Health News

Alzheimer's Early Timeline Of Changes Identified

Date: Jul-12-2012
Scientists have for the first time identified a timeline of early detectable biological changes that precede symptoms of Dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease by decades. They now plan to use these markers for prevention and treatment in affected families that have joined their study project...

Patients Turn To Internet For Medical Advice Even Though They Trust Their Doctors

Date: Jul-12-2012
Although patients trust their doctor's advice, they still go online to get better educated on their illnesses, in order to play an active role in their care, say researchers. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, questioned more than 500 people who were active members of online support groups and who had made an appointment with a physician. Xinyi Hu, who co-authored the study as part of her master's thesis, said: "We found that mistrust was not a significant predictor of people going online for health information prior to their visit...

Breastfeeding Helps Mothers Stay Slim Long-Term

Date: Jul-12-2012
A new study, published in the International Journal of Obesity and funded by Cancer Research and the Medical Research Council (MRC), found that women who breastfed their children have a lower body mass index (BMI) than women who did not.  The research consisted of 740,000 post-menopausal UK women. Scientists found that long-term weight was affected in both childbearing and breastfeeding women, but the effects were significantly different.  The women's BMI increased according to how many children they had...

Biomarkers Discovered That Will Help Clinicians Treat Schizophrenia

Date: Jul-12-2012
According to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, a set of laboratory-based biomarkers have been found that can help explain brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. Their finding was published in the online edition of PLoS ONE, explaining how the endophenotypes could benefit clinicians who frequently find it difficult to identify and treat this multifaceted and confounding mental disorder known as schizophrenia...

H1N1 Vaccine For Mothers Does Not Affect Birth Outcomes

Date: Jul-12-2012
According to two new studies published in JAMA, the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine poses no risk of birth defects, fetal growth restriction, or preterm birth when given to pregnant women. However, the vaccine does slightly increase the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome. During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, pregnant women were at increased risk of illness, death, and poor pregnancy outcomes. The researchers write: "Pregnant women were among the main target groups prioritized for vaccination against influenza A (H1N1)pdm09, and an estimated 2...

Serious Health Risks Among Police Officers Due To Stress

Date: Jul-12-2012
In a special edition of this month's International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, Buffalo University researchers from the Buffalo Police Department have found that the daily psychological stress, which police offers have to endure on a daily basis, puts them at a considerably higher risk for various long-term physical and mental health effects - compared to those in the general population...

Breast Cancer Molecular "Post-It-Note" Warns Of Metastasis Spread Risk

Date: Jul-12-2012
According to a new report published in the BJC (British Journal of Cancer), a molecular "post-it note" added to breast cancer genes could identify the risk that the disease will spread in patients. Cancer research scientists from Imperial College London have seen that high levels of molecular modification, called methylation, on a gene called CACNA2D3, were associated with spread of disease in breast cancer patients...

Skin Cancer Self Exam By Use Of Mobile App

Date: Jul-12-2012
Each year, over 2 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer. 50,000 of these will be diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Regular skin checks can assist in detecting melanoma in its earliest stages. Cancer screening has just gone mobile with a new free app called UMSkinCheck, downloadable on iTunes. The development of UMSkinCheck is a collaboration of Michigan University's technology and clinical expertise designed for iPhones and iPads...

Strategy To Stop OxyContin Abuse Is Effective but Ineffective Overall

Date: Jul-12-2012
The New England Journal of Medicine carries an article today, reviewing strategies that have been put in place to reduce the abuse of OxyContin. OxyContin (oxycodone) is the brand name of a pain killer medicine manufactured from thebaine extracted from the opium poppy. Although oxcodone was originally synthesized in the early 20th Century, it's only recently become widely used. OxyContin is manufactured by Purdue Pharama, and was first FDA approved in 1995. It's popularity has increased rapidly in the last decade or so, with 11.5 tons produced in 1998, shooting to 51.6 tons in 2007...

Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services Proposes Raising Pay To Doctors By 7%

Date: Jul-12-2012
In an effort to help primary care doctors, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule to increase pay to family physicians by seven percent, and also to pay other primary care physicians between three and five percent more. This proposed rule will be part of the updated payment policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), which will be effective in the calendar year of 2013. Medicare pays more than one million physicians and practitioners that provide essential health care to recipients of Medicare under the MPFS...