Health News

Cells Identified That Are Targeted By HPV, The Origins Of Cervical Cancer

Date: Jun-12-2012
Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections, with just two HPV types, 16 and 18, responsible for about 70 percent of all cases, according to the National Cancer Institute. Scientists have presumed for decades that the cervical cancers that develop from HPV infection arise in a specific location in the cervix...

Your Attitude Towards Age May Increase Your Risk Of Dementia Diagnosis

Date: Jun-12-2012
Our attitude towards our age has a massive impact on the likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia. New research shows that when seniors see themselves as 'older' their performance on a standard dementia screening test declines dramatically; making them five times more likely to meet the criteria for dementia. The research, conducted by the University of Exeter, highlights the significance of our age perceptions and its effect on our mental functioning. It is presented today (Tuesday 12 June) at the first International Conference on Social Identity and Health...

Less Than 6 Hours Of Sleep Increases Stroke Risk In Normal Weight Adults

Date: Jun-12-2012
Habitually sleeping less than six hours a night significantly increases the risk of stroke symptoms among middle-age to older adults who are of normal weight and at low risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study of 5,666 people followed for up to three years. The participants had no history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, stroke symptoms or high risk for OSA at the start of the study, presented at SLEEP 2012...

Fear Of The Dark May Be Responsible For Sleep Disturbances In Some Adults

Date: Jun-12-2012
A small study of Toronto college students is shedding light on a contributing factor of insomnia that might be hard to admit - an adult fear of the dark. Nearly half of the students who reported having poor sleep also reported a fear of the dark. Researchers confirmed this objectively by measuring blink responses to sudden noise bursts in light and dark surroundings. Good sleepers became accustomed to the noise bursts but the poor sleepers grew more anticipatory when the lights were down...

Emergency Departments Frequented More Often For Mental Health Care By First Nations And Low-Income Children

Date: Jun-12-2012
First Nations children and those from families receiving government subsidies had more return visits to emergency departments for mental health crises than other socioeconomic groups, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: June 12, 2012 Online Issue

Date: Jun-12-2012
1. Hospital Noises Disrupt Sleep, Hinder Healing, and Have Negative Impact on Cardiovascular Health For hospitalized patients, adequate sleep is imperative to the healing process. However, hospital noise frequently disrupts patients' sleep. In a recent national survey, patients revealed that noise levels in and around rooms at night was one of the most significant factors affecting quality-of-care. Researchers studied 12 healthy participants in a sleep laboratory setting to determine how specific hospital noises, and at what levels, disrupted sleep according to type of sleep stage...

Heart Disease Risk Increases With Even Slightly Elevated Blood Glucose Levels

Date: Jun-12-2012
New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that even slightly higher levels of glucose in the blood noticeably increase the risk of ischemic heart disease. The study involves more than 80,000 people and has just been published in the well-reputed Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It is not only diabetics who risk heart-related problems resulting from lifelong above-average blood glucose levels...

Junk Food More Appealing When Sleep-Restricted

Date: Jun-12-2012
The sight of unhealthy food during a period of sleep restriction activated reward centers in the brain that were less active when participants had adequate sleep, according to a new study using brain scans to better understand the link between sleep restriction and obesity. Researchers from St. Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University in New York performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 25 men and women of normal weights while they looked at images of healthy and unhealthy foods...

Higher Anxiety Levels Likely Following Sleep Deprivation

Date: Jun-12-2012
New research shows that sleep loss markedly exaggerates the degree to which we anticipate impending emotional events, particularly among highly anxious people, who are especially vulnerable. Two common features of anxiety disorders are sleep loss and an amplification of emotional response. Results from the new study suggest that these features may not be independent of one another but may interact instead...

The Risk Of Post-Operative Acute Kidney Failure Reduced By Aspirin Administered Before Heart Surgery

Date: Jun-12-2012
Aspirin taken for five days before a heart operation can halve the numbers of patients developing post-operative acute kidney failure, according to research presented at the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Paris...