Health News

Potential link between fathers' diabetes and low birth weight

Date: Dec-14-2013
One of the first studies to use recently released data from the UK Biobank has provided the strongest evidence yet for a link between fathers' diabetes and low birth weight. The research shows that your dad can influence your size at birth and that diabetes genes may explain some of this effect.The study is unprecedented in its size, using 250,000 adults from the UK, in a resource which will help scientists analyse large data sets to answer questions on human health.

Researchers refute cancer 'avalanche effect'

Date: Dec-14-2013
First, the number of chromosomes in a cell changes, then an avalanche of further mutations occur that transform the cell into a cancer cell, according to a well-known - but untested - theory. A research group at Lund University in Sweden has now shown that the theory is not correct and constitutes a dead end for research.Cancer is due to changes in the DNA of cells, which causes them to divide in an uncontrolled manner.

Unlocking pain's mysteries has potential for better treatments

Date: Dec-14-2013
Understanding the science behind pain, from a simple "ouch" to the chronic and excruciating, has been an elusive goal for centuries. But now, researchers are reporting a promising step toward studying pain in action. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists describe the development of a new technique, which they tested in rats, that could result in better ways to relieve pain and monitor healing.Sandip Biswal, Frederick T.

Kids' movies guilty of mixed messages about eating habits

Date: Dec-14-2013
There is an uncomfortable truth about kids' movies. For all their shiny cartoon cuteness, catchy tunes and lovable characters, they are sending mixed messages to the very youngsters they seek to entertain, say researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Would you allow your child to tease someone with names like "fatty ratty," or make fun of a chum with names like "fat butt," or comment on their "ridiculous belly"?

Repairing human hearts with biomaterials

Date: Dec-14-2013
Clemson University biological sciences student Meghan Stelly and her father, Alabama cardiovascular surgeon Terry Stelly, investigated a biomedical application following a coronary artery bypass surgery and found that the application allowed the human body to regenerate its own tissue.Their findings were published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.The biomaterial extracellular matrix (ECM) is a naturally occurring substance that helps regulate cells and can be harvested and processed in such a way that removes all cells, leaving only the structural matrix, which is made of collagen.

Babies may be at risk from personal care products containing harmful parabens

Date: Dec-14-2013
Through lotions, shampoos and other personal care products (PCPs), infants and toddlers are likely becoming exposed to potentially harmful substances, called parabens, at an even higher level than adult women in the U.S., researchers have reported. They published their findings on parabens, which have been linked to reproductive and other health issues, in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Major New Findings released by FPG's Family Life Project

Date: Dec-14-2013
New findings from a long-running study of nearly 1300 rural children by UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) reveal that parenting deteriorates when families face a number of risk factors at once. As a result, children's intellectual, emotional, and social development suffers.The findings from FPG's Family Life Project explain why a combination of risk factors like low maternal education, low income, and unsafe neighborhoods is a strong predictor of adverse outcomes for young rural children.

Targeting human cells to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Date: Dec-14-2013
As more reports appear of a grim "post-antibiotic era" ushered in by the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, a new strategy for fighting infection is emerging that targets a patient's cells rather than those of the invading pathogens. The technique interferes with the way that the pathogens take over a patient's cells to cause infection. This approach, published in the journal ACS Chemical Biology, could help address the world's growing problem of antibiotic-resistant "super bugs.

Discovery of mechanism controlling Tourette Syndrome tics

Date: Dec-14-2013
A mechanism in the brain which controls tics in children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) has been discovered by scientists at The University of Nottingham.The study, which has been published in the British Psychological Society's Journal of Neuropsychology, could herald new non-drug therapies to help young people with TS overcome the repetitive physical movements and vocal sounds which characterise their condition.The work was funded with a £150,000 grant from the James Tudor Foundation and was carried out by PhD student Amelia Draper.

Exercise may increase libido among women taking antidepressants

Date: Dec-13-2013
Women who are taking antidepressants and experiencing sexual dysfunction may benefit from regular moderately intense workouts, say researchers from the University of Texas in Austin. Lack of sexual desire is fairly common among women taking antidepressants but is seldom talked about. The new study, published in Depression and Anxiety, says that engaging in exercise at the right time holds the key to a more satisfying sex life.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that one in 10 Americans aged 12 and over takes antidepressants and that women are 2.