Health News

Antidepressants for bipolar disorder

Date: Dec-30-2013
The use of antidepressants in the treatment of bipolar disorder remains controversial. Some studies and treatment guidelines suggest that antidepressant treatment for bipolar disorder may have the potential to increase the manic switch, while others recommend short-term antidepressant treatment and early discontinuation. A recent study by Dr. Yingli Zhang and co-workers from Mental Health Institute of Central South University in China involved new large-sample double-blind randomized controlled trials, excluded open-label design studies, and supplemented studies involving homogeneous patients.

Multi-component therapy shown beneficial in treating PTSD in adolescent girls

Date: Dec-30-2013
Adolescents girls with sexual abuse-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced greater benefit from prolonged exposure therapy (a type of therapy that has been shown effectiveness for adults) than from supportive counseling, according to a study appearing in the December 25 issue of JAMA."Adolescence is a unique developmental stage that is associated with increased exposure to traumatic events that can lead to PTSD," according to background information in the article.

Researchers show the power of mirror neuron system in learning and language understanding

Date: Dec-30-2013
Anyone who has tried to learn a second language knows how difficult it is to absorb new words and use them to accurately express ideas in a completely new cultural format. Now, research into some of the fundamental ways the brain accepts information and tags it could lead to new, more effective ways for people to learn a second language.Tests have shown that the human brain uses the same neuron system to see an action and to understand an action described in language.

Chewing gum is often the culprit for migraine headaches in teens - 87 percent who quit experience significant relief

Date: Dec-30-2013
Teenagers are notorious for chewing a lot of gum. The lip smacking, bubble popping, discarded gum stuck to the sole give teachers and parents a headache.Now, Dr. Nathan Watemberg of Tel Aviv University-affiliated Meir Medical Center has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches too. His findings, published in Pediatric Neurology, could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.

African-American women must eat less or exercise more to lose as much weight as caucasians

Date: Dec-30-2013
African-American women may need to eat fewer calories or burn more than their Caucasian counterparts to lose a comparable amount of weight, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a study published online in the International Journal of Obesity.Several studies have suggested that African-American women don't lose as much weight as Caucasian women in response to the same behavioral interventions of calorie restriction or increased physical activity, said lead investigator, James P. DeLany, Ph.D.

A mathematical perspective of seasonal variations in Lyme disease transmission

Date: Dec-30-2013
Lyme disease is a common tick-borne illness caused by a bacterium, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. The transmission dynamics of Lyme disease is dependent on a variety of factors, including the length of the tick's life cycle, availability of hosts, climatic conditions and seasonal influences, which are important to understand for control strategies.

Suicide is widely deemed immoral because it 'taints the soul,' study shows

Date: Dec-30-2013
Suicide is a major public health issue; it takes the lives of more than a million people each year. It is also widely believed to be immoral. Why do people so commonly believe it is wrong for people to take their own lives? According to a study by researchers at Boston College and Boston University, people - even non-religious people - make this moral judgment because they believe suicide taints the purity of a person's soul. Their findings are reported in Issue 130 of the journal Cognition.

Living at home with dementia

Date: Dec-30-2013
Most people with dementia who live at home have multiple unmet health and welfare needs, any number of which could jeopardize their ability to remain home for as long as they desire, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.The researchers say routine assessments of patient and caregiver care needs coupled with simple fixes in the areas of safety - grab bars in the bathroom, carpets safely tacked down to prevent falls, guns locked away - and basic medical and supportive services could go a long way toward keeping those with dementia from ending up in a nursing or assisted-living facility.

DNA clamp to grab cancer before it develops

Date: Dec-30-2013
As part of an international research project, a team of researchers has developed a DNA clamp that can detect mutations at the DNA level with greater efficiency than methods currently in use. Their work could facilitate rapid screening of those diseases that have a genetic basis, such as cancer, and provide new tools for more advanced nanotechnology. The results of this research is published this month in the journal ACS Nano.

Decrease your risk for type 2 diabetes: Text messages on your phone

Date: Dec-30-2013
New University of Michigan research says that a simple tool right in your back pocket may help decrease your risk for type 2 diabetes: Text messages on your phone.An overwhelming majority of surveyed people who enrolled in customized texting service txt4health piloted in Detroit and Cincinnati last year said the free mobile education program made them more aware of their diabetes risk and more likely to make diet-related behavior changes and lose weight. The service was also launched in New Orleans but those participants were not included in the study.