Health News

Healthcare workers in South Africa face greater risk for TB, HIV, hepatitis

Date: Feb-18-2014
A large-scale survey of South African healthcare workers has revealed major gaps in workplace protection against tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis, according to a University of British Columbia health researcher.Presenting findings at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Dr. Annalee Yassi said issues such as confidentiality, stigma, technological capacity and staff training need to be addressed while improving hospital resources and protocols.

As few as 3 cognitive behavioral therapy sessions for insomnia can reduce health care utilization and costs

Date: Feb-18-2014
A new study is the first to show decreases in health care utilization and costs following brief treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI).Results show that sleep improved in 86 percent of insomnia patients who completed at least three sessions of CBTI. In the six months following treatment, health care utilization decreased and health care-related costs were reduced by more than $200 on average among treatment completers.

Researchers disprove the hitherto conventional classification of immune cells

Date: Feb-18-2014
An international team of scientists under the leadership of the University of Bonn disproves a dogma: To date, immunologists have assumed that the macrophages functioning as "scavenger cells" can be classified into two different forms. In an extensive search, the researchers have now discovered that these immune cells turn into far more different manifestations. These findings also give rise to completely new therapeutic approaches for many widespread diseases. The results are now being published in the renowned journal Immunity.

Four hundred lives a year could be saved by innovative donor kidney distribution model

Date: Feb-18-2014
Northwestern University's Sanjay Mehrotra has developed an innovative model that could help ease kidney distribution inequities among regions in the U.S. and ultimately help save hundreds of lives. His mathematical model, which takes into account a number of different factors, simulates and optimizes donor kidney distribution.Mehrotra discussed his research in a presentation titled "Addressing Allocation Inefficiencies and Geographic Disparities" at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Chicago.

Preventing food contamination employing antimicrobial preservation strategies

Date: Feb-18-2014
Food spoiling and poisoning caused by microbial contamination can cause major health, social, and economic problems. The broad scope of antimicrobial approaches to kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms in foods and beverages, including a variety of natural and artificial preservative strategies, are described in a comprehensive Review article in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Industrial Biotechnology website.

Biomarkers could help classify sub-types of depression, improve treatments

Date: Feb-18-2014
New insights into the physiological causes of depression are leading to treatments beyond common antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, researchers are reporting in the in the journal Current Psychiatry.Depression treatments on the horizon include new medications, electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain and long-term cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management.Authors are Murali Rao, MD, and Julie M. Alderson, DO.

Research offers new insight into protein misfolding in neurodegenerative disorders

Date: Feb-18-2014
Research by the University of Southampton has provided new insight into the consequence of accumulated 'misfolded proteins' in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Prion and Alzheimer's disease.Prion and Alzheimer's disease are protein misfolding brain diseases, where genetic mutations, or more commonly, interactions between an individual's genetics and environmental influences cause functional proteins in neurons to become misfolded or misrouted.

The power of first impressions

Date: Feb-18-2014
Knowledge is power, yet new research suggests that a person's appearance alone can trump knowledge. First impressions are so powerful that they can override what we are told about people. A new study found that even when told whether a person was gay or straight, participants generally identified the person's sexual orientation based on how they looked - even if it contradicted the facts presented to them."We judge books by their covers, and we can't help but do it," says Nicholas Rule of the University of Toronto.

Football helmets 'may do little to protect against concussion'

Date: Feb-18-2014
For football players, helmets are a crucial piece of equipment thought to reduce the severity of head injuries. But new research suggests that football helmets may do little to protect players from concussion. This is according to a study due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, in April.To reach their findings, the research team, including study co-author Dr.

Lung disease patients may no longer require biopsies for diagnosis

Date: Feb-18-2014
People who are suspected to have the lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis may not have to undergo biopsies, as clinical and radiological results should provide a confident diagnosis, according to a new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.There is no cure for IPF and most people will only survive for 3 to 5 years following diagnosis.