Health News

Male hormones play an important role in female fertility; may enhance IVF therapy

Date: Mar-06-2014
Several fertility clinics across the country are beginning to administer testosterone, either through a patch or a gel on the skin, to increase the number of eggs produced by certain women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women are also purchasing the over-the-counter supplement DHEA, which is converted by the body into testosterone, to boost their chances of pregnancy with IVF.

Anxiety over Facebook photos linked to eating disorders

Date: Mar-06-2014
Facebook has become a global phenomenon and an active space for social comparison. With the increase in technology use, there is a positive correlation with decreased body image in young women. In a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, 960 female college students were evaluated on the time they spend on social media sites, how important "likes" are, and whether or not they untag photos of themselves.

Some cancers evade detection by silencing parts of immune system cells

Date: Mar-06-2014
Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a set of genes that appear to predict which tumors can evade detection by the body's immune system, a step that may enable them to eventually target only the patients most likely to respond best to a new class of treatment.Immune therapy for ovarian, breast and colorectal cancer - treatments that encourage the immune system to attack cancer cells as the foreign invaders they are - has so far had limited success, primarily because the immune system often can't destroy the cancer cells.

Surgery over watchful waiting better for younger prostate cancer patients

Date: Mar-06-2014
A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that mortality rates are lower for younger men having surgery for prostate cancer, compared with those who follow watchful waiting.Prostate cancer is common among older men and rare in men under the age of 40. For most forms of cancer, treatment at as early a stage as possible is preferred, but prostate cancer is less straightforward. A prostate tumor may grow very slowly without any symptoms, or it may grow very quickly and spread to other parts of the body.

Pediatric neuromuscular disorder may be treated with plant extract

Date: Mar-06-2014
Study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.The research team have found that a plant pigment called quercetin - present in some fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains - could help to prevent damage to the nerves associated with the childhood form of motor neurone disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).SMA, also known as 'floppy baby syndrome', is a leading genetic cause of death in children. It affects approximately one in 6,000 to 10,000 children and around half of children with the most severe form will die before the age of two.

Life changing HIV/STI prevention program in Haiti is saving lives

Date: Mar-06-2014
New research from the University of Toronto shows that a little training can go a long way in a desperate situation.Carmen Logie, assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, demonstrated that marginalized and displaced women in Leogane, Haiti, can measurably impact mental and sexual health behaviours in their village. Leogane was at the epicentre of a 2010 earthquake that displaced entire populations and led to the collapse of business, social and health infrastructure throughout the country.

New ways to thwart infections likely following first look at how individual staphylococcus cells adhere to nanostructures

Date: Mar-06-2014
The bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus (S. aureus) is a common source of infections that occur after surgeries involving prosthetic joints and artificial heart valves. The grape-shaped microorganism adheres to medical equipment, and if it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious and even life-threatening illness called a Staph infection. The recent discovery of drug-resistant strains of S. aureus makes matters even worse.

After deployment, military fathers have to re-learn parenting

Date: Mar-06-2014
Fathers who returned after military service report having difficulty connecting with young children who sometimes don't remember them, according to a study released this week.While the fathers in the study had eagerly anticipated reuniting with their families, they reported significant stress, especially around issues of reconnecting with children, adapting expectations from military to family life, and co-parenting."A service member who deploys when his child is an infant and returns home when the child is a toddler may find an entirely different child," says lead author Dr.

Imprint of chemotherapy linked to inflammation in breast cancer survivors

Date: Mar-06-2014
Many breast cancer survivors experience fatigue and other debilitating symptoms that persist months to years after their course of treatment has ended.Now researchers at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have found clues that may explain how these symptoms can linger. Chemotherapy, one of the major treatments for breast cancer, can leave a long-lasting epigenetic imprint in the DNA of breast cancer patients' blood cells. That imprint is associated with biological signs of inflammation up to six months after the completion of treatment.

New diagnostic, treatment approach for aggressive prostate cancer suggested by cholesterol-metabolism study

Date: Mar-06-2014
Researchers have discovered a link between prostate cancer aggressiveness and the accumulation of a compound produced when cholesterol is metabolized in cells, findings that could bring new diagnostic and treatment methods.Findings also suggest that a class of drugs previously developed to treat atherosclerosis might be repurposed for treatment of advanced prostate cancer.The research showed depletion of the compound cholesteryl ester significantly reduced prostate cancer cell proliferation, impaired its ability to invade a laboratory tissue culture and suppressed tumor growth in mice.