Health News

Would Women Have Been Better Off As Assistants Than As Doctors?

Date: Jul-18-2012
Women who study medicine just for financial reasons could be mistaken. A study published in the Journal of Human Capital found that most female primary-care doctors would have earned more money over their careers working as physician assistants instead of becoming a doctor, due to the high upfront costs for this profession. However, the opposite was found to be true for the average male. According to M...

Birth Defects Associated With Dads' Jobs

Date: Jul-18-2012
The occupation of future fathers may be associated to a higher risk of birth defects in their infants. A study published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine has revealed that the risk of birth defects in their offspring is higher if the father has a certain type of job...

Looking At Stroke Severity Data Can Help Predict Stroke Outcomes

Date: Jul-18-2012
In the United States, stroke is one of the leading causes of death, disability, hospitalizations, and health care costs. Now, researchers have found that including stroke severity data in hospital mortality risk models allows physicians to better predict the 30-day mortality risk among patients with acute ischemic stroke. The study, conducted by Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and his team, is published in the July 18 issue of JAMA...

12,000 Hospital Deaths In England Every Year Could Have Been Avoided

Date: Jul-18-2012
According to a data analysis published online in BMJ Quality and Safety, about 12,000 deaths could be prevented in acute hospitals in England every year. The findings revealed that the majority of deaths were due to poor clinical monitoring and diagnostic errors. The authors state that even though the number of deaths is still significant, the analysis reveals that these figures are substantially lower compared with previous estimates of between 60,000 to 255,000 cases of serious disability or death that occurred as a direct result of NHS (National Health Service) treatment...

YouTube Portrays Nurses Badly - Nurses React

Date: Jul-18-2012
The nursing profession needs to become more pro-active in changing the negative image in which nurses are portrayed on YouTube, the famous video-sharing website. A study published in the August edition of the Journal of Advanced Nursing reveals that many of the top 'hits' on searches for 'nurses' on YouTube portray these professionals in a derogative way.  Researchers conducted a search on YouTube to find the most viewed videos for "nurses" and "nursing".Â� They included 96 videos in their study...

Hepatitis C May Be Treated With Vitamin B12

Date: Jul-18-2012
Early research published online in the journal Gut suggests that patients with chronic hepatitis C receiving the standard HCV treatment could significantly benefit by taking vitamin B12 supplements. According to the researchers, adding vitamin B12 supplements to standard therapy may boost the body's ability to fight the virus. Results from the study showed that the effects were particularly strong in patients whose infection was difficult to treat effectively...

Novel Intervention Helps Kids Suffering From Depression And Anxiety

Date: Jul-18-2012
Children suffering from anxiety and depression could significantly benefit from a novel intervention called Emotion Detectives Treatment Protocol (EDTP), say researchers at the University of Miami. Anxiety affects around 8 to 22% of children and is often combined with other conditions, such as depression. According to the study, published online in the journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, the severity of anxiety and depression significantly reduced among children who received treatment with EDTP...

Fighting E. Coli Infection With Newly Discovered Cell

Date: Jul-18-2012
Each year, E.coli outbreaks cause significant sickness and death around the world. Now, researchers have identified a molecule that is vital for fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections. The study, conducted by researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, is published in the journal Nature. Lead researcher of the study, Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D...

Breakthrough New Method For Treating Huntington's Disease

Date: Jul-18-2012
In the United States, more than 30,000 people suffer from the incurable neurodegenerative genetic disorder Huntington's disease (HD). Now, researchers have identified two regulatory proteins vital to eliminating the misfolded proteins that cause the disease. HD is an inherited disease in which parts of the brain degenerate. The disease affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and psychiatric problems. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, is published in the online issue of Science Translational Medicine...

Reflexology Proves Beneficial For Non-Cardiology Patients

Date: Jul-18-2012
In a study examining the effects of reflexology in healthy patients and patients with heart disease, researchers have found that applying pressure to the upper the heart reflex point on the left foot had an effect on the hearts of healthy patients but not on those with cardiac disease. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Stirling, found that massage to the heart reflex point had a small effect on heart function in healthy patients but not in the hearts of cardiology patients...