Health News

Hope That Virtual Colonoscopy Without Laxative Will Increase Colon Exams And Decrease Colorectal Cancer Rates

Date: Jun-18-2012
Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, administered without laxatives is as accurate as conventional colonoscopy in detecting clinically significant, potentially cancerous polyps, according to a study performed jointly at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and Massachusetts General Hospital...

Preclinical Study Links Aging And Cancer, With Lethal Host Metabolism In The Tumor Microenvironment

Date: Jun-18-2012
It has long been known that cancer is a disease of aging, but a molecular link between the two has remained elusive. Now, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson (KCC) have shown that senescence (aging cells which lose their ability to divide) and autophagy (self-eating or self-cannibalism) in the surrounding normal cells of a tumor are essentially two sides of the same coin, acting as "food" to fuel cancer cell growth and metastasis. Michael P. Lisanti, M.D., Ph.D...

Tiny Vitamin In Milk, In High Doses, Makes Mice Leaner, Faster And Stronger

Date: Jun-18-2012
A novel form of vitamin B3 found in milk in small quantities produces remarkable health benefits in mice when high doses are administered, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland...

Study Shows Vitamin D And Calcium Reduce Mortality In Elderly But Not Vitamin D Alone

Date: Jun-18-2012
A study recently published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that vitamin D - when taken with calcium - can reduce the rate of mortality in seniors, therefore providing a possible means of increasing life expectancy. During the last decade, there has been increasing recognition of the potential health effects of vitamin D. It is well known that calcium with vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of fractures. The present study assessed mortality among patients randomized to either vitamin D alone or vitamin D with calcium...

In Problem Gambling, Addiction, Training People To Inhibit Movements Can Reduce Risk-Taking

Date: Jun-18-2012
New research from psychologists at the Universities of Exeter and Cardiff shows that people can train their brains to become less impulsive, resulting in less risk-taking during gambling. The research could pave the way for new treatments for people with addictions to gambling, drugs or alcohol as well as impulse-control disorders, such as ADHD. Published in the journal Psychological Science, the study assessed whether asking people to stop making simple movements while in a simulated gambling situation affected how risky or cautious they were when betting...

Discussing Guns In Rural Suicide Prevention

Date: Jun-18-2012
While youth suicide is declining overall, the rate of youth suicide in rural America has remained steady. A key to helping rural families with children at risk of suicide is frank discussion of guns says Jonathan Singer, assistant professor of social work at Temple University and co-author of a new study that examined how clinicians, including social workers and counselors involve parents in prevention and treatment of youth suicide. The study, "Engaging parents of suicidal youth in a rural environment" was published in Child & Family Social Work...

A Greater STI Risk Posed By Secret Love Cheats Rather Than Those In Open Sexual Relationships

Date: Jun-18-2012
People who were sexually unfaithful without their partner's knowledge were less likely to practice safe sex than those who had other sexual relationships with their partner's consent. They were also more likely to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the encounter. In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers from the University of Michigan, USA, found that condom use for vaginal and anal sex was 27% and 35% lower in sexually unfaithful relationships and drug and alcohol use was 64% higher...

Take-Home Methadone Maintenance Treatment Associated With Decreased Hospital Admissions

Date: Jun-18-2012
A recent study conducted by researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows that patients receiving "take home" methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) were less likely to be admitted to the hospital as compared to those not receiving take home doses. The findings, which are published online in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, demonstrate the potential benefits of successful addiction treatment, including better overall health and decreased health care utilization...

Growth-Promoting Hormones Don't Stimulate Strength: Research Debunks Bodybuilding Myth

Date: Jun-18-2012
New research from scientists at McMaster University reveals exercise-related testosterone and growth hormone do not play an influential role in building muscle after weightlifting, despite conventional wisdom suggesting otherwise. The findings indicate that bodybuilders who look to manipulate those hormones through exercise routines are wasting their time...

Young Children's Diets Miss Key Nutrients

Date: Jun-18-2012
The dietary intake of Australian preschoolers may lead to poor long term health outcomes according to research published in the June 18 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Shao Zhou and Professor Maria Makrides, from the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute in Adelaide and coauthors aimed to find out if the diet eaten by young Adelaide children is short on key nutrients...