Health News

A Better Way To Help High-Risk Pregnant Smokers

Date: Jun-25-2012
Cigarette smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77 to 99%. Programs that treat pregnant patients for substance use disorders often fail to address cigarette smoking despite the clear risks to both mother and child, including ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, programs to help people quit smoking do not seem to interfere with drug abuse treatment, and may actually improve drug abstinence rates...

Maternal Blood Test Could Predict Risk Of Having Dangerously Small Babies

Date: Jun-25-2012
Researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have found a protein in the blood of pregnant women that can predict if they are likely to have a fetus that doesn't grow properly, and thus has a high risk of stillbirth and long-term health complications. The research, led by Dr. Andrée Gruslin, could lead to a widely available blood test and could help develop ways for improving the outcomes of women and their children who face this risk - estimated to be as many as one of every 20 pregnancies. Dr...

Practice Guidelines For Most Prevalent Liver Disease Developed By IU Gastroenterologist

Date: Jun-25-2012
An Indiana University School of Medicine gastroenterologist led a team of distinguished physicians who developed the first guidelines for diagnosis and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The guidelines were published simultaneously in the June issues of the journals Hepatology, Gastroenterology and the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Naga P. Chalasani, M.B.B.S...

Cancer Cells Stopped, Nerve Cells Regenerated By New Candidate Drug

Date: Jun-25-2012
Scientists have developed a small-molecule-inhibiting drug that in early laboratory cell tests stopped breast cancer cells from spreading and also promoted the growth of early nerve cells called neurites. Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report their findings online in Chemistry & Biology. The scientists named their lead drug candidate "Rhosin" and hope future testing shows it to be promising for the treatment of various cancers or nervous system damage...

Fructose In Moderation Could Be Beneficial For Diabetics

Date: Jun-25-2012
A new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital suggests that fructose may not be as bad for us as previously thought and that it may even provide some benefit. "Over the last decade, there have been connections made between fructose intake and rates of obesity," said Dr. John Sievenpiper, a senior author of the study. "However, this research suggests that the problem is likely one of overconsumption, not fructose." The study reviewed 18 trials with 209 participants who had Type 1 and 2 diabetes and found fructose significantly improved their blood sugar control...

Using A Natural Language Processing Tool For Electronic Health Records In Assessing Colonoscopy Quality

Date: Jun-25-2012
A new study shows that natural language processing programs can "read" dictated reports and provide information to allow measurement of colonoscopy quality in an inexpensive, automated and efficient manner. The quality variation observed in the study within a single academic hospital system reinforces the need for routine quality measurement. The study appears in the June issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)...

Keeping Children Active Is More To Do With Parenting Than TV

Date: Jun-25-2012
Researchers at Oregon State University have confirmed what we knew all along - children in this country are increasingly sedentary, spending too much time sitting and looking at electronic screens. But it's not necessarily because of the newest gee-whiz gadgets - parents play a major factor in whether young children are on the move...

Olmesartan, A Common Blood Pressure Drug, Linked To Severe GI Problems

Date: Jun-25-2012
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an association between a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug, Olmesartan, and severe gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities - symptoms common among those who have celiac disease. The findings are published online in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. From 2008-11, Mayo Clinic physicians treated 22 patients with symptoms similar to celiac disease, including intestinal inflammation and abnormalities...

Early Milestone Reached In Lab-Engineered Kidney Project

Date: Jun-25-2012
Regenerative medicine researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have reached an early milestone in a long-term project that aims to build replacement kidneys in the lab to help solve the shortage of donor organs. In proof-of-concept research published online ahead of print in Annals of Surgery, the team successfully used pig kidneys to make "scaffolds" or support structures that could potentially one day be used to build new kidneys for human patients. The idea is to remove all animal cells - leaving only the organ structure or "skeleton...

Gap In Life Expectancy Between Poorer US Citizens And Affluent Countrymen

Date: Jun-25-2012
Despite modest gains in lifespan over the past century, the United States still trails many of the world's countries when it comes to life expectancy, and its poorest citizens live approximately five years less than more affluent persons, according to a new study from Rice University and the University Colorado at Boulder. The study, "Stagnating Life Expectancies and Future Prospects in an Age of Uncertainty," used time-series analysis to evaluate historical data on U.S. mortality from the Human Mortality Database...