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Heart Attack Death Rates Higher When Patient Lives Near Highway
Date: May-10-2012Major highways pose a considerable risk to heart attack survivors living in close vicinity. Findings of the study, published in the May 7 issue of Circulation, report that researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center conclude that housing developments need to be isolated from areas with heavy traffic. The study demonstrated that the risk for heart attack survivors living within 100 meters (328 feet) or less from a roadway is 27% higher over a period of 10 years, as compared with those who live at least 1,000 meters away. This risk is reduced to 13% for survivors living between 200...
Playing Video Games May Benefit Kids With Cerebral Palsy
Date: May-10-2012According to a study published online in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, children with cerebral palsy (CP) may benefit from playing active video games (AVG), such as Nintendo's Wii. The researchers found that not only did children enjoy playing AVGs, the games can also help children attain moderate levels of physical activity and could potentially be used in rehabilitation therapy. Lead researcher Elaine Biddiss, Ph.D., of Toronto's Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Canada, explained: "Active...
Predicting Risk Of Death In End-Stage Kidney Disease, New Equation More Accurate
Date: May-10-2012A study in the May 9 edition of JAMA reveals that fewer people were classified as having chronic kidney disease, and more accurate predictions of the mortality risk and end-stage renal disease were made under a newer equation of risk prediction. Glomerular filtration rate (GRF) is a test used to determine whether the kidneys are functioning properly and is used in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In addition, GRF is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and renal failure. According to clinical guidelines, physicians are advised to report estimated GFR...
Exercise Reduces Breast And Colon Cancer Death Rates
Date: May-10-2012A study in the May 8 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that physical activity is linked to lower rates of breast and colon cancer deaths. However, there is not enough evidence to link physical activity to other types of cancer. Cancer survivors are able to enjoy a longer life due to improved cancer therapies and screenings and they frequently study information on how life factors, such as exercise, can affect their prognosis. Various observational studies and randomized control trials (RCTs) have evaluated the potential impact of physical activity on cancer...
Intrauterine Devices Better Than "The Morning After Pill" As Emergency Contraception
Date: May-10-2012A systematic review of 35 years of data published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction shows that intrauterine devices (IUDs), commonly known as a 'coil' should be routinely used as emergency contraception, given that their failure rate is less than one per thousand and because it has proven more effective than the "morning after pill". When left in place, IUDs also continue to protect women from unwanted pregnancy for many more years. The researchers analyzed data from 42 English and Chinese studies that were conducted between 1979 and 2011 in six...
Probiotics Reduce Diarrhea From Antibiotic Use Risk
Date: May-10-2012A study published in the May 9 issue of JAMA reveals that eating probiotic foods (live microorganisms), such as yogurt, reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a prevalent side effect of antibiotic use. The researchers explained: "The use of antibiotics that disturb the gastrointestinal flora [microbes] is associated with clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, which occurs in as many as 30 percent of patients. Symptoms range from mild and self-limiting to severe, particularly in Clostridium difficile infections, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is an important reason for...
Blocking Cancer's Recycling System
Date: May-10-2012According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, the Abramson Cancer Center and the School or Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new drug called Lys05 which blocks the process of recycling in cancer cells, thus preventing autophagy - which cancer cells rely on to escape damage from chemotherapy and other treatments. Furthermore, the team found that Lys05 kills tumor cells in mice. Ravi K. Amaravadi, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine, and colleagues previously demonstrated...
Diagnosing And Treating Diabetes In Asian Patients - Unique Physiology Is Key
Date: May-10-2012According to a new study, Asian Americans have an almost 50% higher risk than other Americans to develop diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. George L. King, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), explained: "The medical profession needs to be aware of and address the unique characteristics of this population. Without this understanding, diabetes could be misdiagnosed or missed altogether." In the May 2012 edition of Diabetes Care, Dr. King, together with a team of diabetes specialists, published a report...
Targeted Strategy To Prevent Obesity Could Avert Hundreds Of Thousands Of Diabetes Cases
Date: May-10-2012A study presented by Australian researchers at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France, demonstrates that 220,000 cases of type 2 diabetes could be averted by 2025 in Australia by using a targeted high-risk prevention strategy. Professor Jonathan Shaw, Associate Professor Anna Peeters, Dr Kathryn Backholer, and Associate Professor Dianna Magliano from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, examined three different strategy models to avert future diabetes cases that could be averted: The first strategy they examined was a 'junk food' tax as a...
Facebook Addiction - New Psychological Scale
Date: May-10-2012Researchers in Norway have published a new psychological scale to measure Facebook addiction, the first of its kind worldwide. They write about their work in the April 2012 issue of the journal Psychological Reports. They hope that researchers will find the new psychometric tool useful in investigating problem behavior linked to Facebook use. However, an accompanying article suggests a more useful approach might be to measure addiction to social networking as an activity, rather than addiction to a specific product like Facebook. This is particularly relevant given that Facebook is now more...
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