Health News

Study offers hope for patients with advanced cervical cancer

Date: Feb-25-2014
Research on cervical cancer performed by a physician at the University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The multi-site research project by Bradley J. Monk, MD, is expected to change the standard of care for women with advanced cervical cancer.The featured research revealed that women with advanced cervical cancer live about four months longer with the combined use of bevacizumab (Avastin®) and chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone.

Some hospital infections reduced by computerized checklist

Date: Feb-25-2014
A computerized safety checklist that automatically pulls information from patients' electronic medical records was associated with a threefold drop in rates of one serious type of hospital-acquired infection, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.The study, conducted in the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit, targeted bloodstream infections that begin in central lines - catheters inserted into major veins.

High carb diet may increase your risk of dementia

Date: Feb-25-2014
Even small increases in blood sugar caused by a diet high in carbohydrates can be detrimental to brain health. Recent reports in medical literature link carbohydrate calorie-rich diets to a greater risk for brain shrinkage, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, impaired cognition, and other disorders. David Perlmutter, MD, best-selling author of Grain Brain, explores this important topic in a provocative interview in Alternative and Complementary Therapies from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Alternative and Complementary Therapies website.Dr.

Gene therapy a promising tool for cardiac regeneration

Date: Feb-25-2014
After a heart attack, there is often permanent damage to a portion of the heart. This happens, in part, because cardiac muscle cells are terminally differentiated and cannot proliferate after blood flow is blocked off to the heart. This partial healing can be attributed to heart disease being one of the leading causes of death. What if the cells could be stimulated to divide and the heart could be induced to repair itself? This was the question posed by George Washington University (GW) researcher Scott Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D.

Vigorous activity often precedes heart attacks, stroke at work

Date: Feb-25-2014
Research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's Annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA, reveals that firefighters who died due to vascular events, such as heart attack or stroke, were mostly engaging in vigorous physical activity just before the attack.The investigators, led by Dr. Amna Zarar of Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in Minnesota, suggest employers need to be aware of these risks.

Vegetarian diet could be used to lower blood pressure

Date: Feb-25-2014
Vegetarians seem to have lower blood pressure, according to a new analysis. Could adopting a vegetarian diet be a useful strategy for lowering blood pressure?It is well known that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. Controlling blood pressure through lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, is key for avoiding heart problems. But medical opinion has been split over whether a vegetarian diet is effective for reducing blood pressure. Different studies on how vegetarian diets influence blood pressure have reported conflicting results.

Maternal acetaminophen use 'increases risk of offspring behavioral disorders'

Date: Feb-25-2014
New research suggests that children of mothers who use acetaminophen during pregnancy are much more likely to develop hyperkinetic disorders and behavioral problems associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, compared with children of mothers who do not use the pain-relieving drug during pregnancy.This is according to a study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.According to the research team, including Zayan Liew of the University of California, Los Angeles, acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most commonly used drug to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.

Increased risk of prostate cancer in some men taking selenium and vitamin E supplements

Date: Feb-25-2014
A multi-center study led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that high-dose supplementation with both the trace element selenium and vitamin E increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. But importantly, this risk depends upon a man's selenium status before taking the supplements.

Bone marrow cells are actively involved in sensing infection

Date: Feb-25-2014
In the battle against infection, immune cells are the body's offense and defense - some cells go on the attack while others block invading pathogens. It has long been known that a population of blood stem cells that resides in the bone marrow generates all of these immune cells. But most scientists have believed that blood stem cells participate in battles against infection in a delayed way, replenishing immune cells on the front line only after they become depleted.

Researchers enhance anti-cancer benefits, increase shelf life of broccoli

Date: Feb-25-2014
While researching methods to increase the already well-recognized anti-cancer properties of broccoli, researchers at the University of Illinois also found a way to prolong the vegetable's shelf life.And, according to the recently published study, the method is a natural and inexpensive way to produce broccoli that has even more health benefits and won't spoil so quickly on your refrigerator shelf.