Health News

A simple blood test can predict diabetes risk much earlier

Date: Jan-30-2014
An estimated 25.8 million Americans have diabetes. Another 79 million are thought to have "prediabetes," meaning they are at risk of developing type-2 diabetes.Now Dr. Nataly Lerner of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and her colleagues have discovered that a simple blood test reveals an individual's risk of developing type-2 diabetes before they develop either condition - far earlier than previously believed. The findings, published in the European Journal of General Practice, could help doctors provide earlier diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Michal Shani and Prof.

What are the health benefits of strawberries?

Date: Jan-30-2014
Fresh summer strawberries are one of the most popular, refreshing and healthy treats on the planet. Wild strawberries have been popular since ancient Roman times and were used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes such as alleviating inflammation, fever, kidney stones, bad breath, gout and more.Today there are over 600 varieties of strawberries. The sweet, slightly tart berries rank among the top 10 fruits and vegetables in antioxidant capacity.

For adding and multiplying, quality of white matter in the brain is crucial

Date: Jan-30-2014
A new study led by Professor Bert De Smedt (Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven) has found that healthy 12-year-olds who score well in addition and multiplication have higher-quality white matter tracts. This correlation does not appear to apply to subtraction and division. Grey' cells process information in the brain and are connected via neural pathways, the tracts through which signals are transferred."Neural pathways are comparable to a bundle of cables. These cables are surrounded by an isolating sheath: myelin, or 'white matter'.

Diabetes and high estrogen levels raise dementia risk for women

Date: Jan-30-2014
New research suggests that older women who have both high estrogen levels and diabetes have a significantly higher risk of dementia, compared with older women who do not have these combined conditions. This is according to a study published online in Neurology.According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease - the most common form of dementia.Diabetes is a risk factor for dementia.

Severity of spatial neglect after stroke predicts long-term mobility recovery in community

Date: Jan-30-2014
Stroke rehabilitation researchers at Kessler Foundation report an association between acute, severe spatial neglect post stroke and long-term recovery of mobility. This new study indicates that severity of spatial neglect during the acute inpatient rehabilitation for right brain stroke may predict functional mobility in the community after discharge. The article, "Severity of spatial neglect during acute inpatient rehabilitation predicts community mobility post stroke," was recently epublished ahead of print in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Changes to protein SirT1 may prevent excess metabolic stress associated with obesity, diabetes and aging

Date: Jan-30-2014
Researchers find changes to protein SirT1 can prevent excess metabolic stress associated with obesity, diabetes and aging.Studies have suggested that the protein SirT1 may be protective in metabolic diseases and the effects of aging, and diminished SirT1 activity has been reported in various disease models including diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Maintaining a normal level of this protein may be effective in preventing obesity- and age-related diseases.

Changes to protein SirT1 may prevent excess metabolic stress associated with obesity, diabetes and aging

Date: Jan-30-2014
Researchers find changes to protein SirT1 can prevent excess metabolic stress associated with obesity, diabetes and aging.Studies have suggested that the protein SirT1 may be protective in metabolic diseases and the effects of aging, and diminished SirT1 activity has been reported in various disease models including diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Maintaining a normal level of this protein may be effective in preventing obesity- and age-related diseases.

Equivalent outcomes for double-lung transplants when blood type between donor and recipient is identical or compatible

Date: Jan-30-2014
In the largest retrospective study to date using data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database for adult double-lung transplants, Temple University School of Medicine researchers have shown that there is no statistically significant difference between rejection and mortality rates among double-lung transplant recipients when their transplanted organs came from donors whose blood-type was identical or compatible to their own.

Research has important implications for potential treatments of congenital cataracts

Date: Jan-30-2014
Deprivation of vision during critical periods of childhood development has long been thought to result in irreversible vision loss. Now, researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have challenged that theory by studying a unique population of pediatric patients who were blind during these critical periods before removal of bilateral cataracts.

Research has important implications for potential treatments of congenital cataracts

Date: Jan-30-2014
Deprivation of vision during critical periods of childhood development has long been thought to result in irreversible vision loss. Now, researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have challenged that theory by studying a unique population of pediatric patients who were blind during these critical periods before removal of bilateral cataracts.