Health News

Serious Complications Possible From Mild Thyroid Dysfunction During Early Pregnancy

Date: Jun-26-2012
Even moderate thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy significantly increases the risk of serious complications, underscoring the need for universal screening in the first trimester, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. "These findings add to the now increasing evidence from previous studies that all pregnant women, irrespective of their risk for thyroid problems, probably should be screened for thyroid dysfunction within the first three months of getting pregnant," said study lead author Jubbin Jagan Jacob, M.D...

Why Do Women Need Reading Glasses Sooner Than Men?

Date: Jun-26-2012
Studies have consistently reported that women require reading glasses or bifocal lenses earlier than men. According to a recent Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science paper, the gender difference is caused by factors other than focusing ability, such as arm length or preferred reading distance, which should be considered when prescribing readers or bifocals...

How Dietary Fat Regulates Cholesterol Absorption

Date: Jun-26-2012
Buttery shrimp. Fried eggs. Burgers and fries. New research suggests there may be a biological reason why fatty and cholesterol-rich foods are so appealing together. It has been known for more than 40 years that dietary fat promotes cholesterol uptake, but fundamental aspects of that process remain poorly understood. James Walters, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Carnegie Institution for Science are using zebrafish to better understand the cellular mechanisms of cholesterol processing and have discovered a surprising link between dietary fat and cholesterol absorption...

Daffodils For Depression?

Date: Jun-26-2012
Scientists have discovered that plant compounds from a South African flower may in time be used to treat diseases originating in the brain - including depression. At the University of Copenhagen, a number of these substances have now been tested in a laboratory model of the blood-brain barrier. The promising results have been published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology...

Too Many Stillbirths Among Lower Socioeconomic Groups, England

Date: Jun-25-2012
A study published in the online version of BMJ Open shows that the number of stillbirths in the UK is twice as high amongst those who are the least well off, compared with the most affluent. Furthermore, the study results reveal that the uneven split occurs across all causes of stillbirth, and has not changed in 8 years. The researchers evaluated the number of stillbirths in the UK from 2000 to 2007, focusing on the specific causes of stillbirth per 10,000 births by year of birth and deprivation levels, which were measured at area level, using the UK index of multiple deprivation...

Vitamin B3 Found In Milk May Result In Substantial Health Benefits

Date: Jun-25-2012
A new study from researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College and the Swiss Polytechnic School in Lausanne reveals that a unique form of vitamin B3 that occurs in small quantities in milk produces substantial health benefits in high doses in mice. According to the June issue of Cell Metabolism, high doses of the niacin-related vitamin precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) prevent obesity in mice that have been fed a fatty diet. Furthermore, it increases muscle performance and energy expenditure, whilst preventing the development of diabetes development without any side effects...

Viruses Worldwide Battled By Gut Microbes

Date: Jun-25-2012
The human gut is a comprehensive ecosystem of microbes and plays a vital role in the body's wellbeing and defense against disease, as the gut microbiota constantly have to fight attacks from viruses. A study featured online in Genome Research reports that researchers have identified a common set of viruses that is linked to gut microbiota in individuals worldwide when they analyzed the bacterial immune system. Phages, i.e...

Short Bowel Syndrome - Teduglutide Gets Positive Response, Europe

Date: Jun-25-2012
Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) is a highly debilitating condition, which occurs when the body's gastrointestinal tract is unable to absorb sufficient nutrients and fluids due to a resection of a significant portion of the bowel as a result of Crohn's disease, ischemia or other conditions. Because the patient's body is unable to absorb insufficient nutrients, water and electrolytes, SBS patients often suffer from malnutrition, severe diarrhea, dehydration, fatigue, osteopenia, and weight loss...

Consensual Sex In Elderly Care Homes - Ageism And Safety Concerns

Date: Jun-25-2012
An article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics reveals that elderly care home residents are often needlessly denied consensual sex because of concerns regarding safety and ageism. Researchers from the Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care state that even though elderly people, including those with early stage dementia, often still enjoy a sexual relationship in their own homes, but once they move into residential care, a sexual relationship is often frowned upon...

More Vigilance Needed To Prevent Children Having Food Allergy Reactions

Date: Jun-25-2012
Everyone knows the old story of the peanut allergy that seems to affect around one in 500 people, and can cause severe, even life threatening allergic reactions. There are, however, many other foods that can cause children to experience allergic reactions. They range from honey that can provoke asthma, to lactose and dairy products causing constipation, indigestion and intolerance, through to the more severe types of reactions that often seem to come from peanuts and other nuts...