between the consumption of caffeinated energy drinks mixed with alcohol and casual -- often risky -- sex among college-age adults. According to the study's findings, college students who consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmEDs) were more likely to report having a casual partner and/or being intoxicated during their most recent sexual encounter...

Increased Risk Of Post-Surgical Infection After Orthopaedic Trauma, Total Joint Replacement In Patients With High Blood Sugar, Obesity

Date: Jul-27-2012
Two recent studies in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) looked at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia, the technical term for high blood glucose, or high blood sugar. According to the first study "Relationship of Hyperglycemia and Surgical-Site Infection in Orthopaedic Surgery," high blood sugar is a concern during the post-traumatic and post-operative period and it may help to preoperatively identify a population of patients with musculoskeletal injuries who are at significant risk for infectious complications...

Likely Predictors Of Hepatitis C Severity Identified

Date: Jul-27-2012
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified several factors in people infected with the hepatitis C virus that may predict whether the unusually rapid progression of disease from initial infection to severe liver conditions, such as cirrhosis, will occur. Knowing whether a patient's condition is likely to deteriorate quickly could help physicians decide on the best course of treatment. The study was conducted by an international team of researchers led by Patrizia Farci, M.D...

Erectile Dysfunction Can Be A Warning Sign For Heart Disease In Younger And Middle-Aged Men And Men With Diabetes

Date: Jul-27-2012
Although erectile dysfunction (ED) has been shown to be an early warning sign for heart disease, some physicians - and patients - still think of it as just as a natural part of "old age." But now an international team of researchers, led by physicians at The Miriam Hospital, say it's time to expand ED symptom screening to include younger and middle-aged men...

'Disease-Specific Patient Reported Outcome Measure' Developed For Muscular Dystrophy

Date: Jul-27-2012
Complex, multi-system diseases like myotonic dystrophy - the most common adult form of muscular dystrophy - require physicians and patients to identify which symptoms impact quality of life and, consequently, what treatments should take priority. However, a new study out this month in the journal Neurology reveals that there is often a disconnect between the two groups over which symptoms are more important, a phenomenon that not only impacts care but also the direction of research into new therapies...

Levels Of Deficient Protein In Friedreich's Ataxia boosted by New Gene Therapy Strategy

Date: Jul-27-2012
A novel approach to gene therapy that instructs a person's own cells to produce more of a natural disease-fighting protein could offer a solution to treating many genetic disorders. The method was used to achieve a 2- to 3-fold increase in production of a protein deficient in patients with Friedreich's ataxia, as described in an article published Instant Online in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online at the Human Gene Therapy website...

Dualist Beliefs Linked With Less Concern For Healthy Behaviors

Date: Jul-27-2012
Many people, whether they know it or not, are philosophical dualists. That is, they believe that the brain and the mind are two separate entities. Despite the fact dualist beliefs are found in virtually all human cultures, surprisingly little is known about the impact of these beliefs on how we think and behave in everyday life. But a new research article forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that espousing a dualist philosophy can have important real-life consequences...