Health News

Genes May Influence Quitting Success

Date: May-31-2012
A person's genetic make up may influence their chances of successfully giving up smoking, according to an NIH-funded study published in the 30 May online issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.  The authors say their findings support the idea there should be more individualized treatments to help people quit smoking. The study also suggests there may be a need to use genetic screening to identify those whose genes may make them more susceptible to nicotine addiction...

Exercise May Be Bad For Some

Date: May-31-2012
A new study suggests that not every healthy person benefits from regular exercise: for a small 7% minority it may increase heart and diabetes risk factors.  The researchers did not suggest this should stop people exercising but point to the importance of using this type of knowledge to personalize exercise programs. Claude Bouchard, a professor of genetics and nutrition in the Human Genomics Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the US, was lead author of the study, which was published online in PLoS ONE on 30 May...

Life Expectancy Lower For The Scots

Date: May-31-2012
Life expectancy in Scotland is markedly lower compared to other European nations and the UK as a whole [1]. But what are the reasons for this higher mortality? An explanatory framework, synthesising the evidence is published this month in Public Health. Higher mortality in Scotland is often attributed to higher rates of deprivation, smoking, alcohol consumption and poor diet. However such explanations are not sufficient to understand why Scotland is so very different compared to other areas...

Study Finds TV Can Decrease Self-Esteem In Children, Except White Boys

Date: May-31-2012
If you are a white girl, a black girl or a black boy, exposure to today's electronic media in the long run tends to make you feel worse about yourself. If you're a white boy, you'll feel better, according to a new study led by an Indiana University professor. Nicole Martins, an assistant professor of telecommunications in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, and Kristen Harrison, professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, also found that black children in their study spent, on average, an extra 10 hours a week watching television...

Agent Identified That Can Block Fibrosis Of Skin, Lungs

Date: May-31-2012
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified an agent that in lab tests protected the skin and lungs from fibrosis, a process that can ultimately end in organ failure and even death because the damaged tissue becomes scarred and can no longer function properly. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine. There are no effective therapies for life-threatening illnesses such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and systemic sclerosis, which cause progressive organ scarring and failure, said senior author Carol A. Feghali-Bostwick, Ph.D...

In Juvenile Arthritis Treatment, Injection Of Methotrexate No Better Than Oral Therapy

Date: May-31-2012
A retrospective analysis of methotrexate (MTX) safety data found that injection of this disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) was not superior to oral therapy in long-term treatment of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Findings published in Arthritis Care & Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest that with similar efficacy and tolerability the more comfortable oral approach may be more suitable to treat pediatric arthritis patients...

Age-Related Vision Loss Prevented By Fish Oil

Date: May-31-2012
An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, demonstrates recently published medical research from the University of Alberta. Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researcher Yves Sauve and his team discovered lab models fed DHA did not accumulate a toxic molecule at the back of the eyes. The toxin normally builds up in the retina with age and causes vision loss...

National Primate Research Center Develops New, Safer Method For Making Vaccines

Date: May-31-2012
While vaccines are perhaps medicine's most important success story, there is always room for improvement. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) appear to have done just that. As explained in a newly published research paper, Mark Slifka, Ph.D., and colleagues have discovered a new method for creating vaccines that is thought to be safer and more effective than current approaches. The research results are published online in the journal Nature Medicine. "Most vaccines have an outstanding safety record," explained Slifka...

The Same Gene That Makes Kids Grow Too Fast Can Also Cause Stunted Growth

Date: May-31-2012
UCLA geneticists have identified the mutation responsible for IMAGe syndrome, a rare disorder that stunts infants' growth. The twist? The mutation occurs on the same gene that causes Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which makes cells grow too fast, leading to very large children. Published in the journal Nature Genetics, the UCLA findings could lead to new ways of blocking the rapid cell division that allows tumors to grow unchecked. The discovery also offers a new tool for diagnosing children with IMAGe syndrome, which until now has been difficult to identify accurately...

25 Years On, World No Tobacco Day Is Making An Impact

Date: May-31-2012
May 31 marks the 25th anniversary of World No Tobacco Day, but does the day really inspire anyone to think about quitting smoking? Yes it does, according to a new study led by investigators from the Informatics Program at Children's Hospital Boston and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For the study, the research team monitored news promoting cessation and Internet search queries indicative of cessation for six years in seven Latin American nations...