Health News

Radiotherapy after mastectomy benefits women with breast cancer that has spread to just a few lymph nodes

Date: Mar-19-2014
Women whose breast cancer has spread to just a few lymph nodes under their arm are less likely to have their disease recur or to die from it if they have radiotherapy after mastectomy, according to new research to be presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-9) and published in The Lancet.Dr Paul McGale will tell the meeting that, until now, there has been uncertainty over whether women with early breast cancer that has spread to just one, two or three lymph nodes under the arm gain any benefit from radiotherapy after surgery.

Older women 'twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's than breast cancer'

Date: Mar-19-2014
As women get older, it is well known that the risk of developing breast cancer increases. But a new report from the Alzheimer's Association finds that women in their 60s are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease over the rest of their lives as they are breast cancer.The report also reveals that a woman's estimated lifetime risk of developing the disease at the age of 65 is 1 in 6, while the risk stands at 1 in 11 for a man.

3rd Annual Orphan Drugs Congress, 21 - 22 May 2014, Barcelona

Date: Mar-19-2014
Fleming Europe giving hope to DMD patients"FEW months following Misko's birth in January 2007, a blood test revealed that his liver enzymes were elevated but his parents did not consider it extremely serious. Eventually the baby boy was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), an inherited disorder that causes rapidly progressive muscle weakness and wasting. The child will be wheelchair-bound by the age of 10, and he will most likely not live past his 20th birthday," says story by EURORDIS, first published in July 2011.

Gut bacteria play a role in why dark chocolate is so good for you

Date: Mar-19-2014
While a study proclaiming the benefits of dark chocolate is hardly necessary to convince us to eat it, new research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society may make us feel better about eating that truffle after lunch. It seems bacteria in the stomach eat the chocolate and produce anti-inflammatory compounds that are beneficial for the heart.Flavanols - naturally occurring antioxidants - are plentiful in cocoa products, but until now, scientists have not been clear on what happens to them in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Almost half of Americans believe in medical conspiracy theories

Date: Mar-19-2014
About half of all American adults believe in at least one medical conspiracy theory, according to a study from researchers at the University of Chicago in Illinois and published in JAMA Internal Medicine.Conspiracy theories concerning aliens, secret societies and shadowy governmental organizations have become a firm trope in popular culture thanks to cult television shows, novels and movies like The X-Files and The Da Vinci Code. But conspiracy theories have also sprouted up around numerous public health concerns over the past 50 years.

Smartphone app reduces stress for anxious people

Date: Mar-19-2014
New research published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science suggests playing a science-based app on a smartphone for 25 minutes can reduce levels of anxiety in people who are stressed.The authors suggest turning scientifically supported interventions into game apps offers a new way to attain measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people who have high levels of anxiety.Lead author Dr.

Teen gang membership can harm adult years

Date: Mar-19-2014
A new study suggests that having been a member of a teen gang means years later an adult is not only at higher risk of crime conviction and receiving illegal income, but also is less likely to have completed high school and more likely to be in poor health, receiving welfare and struggling with drug abuse.

Smartphone app reduces stress for anxious people

Date: Mar-19-2014
New research published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science suggests playing a science-based app on a smartphone for 25 minutes can reduce levels of anxiety in people who are stressed.The authors suggest turning scientifically supported interventions into game apps offers a new way to attain measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people who have high levels of anxiety.Lead author Dr.

Teen gang membership can harm adult years

Date: Mar-19-2014
A new study suggests that having been a member of a teen gang means years later an adult is not only at higher risk of crime conviction and receiving illegal income, but also is less likely to have completed high school and more likely to be in poor health, receiving welfare and struggling with drug abuse.

Using age to distinguish normal from abnormal blood test results appears to safely exclude lung blood clots in older patients

Date: Mar-19-2014
Using a patient's age to raise the threshold for an abnormal result of a blood test used to assess patients with a suspected pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lungs) appeared to be safe and led to fewer healthy patients with the diagnosis, according to a study in JAMA. D-dimer is a breakdown product of a blood clot, and measuring D-dimer levels is one way doctors exclude a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Several studies have shown that D-dimer levels increase with age.