Health News

Vitamin D status associated with multiple sclerosis activity, progression

Date: Jan-20-2014
Vitamin D status appears to be associated with reduced disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a slower rate of disease progression, according to a study by Alberto Ascherio, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues. MS is a common cause of neurological disability and vitamin D status may be related to the disease process, according to the study background.

Chocolate, wine and berries may protect against type 2 diabetes

Date: Jan-20-2014
Good news for chocolate and wine lovers. New research suggests that consuming high levels of flavonoids, found in foods such as chocolate, tea, berries and wine, may help protect against type 2 diabetes. This is according to a study recently published in The Journal of Nutrition.Investigators from Kings College London and the University of East Anglia, both in the UK, say their research shows that a high intake of these dietary compounds is linked to reduced insulin resistance and improved glucose regulation.

New hope for lupus screening and treatment

Date: Jan-20-2014
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered a new immune protein influencing autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.In autoimmune diseases like lupus, the body's immune system overreacts and attacks healthy tissue, instead of just eliminating germs. Lupus can affect lots of different areas of the body including the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart and the brain. The symptoms of lupus vary from person to person and can include fever, kidney trouble, feeling tired all the time and rashes.

Secondhand smoke linked to hospital readmission for asthmatic kids

Date: Jan-20-2014
A new study reveals that children who have asthma are much more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 1 year if they are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the car.Researchers from the study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, say their findings could prompt insurance companies to give incentives to parents or guardians who quit smoking.Guided by senior author Dr. Robert Kahn from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, the research team - also from Penn State Milton S.

Researchers find cause of calcium-triggered arrhythmias

Date: Jan-20-2014
A new study published recently in Nature Medicine describes how researchers in Canada have discovered the underlying biological mechanism of calcium waves in the heart and how they trigger a type of arrhythmia that can lead to sudden death.The researchers, led by senior author Dr. SR Wayne Chen, an electrophysiologist at the University of Calgary's Libin Institute, hope their discovery will lead to new "molecularly tailored" drugs to treat this type of arrhythmia.

Arab countries living longer but battling chronic disease

Date: Jan-20-2014
Countries in the Arab world - from Saudi Arabia to Mauritania to Yemen - have made some significant health gains over the past two decades, including increases in life expectancy and swift reductions in child mortality. But the rise of chronic diseases, diet-related risk factors, and deaths from road injuries during the same period threatens that progress. These are some of the findings published in "The State of Health in the Arab World, 1990-2010: An Analysis of the Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors.

Mental health of Spanish men worsened with the economic crisis

Date: Jan-20-2014
Experts and social organizations have warned of the negative effects that the economic crisis could mean for the health of the population. But it was not easy to demonstrate with data what is happening. A new comparative analysis of the last two National Health Surveys revealed a rise in mental health problems in men (from 15% in 2006 to 17% in 2012), which contrasts on the other hand with a decrease in women (25% in 2006 to 23% in 2012).

Leishmania - study reveals the role of sex in spread of deadly disease

Date: Jan-20-2014
Research involving scientists at the University of York has provided important new information about transmission of human leishmaniasis, a group of infectious diseases which kills more than 100,000 people a year.Professor Deborah Smith of the Centre for Immunology and Infection at York, working with colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Charles University in Prague, has shown that Leishmania parasites reproduce sexually in the wild.The research, published in PLOS Genetics, is a significant step forward in understanding how leishmaniasis is spread in endemic regions.

Most women undergoing conservative surgery for vulvar cancer maintain healthy body image and sex life

Date: Jan-20-2014
A new study finds that most women who undergo conservative surgery for vulvar cancer experience little to no long-term disruption to sexuality and body image. Published early online in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the study also reveals factors that can increase women's risk of feeling negative emotions after surgery.Women diagnosed with vulvar cancer are often treated with surgery that involves the removal of substantial sections of the external genitalia.

BUSM study associates pro-inflammatory molecules with early death in HIV patients

Date: Jan-20-2014
A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides new insight into the impact that pro-inflammatory molecules have on early death in HIV patients who abuse alcohol. The findings, published online in the journal AIDS pinpoint the inflammatory markers most associated with early death and may help explain why some patients die earlier than others even when all of these patients are on antiretroviral therapy. Daniel Fuster, MD, PhD, a researcher at the Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) unit at BUSM, is the study's lead author.