Health News

Altering Attitude To An Ailment May Result In Less Day-To-Day Pain

Date: May-01-2012
Evidence of a study published in the journal Pain reveals that people with chronic pain who learn to divert the focus away from their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain. Research leader, Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says: "We have found that people who ruminate about their pain and have more negative thoughts about their pain don't sleep as well, and the result is they feel more pain. If cognitive behavioral therapy can help people change the way they think...

Study Supports Allowing Family Members In ED During Critical Care

Date: May-01-2012
Contrary to what many trauma teams believe, the presence of family members does not impede the care of injured children in the emergency department, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 28, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. Professional medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians, support family presence during resuscitations and invasive procedures. The degree of family member involvement ranges from observation to participation, depending on the comfort level of families and...

Electronic Survey Facilitated Testing For Sexually Transmitted Infections In Pediatric Emergency Department

Date: May-01-2012
More than 1 million youths ages 15-24 have sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea. Many others, however, are unaware they are infected because they have not been tested. Technology can change that, according to preliminary data from a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. The study showed that adolescents visiting a pediatric emergency department (ED) are willing to disclose information about their sexual activity when filling out a computerized questionnaire, and this information can be used...

Radiologists Play Key Role In Successful Bariatric Procedures

Date: May-01-2012
With the increase of obesity in the last 50 years, bariatric surgeries are becoming a common solution for tackling this epidemic. A new exhibit shows how radiologists play a key role in ensuring the success of these procedures. "Although complications are generally rare with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and gastric banding procedures, it's critical for radiologists to be familiar with both the normal presentations and possible complications for these surgeries," said Dr. Mariam Moshiri, lead author for this presentation. Dr. Moshiri and her co-authors at the University of Washington Medical Center...

Living Kidney Donors Benefit From New Imaging Protocols

Date: May-01-2012
A new study from UCLA shows how magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) are equivalent in delineating anatomy in living renal donors. In a study that examined 30 patients and 60 kidneys, both modalities were "excellent" in detecting the number of renal arteries and veins. Dr. Mittul Gulati, lead author for the study noted, "either MRA or CTA are great tools for helping surgeons remove kidneys safely, identifying donor and recipient veins and vessels, and identifying incidental findings." The results could potentially reduce radiation exposure for...

Screening And Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer For Asian Women Improved By Automated Breast Volume Sonography

Date: May-01-2012
A new study from researchers at the Bangkok Breast Center shows significant improvement in the detection of breast cancer in Asian women using automated breast volume sonography (ABVS) as compared to hand-held ultrasound (HHUS). In their study on 504 findings in 212 patients at the Bangkok Breast Center, researchers found that ABVS agreed with HHUS in detecting 15 suspicious lesions, uncovered 12 additional suspicious lesions, and excluded 3 suspicious lesions in these cases. A coordinating five-year retrospective study on 26,741 mammograms with ultrasound also revealed that ultrasound helped...

'Food Insecurity' May Lead Mothers To Engage In Feeding Practices Associated With Childhood Weight Gain

Date: May-01-2012
While eating too much food can cause obesity, the fear of not having enough food may lead to the same result, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. Being worried about not having enough food to feed one's family, a situation called food insecurity, is common in low-income families. These families often are overweight, too. "Understanding the reasons why poverty puts families at greater risk of obesity is essential to addressing the epidemic," said study lead author Rachel Gross, MD, MS, FAAP, assistant professor in the Department of...

Lower Seat Belt Use By Obese Drivers Puts Them At Greater Risk In Road Traffic Accidents

Date: May-01-2012
Obese drivers are far less likely to wear seat belts than are drivers of normal weight, a new University at Buffalo study has found, a behavior that puts them at greater risk of severe injury or death during motor vehicle crashes. The UB study found that normal weight drivers are 67 percent more likely to wear a seat belt than morbidly obese drivers. Drivers were considered overweight or obese if they had a BMI (body mass index) of 25 or more, according to the World Health Organization definition of obesity, with 25-30 defined as overweight, 30-35 slightly obese, 35-40 moderately obese and 40...

Infants May Be Overfed If Their Moms Are Under Stress

Date: May-01-2012
Efforts to prevent obesity among low-income infants should focus not only on what babies are being fed but also the reasons behind unhealthy feeding practices, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. Adding cereal to bottles is one unhealthy practice that is discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics because it may lead to overfeeding and excess weight gain in infants. Researchers sought to determine factors associated with putting cereal in bottles among low-income, primarily Latino households in which the risk for child...

Overweight Teens Who Are Satisfied With Their Bodies Are Less Depressed, Less Prone To Unhealthy Behaviors

Date: May-01-2012
A study to be published in the June 2012 issue of Journal of Adolescent Health looking at the relationships between body satisfaction and healthy psychological functioning in overweight adolescents has found that young women who are happy with the size and shape of their bodies report higher levels of self-esteem. They may also be protected against the negative behavioral and psychological factors sometimes associated with being overweight. A group of 103 overweight adolescents were surveyed between 2004 and 2006, assessing body satisfaction, weight-control behavior, importance placed on...