Health News

Anaphylactic Reactions Possible From Bee Pollen Supplements

Date: May-24-2012
Although many people take bee pollen as a health supplement, it can cause severe anaphylactic reactions. However, most people are unaware of the risks, states an article published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). A case study in the journal illuminates the possible hazards of ingesting bee pollen. A 30-year-old woman with seasonal allergies but no history of allergies to food, drugs, insects or latex had an anaphylactic reaction after taking bee pollen. She had swelling of the eyelids, lips and throat, difficulty swallowing, hives and other life-threatening symptoms. After...

Physical Therapy - A Quick Fix For Sacroiliac Joint Pain In Many Children And Adolescents

Date: May-24-2012
Investigators report that a simple bedside manual therapy to correct a painful misaligned sacroiliac joint was highly successful in a group of 45 patients 10 to 20 years of age. Thirty-six patients (80 percent) obtained significant pain relief, whereas nine patients (20 percent) experienced minimal to no relief. In 24 patients (53 percent) complete resolution of pain was experienced immediately upon treatment. Only two patients required a second treatment because of symptom recurrence. These findings are reported in a new article, "Sacroiliac joint pain in the pediatric population. Clinical...

Premature Death Rates Among Black Women With Sarcoidosis

Date: May-24-2012
A new study conducted by researchers from Boston University has found that sarcoidosis accounts for 25 percent of all deaths among women in the Black Women's Health Study who have the disease. The study is the largest epidemiologic study to date to specifically address mortality in black females with sarcoidosis. Results of the study were presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco. The exact cause of sarcoidosis, which causes inflammation in the lungs, lymph nodes, liver, skin and other tissues, are unknown. The disease typically begins between the ages of 20 and 40...

Increased Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients On Antidepressants

Date: May-24-2012
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, have found that critically ill patients were more likely to die if they were taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants when they were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The researchers conducted a retrospective study using the electronic medical records of 10,568 patients to look at in-hospital mortality and mortality a year after being admitted to the ICU. "We found that mortality was higher overall for patients taking antidepressants prior to admission...

Vitamin C Improves Pulmonary Function In Newborns Of Pregnant Smoking Women

Date: May-24-2012
Vitamin C Improves Pulmonary Function In Newborns Of Pregnant Smoking Women Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking;  Respiratory / Asthma;  Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 24 May 2012 - 0:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Vitamin C Improves Pulmonary Function In Newborns Of Pregnant Smoking Women' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: Vitamin C supplementation in pregnant women who are unable to quit smoking significantly improves pulmonary...

Stem Cell Research Paves Way For Progress On Dealing With Fragile X Retardation

Date: May-24-2012
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have achieved, for the first time, the generation of neuronal cells from stem cells of Fragile X patients. The discovery paves the way for research that will examine restoration of normal gene expression in Fragile X patients. Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation, affecting hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. The syndrome is caused by lack of normal expression (functioning) of the FMR1 gene that is critical for normal cognitive function in brain neuronal cells. Absence of expression of the FMR1...

Improved Diagnostics For Sleeping Sickness

Date: May-24-2012
Lies Van Nieuwenhove, researcher at the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine, has produced proteins imitating typical parts of the sleeping sickness parasite. They can be used in more efficient diagnostic tests, without the need for culturing dangerous parasites. Each year many thousands of Africans contract sleeping sickness. The cause is a unicellular parasite, a trypanosome, which is transmitted by the bite of tsetse flies. First the parasite multiplies in blood and lymph, while evading the human immune system. It then lodges in organs like heart and kidneys and finally in the brain....

Harvard Team Cracks Code For New Drug Resistant Superbugs

Date: May-24-2012
Antibiotic-resistant superbugs, including methicillin resistant Staph. aureus (MRSA), have become household words. Antibiotic resistance threatens health and lives. Schools have been closed, athletic facilities have been scrubbed, and assisted living and day care centers have been examined for transmission of these bacteria. Since 2005, MRSA have killed over 18,000 people a year in the United States alone. To make matters worse, in 2002 a new MRSA with resistance to even the last-line drug vancomycin (VRSA) appeared. Since the first case in Michigan, there have been at least 11 other...

Nationwide Expansion Of Systems Treating Severe Heart Attacks

Date: May-24-2012
The number of systems of care that quickly transfer and treat heart attack patients has increased substantially across the nation, according to research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. Results of a national survey from the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® STEMI program found similar characteristics and challenges with regional care systems that treat patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe form of heart attack. Each year in the United States, nearly 300,000 people...

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Risk Factors During Early Life

Date: May-23-2012
Older maternal age, low birth order, male gender, family characteristics, and high fetal growth are all factors that increase the risk of developing early life non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), say researchers.  According to the study, published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the incidence of NHL has increased significantly over the last 5 decades. Although the overall incidence began to stabilize among adults, it has continued growing in children, adolescents, and young adults. As a result, Casey Crump, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and colleagues...