Health News

A Mosquito's Sense Of Smell Makes Us Irresistible

Date: Jul-04-2012
Now that the summer season is in full swing, many of us will be hosting picnics and barbecues and socializing outside. Chances are, we'll also have some unwanted guests in the form of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes seem to have an uncanny ability to locate us and Zainulabeuddin Syed, a mosquito biologist with the University of Notre Dame's Eck Institute for Global Health, has gone a long way toward to determining how they do it. In short, it's because of the way we smell...

Why Heart Attacks Cause So Much More Damage In Late Pregnancy

Date: Jul-04-2012
Heart attacks during pregnancy are uncommon, but the prevalence of heart disease in pregnant mothers has increased over the past decade as more women delay pregnancy until they are older. These women, who are generally less physically active than their younger peers, tend to have higher cholesterol levels and are at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes...

Hundreds Receiving Help From Red Cross After Flooding, Fires And Power Outages

Date: Jul-03-2012
In recent weeks, the American Red Cross has had their work cut out for them, with some 1,180 individuals trying to escape the wildfires, excruciating heat, and floods,Saturday at over 55 different shelters - stretching from the east coast all the way to California. Charlie Shimanski, senior vice president of Red Cross Disaster Services commented: "The Red Cross is helping people who ahve no power during this dangerous heat wave while continuing to feed and shelter people impacted by the wildfires out west and flooding in Florida...

Stopping Diabetes In Mice - Researchers Make Major Breakthrough

Date: Jul-03-2012
According to a study published in the scientific journal Diabetes, Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institutet managed to prevent onset of Type 1 diabetes in mice genetically susceptible to the disease by injecting them with specifically prepared cells that prevented insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells from continuously being destroyed before clinical diabetes occurs. In Type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks and kills insulin-producing beta cells, leading to an insulin deficiency that needs to be rectified by injecting insulin...

Methadone Causes 30% Of Painkiller Overdose Deaths

Date: Jul-03-2012
Methadone is not a commonly used painkiller - it was prescribed for only 2% of painkiller needs in the United States during 2009. However, the monthly Vital Signs Report from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was issued today, showed methadone as being indicated in nearly one third of all prescription painkiller overdose deaths. Methadone is an opiate based drug that is more frequently used to treat heroin addiction than it is for a pain killer.Other opiate based products such as Oxycodone and Morphine are more commonly prescribed for pain...

Enlarged Brain Size, Autism, Epilepsy And Cancer Linked To Newly Found Gene Mutations

Date: Jul-03-2012
According to a study published online in Nature Genetics, researchers have identified three new mutations associated with megalencephaly (enlarged brain size), cancer, autism, hydrocephalus, skin growth disorders, epilepsy, and vascular anomalies. The study, led by Seattle Children's Research Institute, provides further evidence that the genetic make-up of an individual is not entirely determined at the time of conception. Earlier studies have shown that genetic changes can also occur after conception...

New Treatment For Breast Cancer Patients Cuts Radiotherapy Time In Half

Date: Jul-03-2012
Several breast cancer patients could be treated in half the time after research shows that accelerated whole breast irradiation after lumpectomy is an effective treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The study is published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics. DCIS is one of the most common forms of early stage and non-invasive forms of breast cancer...

Gestational Diabetes Risk Associated With Antipsychotic Drugs During Pregnancy

Date: Jul-03-2012
Women who take antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy are more likely to develop gestational diabetes, say researchers. The study, conducted by Robert Bodén. M.D., Ph.D., of the Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues, is published in Archives of General Psychiatry. Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, "however, the evidence concerning use of antipsychotics during pregnancy is generally lacking or weak," say the researchers...

Sexual Behaviors In Teens Linked To "Sexting"

Date: Jul-03-2012
According to a study on 948 Texas teens, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, more than 1 in 4 adolescents have sent a nude picture of themselves through electronic means. The authors found that "sexting" - the practice of electronically sending sexually explicit images or messages from one person to another - may be associated sexual behavior. The researchers suggest that parents, schools, pediatricians, and policy makers do not have enough information regarding the nature and importance of teen sexting, as there is insufficient empirical data...

Effects Of Refusing Blood Transfusions After Cardiac Surgery

Date: Jul-03-2012
Although Jehovah's Witness patients do not believe in blood transfusions, their risk of surgical complications or death after heart surgery is not greater than patients who receive blood transfusions, say researchers. The study, conducted by Gregory Pattakos, M.D., M.S., of the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, and his team, is published in Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers enrolled 322 Jehovah Witness patients and 322 non-Witness patients in order to compare morbidity and long-term survival rates after cardiac surgery...