Health News

Getting Kids Off Their Seats - Parental Encouragement Vital

Date: May-08-2012
According to a study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, parental support is extremely vital in reducing the amount of time children engage in sedentary activities. The team found that children in Hispanic families are more likely to be sedentary and are more vulnerable to becoming overweight or obese than non-Hispanic white children. Zhen Cong, Ph.D., an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Texas Tech University, explained: "We found that family support is very important for reducing children's sedentary behaviors." Sedentary behaviors primarily...

Newborns With Missing Spleen - Genetic Link Identified

Date: May-08-2012
A study published online in the May 3 edition of Developmental Cell reveals that researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College and the Rockefeller University have identified the first gene, called Nkx2.5, which is associated with a rare condition called congenital asplenia, in which babies are born without a spleen.  Not having a spleen means that these children have a high mortality risk due to infections they are unable to defend themselves against. The study, a collaboration between Dr. Selleri and her team, and Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova at the Rockefeller University, who is professor in...

Overweight Toddlers - Mothers Commonly Underestimate Their Weight

Date: May-08-2012
Mothers whose toddlers are overweight frequently see them as having no weight problem and are happy with their body size, suggesting that overweight has become normal for several adults, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine reported in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. They also found that moms of underweight toddlers had accurate perceptions of their body size, but were dissatisfied. Erin R. Hager, PhD, said: "These findings are very concerning. Both parental perceptions of a child's body size and how satisfied a parent is with their child's size are...

Depressed Patients Should Be Regularly Assessed For Suicide Risk

Date: May-08-2012
After receiving a small number of complaints that criticized GPs for failing to appreciate that a patient represented a suicide risk, GPs are being advised to ensure they regularly assess patients with depression for risk of suicide. The latest issue of Good Practice, the MDU's journal for PGs and GPSTs, features an analysis of complaints with regard to depression and anxiety, which shows that GPs are generally good at diagnosing and managing this common condition. The report shows that from 24 complaints regarding the treatment of depression, only 1% of all complaints was notified to the MDU...

What Is Healthy Grocery Shopping?

Date: May-08-2012
Grocery shopping can be a daunting task if one follows advice of not buying anything at eye level, studying the label, and avoiding center isles and goods at the perimeter. Evidence has shown that Americans buy most of their food in grocery stores and that their shopping habits are predictive in terms of their fruit, vegetable and sugared soft drink consumption. Numerous grocery stores have decided to become pro-active in helping to assist their consumers to choose healthy foods, such as displaying the food's nutritional score on the shelf's price label. The May/June 2012 issue of the Journal...

Inner Workings Of Brain Cells Revealed By Robots

Date: May-08-2012
Entering the inner works of a neuron in the living brain is such a painstaking, complex and complicated task that it is considered an art form, which can only be done in a small number of laboratories worldwide. A neuron's inner workings in the living brain provide a vast amount of useful information. For instance, it offers information on the brain's patterns of electrical activity, its shape and even a profile of which genes are turned on at a particular moment. 
 According to the May 6 issue of Nature Methods, researchers at MIT and Georgia Tech have developed a method to automate the...

Animals Should Be Slaughtered Humanely, British Veterinary Association Urges

Date: May-08-2012
According to a comment by the former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) in this week's Veterinary Record, slaughtering animals for commercial meat supply without stunning them first should be banned, or at the very least be curbed. Data suggests that killings in this way have progressively risen over the past decade, even though UK and EU legislation has made allowances by permitting animals to be slaughtered by slitting their throats without being stunned first in order to meet the religious dietary requirements for Jews and Muslims, as long as it does not cause...

Middle Aged And Elderly With Depression Have Higher Risk Of Dementia

Date: May-08-2012
A report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry draws a link between people in mid-life and late-life, suffering from depression and the possibility of them developing dementia. More than five million people in the US alone suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and the health care costs run at a staggering $172 Billion. Deborah E. Barnes, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and colleagues explain how : "Prevalence and costs of AD and other dementias are projected to rise dramatically during the next 40...

Compulsory Physical Education Results In Fitter Students

Date: May-08-2012
A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals that children are more likely to have better fitness levels if physical education at their school is mandatory. The researchers examined fitness levels among fifth graders in both public school districts in California that comply with the state's mandatory physical education requirement and those that don't.  Lead author, Emma V. Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Sc.D., assistant professor of health education at San Francisco State University, explained: "Even though California has a physical education law and monitors its compliance,...

Biomarkers World Europe 2012, 22-24 May, London

Date: May-08-2012
New directions in drug discovery and development Biomarkers World Europe has established itself as the premier European event for biomarker development and implementation from discovery through to personalized medicine. Create an optimum biomarker strategy and be able to move towards personalised therapeutics with the insight of the world's leading biomarker scientists. Transform your R&D investments and join representatives from the world's top pharma & biotech to discuss biomarker strategy and development. Join us at Biomarkers World Europe. 8 reasons to attend: Enhance biomarker development...