Health News

The Positive Effects Of Heart Rehabilitation Programs

Date: May-07-2012
Research conducted at the University of Granada has demonstrated the efficiency of a heart rehabilitation program aimed at patients suffering from heart disease. The authors of this study affirm that it is essential that heart rehabilitation programs aimed at cardiac patients are established. In Spain, a low percentage of cardiac patients participate in this type of program, as compared to the rest of Europe. The study included a sample of 200 patients suffering from heart disease, who were members of the Association of Cardiac Patients of Granada, Spain. Subjects were assigned to two groups:...

Potential Alternatives To Antibiotics Offered By Bacteria Discovery

Date: May-07-2012
Scientists have discovered an Achilles heel within our cells that bacteria are able to exploit to cause and spread infection. The researchers say their findings could lead to the development of new anti-infective drugs as alternatives to antibiotics whose overuse has led to resistance. University of Manchester researchers studied Listeria - a potentially deadly group of bacteria that can cause listeriosis in humans when digested - and found they are able to spread infection by hitching a ride on a naturally occurring protein called calpain. "Bacteria produce a number of chemicals that allow...

Prebiotic May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk, Severity Of Colitis

Date: May-07-2012
Researchers at Michigan State University have shown a prebiotic may help the body's own natural killer cells fight bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, greatly decreasing the risk of colon cancer. Prebiotics are fiber supplements that serve as food for the trillions of tiny bacteria living in the gut. When taken, they can stimulate the growth of the "good" bacteria. The evolution of prebiotic supplements (as well as probiotics, which are actual bacteria ingested into the system) provide new therapeutic targets for researchers and physicians. In research published in the Journal of...

Clarifying Malnutrition: New Approach To Assessment And Diagnosis

Date: May-07-2012
A new systematic assessment of malnutrition, created by researchers at Penn State, will aid dietitians and other health care providers in diagnosis and treatment. Up to 50 percent of patients in hospitals and nursing facilities are estimated to be malnourished, according to Gordon Jensen, professor and head of nutritional sciences, Penn State. Although malnutrition is widespread, confusion exists in the clinical community on how to best make this diagnose. Malnourished patients are frequently not identified as such, and those not affected are sometimes thought to be malnourished. "Our...

Dissection Necessary For Breast Cancer Patients With Positive Ultrasound Guided Axillary Node Biopsy

Date: May-07-2012
Contrary to a trend in treatment, breast cancer patients with suspicious lymph nodes should have an ultrasound-guided axillary node biopsy, and if that biopsy is positive these patients should undergo an axillary dissection, a new study shows. The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, compared 199 patients with a positive ultrasound-guided axillary node biopsy to 434 patients with a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy. "About 50% of patients with a positive ultrasound-guided axillary node biopsy had substantial lymph node involvement; they were staged pN2 or pN3 at...

Women Should Still Have Screening Mammograms Even If They Have 'No Family History'

Date: May-07-2012
More than half the women aged 40-49 diagnosed with breast cancer on screening mammography report no family history, a new study shows. The study, conducted at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care, LLC in Rochester, NY of all breast cancers diagnosed between 2000 and 2010, found that 228 out of 373 cancers (61%) were found in women, aged 40-49 with no family history of breast cancer. Seventeen of the 228 patients did have a prior personal history of breast cancer or abnormal cells at a prior biopsy, and were not included in this analysis. Out of 211 women that remained for this study, 135(64%) who did...

Waking Embryos Before They Are Born

Date: May-07-2012
Under some conditions, the brains of embryonic chicks appear to be awake well before those chicks are ready to hatch out of their eggs. That's according to an imaging study published online in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, in which researchers woke chick embryos inside their eggs by playing loud, meaningful sounds to them. Playing meaningless sounds to the embryos wasn't enough to rouse their brains. The findings may have implications not only for developing chicks and other animals, but also for prematurely born infants, the researchers say. Pediatricians have worried about the...

Smokers With Variants In Specific Genes At Greater Risk For Hot Flashes

Date: May-07-2012
Women who smoke and carry specific variations in the genes that impact their metabolism are at higher risk of developing hot flashes in comparison with smokers who do not carry these gene variants, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with earlier onset of menopause, increased odds of hot flashes and risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The current study aimed to explore which smokers have the highest risk of hot flashes based on the...

Understanding Of Breast Cancer's Multiple Varieties Improved By New Data

Date: May-07-2012
New findings presented at Europe's leading breast cancer translational research conference this year shed new light on the many biological differences between individual breast cancers. Focused on the biological features that make tumors more or less sensitive to important therapies, the new studies will help doctors make crucial choices about the most appropriate treatment for millions of patients. "Despite major advances in the treatment of breast cancer many patients continue to relapse and die from the disease," noted Prof Mitch Dowsett from the Royal Marsden Hospital, UK, former IMPAKT...

Patient Recall Rates Reduced By 40 Percent With Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Date: May-07-2012
Adding digital breast tomosynthesis to 2D mammography screening results in a 40% reduction in patient recall rates compared to routine screening mammography alone, a new study shows. The study, conducted at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, of 7,578 screening mammograms, found that the recall rate was 6.6% for digital breast tomosynthesis plus 2D screening mammography. It was 11.1% for 2D screening mammography alone, said Melissa Durand, MD, one of the authors of the study. Similar recall rates were seen in both groups for masses, but the recall rate was significantly lower...