Health News

Unnecessary lung surgeries halved by preoperative PET

Date: Mar-30-2014
New quantitative data suggests that 30 percent of the surgeries performed for non-small cell lung cancer patients in a community-wide clinical study were deemed unnecessary. Additionally, positron emission tomography (PET) was found to reduce unnecessary surgeries by 50 percent, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.PET imaging prior to surgery helps stage a patient's disease by providing functional images of tumors throughout the body, especially areas where cancer has spread, otherwise known as metastasis.

Patients with vitamin D deficiency at greater risk for more severe heart disease

Date: Mar-30-2014
Vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart disease with lower levels of vitamin D being associated with a higher presence and severity of coronary artery disease, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.A growing body of research shows that vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing heart disease.

Study reveals less invasive technique for vulvar cancer

Date: Mar-30-2014
A team of researchers from Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island's Program in Women's Oncology and Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine commanded a national stage to present the results of a study evaluating the use of sentinel lymph node dissection in women with vulvar malignancies, and then follow the patients for complications and recurrence.The team - Drs. Richard G. Moore, Dario Roque, Carolyn McCourt, Ashley Stuckey, Paul A.

Seasonal fluctuations in cholesterol levels

Date: Mar-30-2014
Cholesterol levels fluctuate based on the time of year with more unfavorable lipid profiles seen in the colder months, a trend that may be driven by related behavior changes, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.While previous studies have shown that heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter months, researchers at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease were interested in finding out whether cholesterol parameters might follow a similar pattern among a sample of 2.

Closure of coal plant in China led to improvements in children's health

Date: Mar-30-2014
Decreased exposure to air pollution in utero is linked with improved childhood developmental scores and higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key protein for brain development, according to a study looking at the closure of a coal-burning power plant in China led by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health.

College-aged drug users 'have impaired brain activity' linked to anticipation

Date: Mar-30-2014
New research from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine has uncovered impaired neuronal activity in the brains of college-aged students who occasionally use stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine and certain prescription drugs.The research team, led by Katia Harlé, PhD, recently published their findings in the Journal of Neuroscience.For their study, the investigators used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record the brain activity of 213 college students aged 18-24 years.

Cereal flake size can influence your calorie intake, researchers warn

Date: Mar-30-2014
How is it possible to eat more cereal than you normally would, by putting less cereal in your bowl? It sounds like a riddle, but researchers at Penn State University have made this a focal point of their nutritional investigations.National dietary guidelines define recommended amounts of food in volume measures, such as cups. However, these measures do not account for other variations in food characteristics that affect nutritional intake and the amount of food we eat.

Hospital readmission for asthma increased by air pollution from traffic

Date: Mar-30-2014
Higher exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) dramatically increases the odds of readmission to the hospital for asthma - but only for white children, according to a new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study.The study shows that white children exposed to high levels of TRAP are three times more likely to be readmitted for asthma than white children with low TRAP exposure. Levels of TRAP exposure were not associated with increased risk of readmission of black children, despite their having overall higher rates of asthma readmission than white children.

Cardiovascular disease, related deaths drop after Michigan implements public smoking ban

Date: Mar-30-2014
A new study on the impact of Michigan's statewide smoking ban adds to mounting evidence that policies prohibiting tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public spaces may substantially improve public health by reducing heart disease and death, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.Studies on previous indoor smoking bans have consistently shown a major decrease in hospital admissions for heart attacks after smoke-free laws went into effect. Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with an estimated 50,000 deaths among U.S.

Gender differences in how the heart responds to exercise: findings challenge a long-held formula for peak heart rate

Date: Mar-30-2014
The formula for peak exercise heart rate that doctors have used for decades in tests to diagnose heart conditions may be flawed because it does not account for differences between men and women, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.The simple formula of "220 minus age" has been widely used to calculate the maximum number of heart beats per minute a person can achieve. Many people use it to derive their target heart rate during a workout.