Health News

Intimate partner violence in men who have sex with men is linked to adverse health effects

Date: Mar-05-2014
Intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) is linked to greater risk of mental and physical health symptoms, substance misuse, and sexually transmitted infections, according to a research article published in PLOS Medicine. The study, led by Ana Maria Buller and Loraine Bacchus from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, working with experts from King's College London, identified associations with negative health indicators for both victims and perpetrators of IPV among MSM.

Children with ADHD have higher risk of teenage obesity and physical inactivity

Date: Mar-05-2014
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to become obese and sedentary teenagers, according to new research.Previous studies have suggested a link between ADHD and obesity, but whether one leads to the other is unclear. One way to better understand the link is to follow children through to adolescence.The new study, which followed almost 7000 children in Finland, found that those who had ADHD symptoms at age eight had significantly higher odds of being obese at age 16. Children who had ADHD symptoms were also less physically active as teenagers.

New research on potent HIV antibodies opens up possibilities for HIV prevention and treatment

Date: Mar-05-2014
The discovery of how a KwaZulu-Natal woman's body responded to her HIV infection by making potent antibodies (called broadly neutralising antibodies, because they are able to kill multiple strains of HIV from across the world), was reported today (3 March 2014) by the CAPRISA consortium of AIDS researchers jointly with scientists from the United States. The study, published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature, describes how the research team found and identified these antibodies in her blood and then duplicated them by cloning the antibodies in the laboratory.

Majority of public in England think case for care.data has not been well publicised

Date: Mar-05-2014
A new opinion poll - released to coincide with a House of Commons adjournment debate on the issue of care.data (4 March 2014) - shows that the majority of the public in England believes that the case for the introduction of the care.data electronic database of all patient records from GP practices has not been well-publicised. The survey, commissioned by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), also shows that two thirds of the public believe that patients' right to opt out of having their records added to the electronic database has not been well-publicised.

Tears and fears: How do emotions change our political attitudes?

Date: Mar-05-2014
Politicians know that turning on the tears can be a vote winner, but how does the political manipulation of our emotions actually work? Research in Political Psychology explores how emotions such as anxiety, even if their cause has nothing to do with politics, can result in a hardening of our views."There's been a lot of focus in recent years on emotions and political attitudes, but the ways we, as political scientists, have studied this phenomena have made it hard to draw firm conclusions," said Dr. Jonathan Renshon, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Study suggests new application of a sophisticated method for improved accuracy of antibiotic dosing in critically ill patients

Date: Mar-05-2014
A new application for a monitoring technique allows doctors to better predict antibiotic concentrations in the blood of critically ill patients, according to a study by Nyack Hospital researchers. The technique involves a combination of blood level monitoring and computerized decision support. The findings will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, held in Barcelona, Spain from May 10-13, 2014 by Andras Farkas, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacy Manager at Nyack Hospital.

Motion-sensing cells in the eye let the brain 'know' about directional changes

Date: Mar-05-2014
How do we "know" from the movements of speeding car in our field of view if it's coming straight toward us or more likely to move to the right or left?Scientists have long known that our perceptions of the outside world are processed in our cortex, the six-layered structure in the outer part of our brains. But how much of that processing actually happens in cortex? Do the eyes tell the brain a lot or a little about the content of the outside world and the objects moving within it?

New approach to breast reconstruction surgery reduces opioid painkiller use, hospital stays

Date: Mar-05-2014
A new approach to breast reconstruction surgery aimed at helping patients' bodies get back to normal more quickly cut their postoperative opioid painkiller use in half and meant a day less in the hospital on average, a Mayo Clinic study found. The method includes new pain control techniques, preventive anti-nausea treatment and getting women eating and walking soon after free flap breast reconstruction surgery. It has proved so effective, it is now being used across plastic surgery at Mayo Clinic.

Obesity rates in Canada have tripled in less than 3 decades

Date: Mar-05-2014
Obesity rates in Canada tripled between 1985 and 2011, from 6% to 18%, with significant increases in the very obese categories; it is projected that approximately 21% of Canadian adults will be obese by 2019, according to an article published in CMAJ Open.Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, has substantial adverse health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. As well, obesity has an associated annual cost in Canada estimated at between $4.6 and $7.1 billion.Normal weight is classified as BMI 18.5-24.9, overweight as BMI 25.0-29.

Reliable pretreatment information assists prostate cancer patients in decision-making

Date: Mar-05-2014
Men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer need to assimilate information rapidly in order to weigh the treatment options and make informed decisions. Although patients consult a variety of information sources, outcome information that is specific to the treating physician leads to greater patient satisfaction following treatment, according to a new study published in The Journal of Urology®. The benefits of patient information are broad.