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New Technique Reduces Dialysis Patients' Risk of Dying Early

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A study has suggested that a technique that removes additional toxins during dialysis decreases kidney failure patients' risk of dying early. It also reduces patients' risk of dying from heart-related causes or infections. In light of these results, the technique may become standard for dialysis patients. Retrospective studies suggest that on-line hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF)-which is different from standard dialysis in that it uses so-called high convective ...

Exposure To Chemicals In Paper Food Containers Raises Osteoarthritis Risk

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A new study has linked exposure to two common perfluorinated chemicals to higher prevalence of osteoarthritis, particularly in women. PFCs are used in more than 200 industrial processes and consumer products including certain stain- and water-resistant fabrics, grease-proof paper food containers, personal care products, and other items. Because of their persistence, PFCs have become ubiquitous contaminants of humans and wildlife. The study ...

Quiz on Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects young adults; nearly 7% of the adult population is affected by this condition. Check out how much you know about schizophrenia by taking this quiz.

Thermogenic Food for Weight Loss

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Energy is needed to digest the ingested food. Diet induced thermogenesis (DIT) is defined ''a percentage, is the energy used to break down food once it has been consumed''.

Alcohol Plays Big Role In Cancer Deaths: Study

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Researchers have blamed alcohol for four percent of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Alcohol is a known carcinogen and when consumed even in small quantities may increase the cancer risk, hence the study stressed that reducing alcohol consumption is vital in preventing cancer. Previous studies consistently have shown that alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver. More recent research has shown that alcohol ...

Avastin, Second Drug Combo May Prevent Brain Cancer Spread

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Bevacizumab, the drug also known as Avastin by trade name, when combined with another cancer drug, dasatinib, can stop brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme) spread, according to researchers. Researchers have found the reason why the drug Avastin, when taken alone, shrinks tumors briefly, but often grow again and spread throughout the brain and also found that pairing Avastin with dasatinib, can stop that lethal spread. Dasatinib is approved for use in several blood ...

Probiotics Help Protect Premature Babies From Lethal Disease

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Probiotics, also known as "good" bacteria, live in our intestines offer a variety of health benefits. Recently a new study has discovered that the chemicals secreted by these "friendly" bacteria in the intestines of babies could help reduce the frequency of a common and often-lethal disease in premature infants. This disease, known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), affects between 8 and 13 percent of very low birthweight infants (those under 3 pounds, 4 ounces), ...

Study Says Significant Proportion of HIV Positive Patients may Not be Telling NHS Staff About Their Infection

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According to a new study published in the journal iSexually Transmitted Infections/i a significant proportion of HIV positive patients may not be disclosing their infection to NHS staff, when turning up for treatment at sexual health clinics. If the findings reflect a national trend, this could have implications for the true prevalence of undiagnosed HIV infection in the population, which is based on the numbers of "undiagnosed" patients at sexual health ...

Mind Tricks That Go Seriously Wrong

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The mind is thought to be like a muscle. The more you use it, the better it works for you and the more you can bend it to your will. But sometimes, people lose their rational thinking abilities and jump to decisions that may prove harmful. which at times, may even cost them their lives. Listed below are 5 examples of such disastrous mistakes, why we tend to make them, and how to avoid making them. The domino effect: Just like dominoes, ...

Drop in Job-based Health Insurance

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In Rocford, north of Grand Rapids a couple - Linda and Ken Brauer had no health insurance for years. Ken lost his job as a salesman in 2007. Linda and Ken Brauer went years without health insurance after Ken lost his job as a salesman in 2007. Ken became eligible for Medicare in January, but Linda, a social worker with a master's degree had no luck landing a job which paid for health insurance. (She has to make it another year before she is eligible for ...

One Step at a Time Helps Weight Loss

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Taking the stairs one step at a time burns more calories than leaping up multiple steps, researchers say. Although, initially more energy is expended while climbing two steps, gradually with time, extra energy is spent while taking the stairs one step at a time, say researchers from the University of Roehampton. The research team discovered that a person climbing five floors of stairs, one step at a time, five times a week could burn 302 kcal approximately, ...

Health Insurance Guidelines by IRDA

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The Insurance regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) drafted some health insurance guidelines on 31supst/sup May 2012. These will restrain the role of the TPA to process claims. There are still some issues which have to be addressed. The IRDA agreed to address various important issues like, settlement of claims within 30 days of receiving documents, lifelong renewals, refund on pre-insurance medical check-ups and a separate grievance cell for senior ...

Meditation Helps You Live Longer

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The rapidly growing seduction of the Internet and technologies seems to have caught every one of us in its sweet grip. Needless to say, staying hooked for some reason or the other has now become a part of our daily lifestyle and has caused a not-so-noticeable trend of sleeplessness among individuals of all ages. In such a society, where there is a dominance of sleep disorders combined with mental health issues like insomnia, narcolepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, ...

European Union Clears Use of Animal Proteins in Fish Feed

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The European Union has reauthorized the use of fish meal made from ground-up pigs or chickens. Their use was banned in 1997 for cattle, and from 2001 for all animals, as part of efforts to tackle the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow epidemic, caused when other ruminants, in this case sheep, were used in feed. The Commission said the latest data showed that the EU is close to eradicating BSE in its cattle population while the latest scientific ...

Body Scanner Shows Promise in Cancer Treatment

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A body scanner has been set up at Delhi hospital detects cancerous cells quickly and this may go a long way in selection of treatment for cancer patients, say officials. The Positron Emission Tomography-Magnetic Resonance (PET-MR) has been combined with PET Computerised Tomography (CT) to create the PET Suite which scans patients quicker, thus reducing discomfort and helping in therapy selection and treatment. "Since they (doctors) can simultaneously ...

Potential Treatment Prevents Damage from Prolonged Seizures: Investigators

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Emory University School of Medicine investigators have developed a new type of prophylactic treatment for brain injury following prolonged epileptic seizures. Status epilepticus, a persistent seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes [check this, some people say FIVE], is potentially life-threatening and leads to around 55,000 deaths each year in the United States. It can be caused by stroke, brain tumor or infection as well as inadequate control of epilepsy. Physicians ...

Hypoglycemia Awareness Raised By A Social Networking Approach to Public Health Research

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According to a study, hypoglycemia may be a much larger problem among patients with diabetes than is currently realized. The study was conducted by researchers in Boston Children's Hospital's Informatics Program (CHIP) and the participants were members of a diabetes-focused social network. The study shows how engaging patients in research through social networking may help augment traditional surveillance methods for public health research, while simultaneously offering opportunities ...

Cardiovascular Risk may Remain for Patients Treated For Cushing's Disease: Study

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According to a recent study, even after successful treatment, patients with Cushing's disease who were older when diagnosed or had prolonged exposure to excess cortisol face a greater risk of dying or developing cardiovascular disease. The study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's iJournal of Clinical Endocrinology (and) Metabolism/i (JCEM). Cushing's disease is a rare condition where the body is exposed to excess cortisol - a stress hormone ...

Preemptive Treatment of Severe Morning Sickness Decreases Suffering for Moms-to-be: Study

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Data showing the effectiveness of preemptive treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum and severe morning sickness will be presented by researchers in a study. The study is to be presented on February 14 between 1:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in San Francisco, California. Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of morning sickness which effects one in 50 pregnant women. HG is marked ...

Substance Abuse Rates Higher in Teenagers With ADHD: Study

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A new study has revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) histories than in those without ADHD. The study was published online in the iJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/i. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC as well as six other health centers across the ...

Tightening Up of Criteria for Definition of Intrauterine Growth Restriction Suggested By Study

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The practice of using an arbitrary Estimated Fetal Weight (EFW) less than the 10th centile may not be an efficient practice for defining true Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) reports researchers in a new study. The study will be presented on February 14 between 1:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in San Francisco. The study was conducted by the Perinatal Ireland Research Consortium, ...

Alcohol Abusers' Depression Often Related to Drinking: Study

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According to a study in the March issue of the iJournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs/i for problem drinkers, bouts of depressive symptoms are often the direct result of their heavy alcohol intake. Experts have long known that heavy drinking can spur temporary episodes of depression-what's known as "substance-induced depression." However, this information is not always apparent to busy clinicians, and the new findings strengthen the evidence that the phenomenon exists ...

'Bullied Kids May Consider Suicide': Research

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An American research says that children who are subjected to cyber and physical bullying may skip school and even consider suicide. "We should not ignore one form of bullying for the sake of the other," says Thomas Holt, associate professor of criminal justice, at the Michigan State University, who led the study. Holt said parents should pay attention to warning signs of bullying such as mood changes, sadness, school failures, social withdrawal and ...

Ban Doesn't Stop Russia's Smokers From Puffing Away In Public Spaces

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Ivan Alexandrov smoked a cigarette outside a Moscow metro station as other commuters stepped out of the heavy doors and immediately lit up. This is a familiar scene of Russian daily life. But under a draft law already passed by parliament banning smoking in public places, from next year such scenes will be a thing of the past in Russia. If the law is passed by the upper house and then signed by President Vladimir Putin, Russia will from 2014 have European-style ...

Human Perspective Might Be Understood By Dogs: Study

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Researchers have found that dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see. The findings were made with the help of a new study. This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behaviour when they knew their owners' perspective had changed. The finding made researchers to conclude that dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human's point of view ...

Artificial Bone Could Soon Aid Fixture Of Shattered Limbs

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Shattered limbs can soon be healed with the help of artificial bone, which is created using stem cells and a new lightweight plastic. The use of bone stem cells combined with a degradable rigid material that inserts into broken bones and encourages real bone to re-grow has been developed at the Universities of Edinburgh and Southampton. Researchers have developed the material with a honeycomb scaffold structure that allows blood to flow through it, ...

Brain Cancer: Could Cellphones Be a Possible Cause For It?

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The existence of more than 7 billion cellphones in use around the world leaves us with one question that lingers in our heads. How harmful are the radiofrequency emissions to our health? So-called observational studies, which have looked at large populations in Europe, the United States and New Zealand have not established a definitive link between cellphones and brain cancer. The studies have relied on survey data, which is weak science, asking people ...

No Connection Between Genetic Risk Factors and 2 Top Wet AMD Treatments

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New findings from a landmark clinical trial show that although certain gene variants may predict whether a person is likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a potentially blinding eye disease that afflicts more than nine million Americans, these genes do not predict how patients will respond to Lucentis and Avastin, the two medications most widely used to treat the "wet" form of AMD. This new data from the Comparison of AMD Treatment Trials (CATT), published ...

Negative Reactions from Consumers to the Results of Genetic Testing for Cancer Mutations

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A 23andMe study of consumers' reactions to genetic testing found that even when the tests revealed high-risk mutations in individuals, those individuals had few negative reactions to the news. Instead of inducing serious anxiety, the test results prompted people to take positive steps, including follow-up visits with a doctor and discussions with family members who could also be at risk. The study, titled "Dealing with the unexpected: Consumer responses to direct-access ...

Techniques About Prostate-specific Antigen Screening

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What's most important to a man as he decides whether or not to undergo prostate-specific antigen- PSA- screening for prostate cancer? What does he value most about the screening? And what's the best way to present the information to help him make an appropriate decision for himself? An international team of scientists led by the University of North Carolina has published a study evaluating different ways of helping men consider their values about PSA screening. ...

The Devastating Effects of Strokes Associated With Surgery

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Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased risks of death or long-term disability. But prompt identification and treatment of such strokes can improve neurologic outcomes, according to an article in the journal iExpert Review of Neurotherapeutics/i by Loyola University Medical Center stroke specialists Sarkis Morales-Vidal, MD and Michael Schneck, MD. The article answers ...

Battle for Civilized Working Hours Gains Momentum in South Korea

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The workaholic culture of South Korea, once seen as indispensable but increasingly viewed as unhealthy, unproductive and inefficient is being shunned by a growing number of South Korean corporations. Long working hours, often followed by intense late-night drinking sessions with the boss, have long been a feature of the Korea Inc. that transformed a war-ravaged nation into Asia's fourth-biggest economy in a matter of decades. Rapid development has brought ...

Geographic and Demographic Factors as Important as Antibiotic Choice in Eradication of H Pylori Bacteria

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Demographic factors, geographic location, infection recurrence and adherence to initial therapy are as important as the choice of antibiotic regimen in order to eradicate Helicobacter pylori infections, a new study published in JAMA reveals. "Gastric adenocarcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Although gastric cancer rates are declining in some areas, the number of deaths is expected to increase over the coming decades due to growing ...

SRM University Plans to Commercialize Its Patented Herbal Diabetic Drug

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The vice chancellor of Chennai's SRM University revealed that it will be commercializing its US patented herbal diabetic drug in the next six months. Speaking to IANS, Vice Chancellor M. Ponnavaikko said: "We have incorporated a company called SRM Pharma Ltd. In another six months we may launch the drug. We can get the drug manufactured from a unit in north India." Last December, the US Patent office granted patent for an herbal formulation for prevention ...

BPA Exposure Affects Males Differently Than Females

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A new study by American researchers has found that male rodents are affected differently from exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) compared to female rodents. A series of experiments by Cheryl Rosenfeld, associate professor of biomedical sciences in the University of Missouri's Bond Life Sciences Center, studied the effects of prenatal exposure to BPA on later reproductive-associated behaviors using a socially and genetically monogamous rodent, the California mouse, which ...

New Type of Cell Linked With Ovary Development in Female Fetuses Identified

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A new type of cell that plays a vital role in the development of ovaries and ovarian follicles, which produce eggs in women, has been identified by researchers at University of Adelaide. The discovery is expected to prompt further studies around the world to better understand how ovaries and ovarian follicles develop in female fetuses. This could be critical to treating or preventing a range of health conditions in later life, including infertility and ...

Wide International Variation in Lung Cancer Survival Partially Explained by Stage at Diagnosis

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Results of a large scale study, published in the online edition of Thorax, involving nearly 60,000 patients found that the stage at diagnosis does not fully explain the wide variation in lung cancer survival rates among different developed countries. Other factors, such as treatment, are also likely to have a key role, say the authors. Stage at diagnosis has often been suggested as one of the primary reasons why lung cancer survival is low in certain ...

Targeted Interventions to Stop Spread of Drug-Resistant MRSA in Nursing Homes Required

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A new study published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology reveals the need for more targeted interventions that can prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, especially the community-associated strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in nursing homes. CA-MRSA is a growing cause of invasive disease, including bloodstream infections, abscesses, and pneumonia. The prevalence of CA-MRSA in nursing homes has not been well ...

Patient Safety can be Improved by Comprehensive Maternal Hemorrhage Protocols

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Comprehensive maternal hemorrhage protocols improves patient safety and reduce utilization of blood products, according to a new study that will be presented at The Pregnancy Meeting, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting in San Francisco on February 16. A study performed at Dignity Health, the fifth largest health care system in the United States with 31 obstetrical units, showed that the implementation of a standardized comprehensive maternal ...

Lack of a Protein in Tumor Blood Vessels Encourages Spread of Cancer Cells

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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden found that the spread of daughter tumors in mice was encouraged by a lack of protein endoglin in the blood vessels of tumor, according to a new study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. Given that the tumour vasculature constitutes an important barrier to the spread of cancer cells, the team suggests that drugs should be developed to strengthen the blood vessels' protective function. ...

Harvard Study Could Pave Way for New Treatments for Incontinence

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A new study published in the FASEB Journal reveals that epithelium, which is a thin layer of cells lining the surface of the bladder, is able to sense when the bladder is full with the help of a family of proteins known as integrins, leading to hope that a new treatment for incontinence or overactive bladder could be on the way. As the bladder becomes full, the cells in the epithelium stretch and become thinner, which activates the integrins to send that information ...

Study Finds Less Than a Quarter of Radiologists Able to Identify Gorilla on CT Scans

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Making use of the invisible gorilla experiment from nearly 15 years ago, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital conducting a unique study found that less than a quarter of radiologists were able to identify a gorilla on CT scans. The researchers recruited 24 radiologists from the hospital and asked them to go through the CT scans of five patients who took a lung cancer screening test. While the images of the first four patients were clean, five consecutive ...

HRT Could Delay Onset of Alzheimer's Disease

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While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been linked with increased risk of cancer among women, a new study has found that HRT could help in the long run by delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found that around 20 percent of women carried a gene, known as ApoE4, that increases the risk of dementia and speeds up the ageing of the DNA by as much as four times. However HRT can protect such women by slowing ...

What Makes Us Feel Cold Demystified

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University of Southern California researchers have identified what makes us feel cold right down to the cellular level and were able to 'switch off' the sensory neuron networks in mice that give them the ability to sense cold. Researchers led by David McKemy had earlier identified a protein called TRPM8 acts as a form of sensor of cold temperatures in neurons in the skin as well as a receptor of menthol, the cooling component of mint. The researchers made ...

Music Lessons During Childhood may Speed Up Brain Development in Kids

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A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience reveals that giving music lessons to young children before they turn seven may help speed up their brain development. According to the study, conducted by researchers at Concordia University and McGill University, the younger that the children are when they start taking music lessons, the stronger are the connections between the motor regions of the brain. "Learning to play an instrument requires coordination ...

Deaths Due to Air Pollution on the Rise in India

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India is struggling to deal with rising air pollution with a new report revealing that it is the fifth biggest cause of deaths in the country. The Global Burden of Diseases report released by Washington based Health Effects Institute reveals that air pollution has increased six times over the last decade, claiming more than one million lives were lost each for indoor air pollution and direct and indirect tobacco smoking in 2010. Another 620,000 people died ...

Understanding Of Clear Cell Sarcoma Improved by Mouse Model

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Geneticists led by University of Utah Nobel Prize Laureate Mario R. Capecchi, Ph.D., have engineered mice that develop clear cell sarcoma (CCS), a significant step in better understanding how this rare and deadly soft tissue cancer arises. The mouse model also can potentially speed the development of drugs to target genes that must be activated for the cancer to form. CCS arises in connective soft tissues, such as tendons, fat, blood vessels, and muscle. Researchers ...

Pregnancy Outcomes Improved by 'Laborist' Obstetrical Care

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In a study to be presented on February 16 between 8 a.m., and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in San Francisco, researchers will report findings that suggest shifting from a traditional model of obstetrical care to a laborist model improves pregnancy outcomes. The "laborist" concept has been around for nearly a decade. In this model, obstetricians provide 24-hour a day on-site staffing of labor units. ...