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Exercise Cuts Hospital Readmission Rates for COPD Patients

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who took part in any level of physical activity had a reduced risk of hospital readmission within 30 days compared to those who were inactive, finds study published the iAnnals of the American Thoracic Society/i. Researchers examined the electronic health records of 6,042 Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California who were 40 years or older and who were hospitalized with COPD between Jan. 1, 2011 ...

New Method to Diagnose Stroke, Coming Soon

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Researchers are in the process of developing a new blood test that could quickly confirm whether someone is having a stroke and what kind. Steven A. Soper and colleagues note that strokes have two possible causes. In ischemic stroke, a clot stops blood flow in a part of the brain. In hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel in the brain ruptures. Both can lead to similar symptoms, such as numbness on one side of the body, sudden weakness ...

Genetic Trigger for RSV-induced Infant Hospitalizations Identified

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A viral protein that plays a major role in making respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) the most common cause of hospitalization in children under one year of age has been discovered by UNC School of Medicine scientists. The discovery, published April 8 in the iJournal of Clinical Investigation/i, is the first step toward identifying better diagnostics and potential treatments for an infection that strikes nearly all children before they reach the age of three ...

No Reduction in Surviving Cardiac Arrest or Hospitalizations for Heart Failure With Spironolactone

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No significant reduction was found in composite time to either death from cardiovascular causes, surviving a cardiac arrest, or hospitalization to manage heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction in heart patients with the addition of Spironolactone (Aldactone) in the treatment. These findings were revealed by the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) trial, in a study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood ...

Impact of Clinical-Patient Relationship on Health Outcomes Confirmed by Study

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Efforts to improve health professionals' interactions with patients can produce health effects just as beneficial as taking a daily aspirin to prevent heart attack, reports meta-analysis of studies that investigated the measures designed. In contrast to previous such reviews, the current report from the Empathy and Relational Science Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) only included randomized, controlled trials with more reliable results than those included in ...

Breastfeeding and Infant Sleep Cycles to Avoid Competition

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Professor David Haig argues that infants that wake frequently at night to breastfeed are delaying the resumption of mother's reproduction cycle and preventing birth of a sibling with whom they have to compete, as mentioned in a new article published online today in the journal iEvolution, Medicine, and Public Health/i. It has already been documented that smaller gaps between the births of siblings are associated with increased mortality of infants and toddlers, ...

Reasons for pain after "Successful" Surgery Explored: Study

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Despite structurally successful spinal surgery, pain is reported by the patients and this fact has long puzzled physicians. In a study that melds the interrelated domains of spinal surgery and pain medicine, researchers have discovered that in the transition from acute inflammatory pain to chronic neuropathic pain, neurons undergo molecular changes. Team leader Mohammed Farid Shamji, MD, PhD, FAANS, presented the study's findings today during the 82nd ...

Home Remedies for Mumps

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Home remedies offer you herbal and natural method to treat Mumps effectively. Here are some simple home remedies for relieving Mumps.

Symphony Specially Composed for Hillsborough Dead

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A symphony in memory of the 96 football fans killed in the Hillsborough stadium disaster, has been composed by the British composer Michael Nyman, announced the city of Liverpool on Wednesday. Nyman, who wrote the soundtrack to the 1993 film "The Piano", hopes that "Symphony No. 11: Hillsborough Memorial" will help the families of the bereaved with the healing process. The symphony will be performed at Liverpool Cathedral on July 5, the opening weekend ...

Ameoba Eats Up Intestinal Cells Alive: Study

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The potentially fatal dysentery in poor countries that is caused by amoeba is the result of the parasite eating up the intestinal cells alive, reported scientists on Wednesday. Called Entamoeba histolytica, the parasite destroys cells lining the colon, causing ulcers and abscesses and sometimes spreading in the blood to the liver and other organs. But how it does this has been unclear, until now. A common presumption was that the amoeba injects ...

Italy Strikes Ban on Donor-Assisted Reproduction

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Italy's Constitutional Court has enforced a Catholic Church-backed ban on Wednesday against assisted reproduction with sperm or egg donors that turned thousands of sterile couples abroad to seek help. Lawyer Maria Paolo Costantini who brought the case to the court said she was "delighted" and hailed a victory for campaigners that has been years in the making. "A conservative estimate is that 4,000 sterile couples went abroad in 2012 for a donor and in ...

Birth Control Victory Welcomed by Women of Philippine Slum

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Single mother, Christina Bantasan, was wishing that a controversial birth control law had come earlier so she could have planned her future better, as she clutched her baby in the shadows of a sprawling Philippine slum. Bantasan, 25, had a child out of wedlock in October, six months before the country's highest court approved the reproductive health law on Tuesday despite pressure from the influential Catholic Church. "It was the first time for the both ...

Head Injuries can Make Children Loners: Study

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A child's relationship may be a hidden casualty long after a traumatic brain injury, says study. Neuroscientists at Brigham Young University studied a group of children three years after each had suffered a traumatic brain injury - most commonly from car accidents. The researchers found that lingering injury in a specific region of the brain predicted the health of the children's social lives. "The thing that's hardest about brain injury is that ...

Clue to Caffeine Benefit on Alzheimer's Found in Lab

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Evidence has been found in the lab by French and German researchers on Wednesday, to back theories that drinking caffeine has a preventive effect on Alzheimer's disease. In mice, regular doses of caffeine inhibited the growth of tau, a protein that clogs brain cells in Alzheimer's patients, they said. The discovery was made among mice that had been genetically modified to produce tau. They were given a tiny dose of caffeine -- 0.3 grammes ...

Crimean Gays Fear Losing Job and Family Under Russia

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Yelena, a Crimean gay teacher, raises four children with her partner and fears that she could lose her family and her job as her home is being taken over by Russia. Since the Black Sea peninsula broke away from Ukraine and pledged allegiance to Moscow last month, the 38-year-old has been dreading the impact of tough Russian laws on her and her family, she says. "There are serious concerns that children can be taken away, and there could be problems at ...

Death Toll in Kingdom of Saudi MERS Raise to 67

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Another death caused by the MERS virus in capital Riyadh announced by Saudi health authorities on Wednesday brings the nationwide toll to 67. The 57-year-old Saudi national had been suffering from chronic illnesses, the health ministry said. It also reported that another two Saudis had been infected by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome -- one a 51-year-old and the other a 90-year-old, both of whom are suffering chronic illnesses. The latest ...

Hawks Hired by Vatican to Protect Pope's Doves

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Vatican has taken an intrepid hawk for protection of the pope's doves after two were killed in front of horrified crowds by a crow and seagull, reported in a Catholic weekly. The eagle-eyed bird of prey named "Sylvia", who was specially trained for the task in northern Italy, has been taken on by the Swiss Guards according to a report in Credere, which will be published Thursday. It is hoped the Harris Hawk, with a wingspan of 120 centimetres (47 inches), ...

Scientists Explore Link Between Periodontal Disease and Heart Disease Risk

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Periodontal disease has been identified as the new risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, reveals study. More than 15,000 patients with chronic coronary heart disease provided information on their dental health, with results showing that indicators of periodontal disease (fewer remaining teeth, gum bleeding) were common in this patient group and associated with numerous cardiovascular and socioeconomic risk factors. Conversely, a lower prevalence of tooth ...

Americans Say No to Google Glass Over Privacy Issues

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A new survey has found that there is a considerable opposition to the idea of people wearing Glass in public because of privacy issues. A study by market research firm Toluna tried to discover Americans' deeper feelings about Google's fine gadget. The study found that Americans do have deeper feelings and, 72 percent of people won't buy Google Glass because of privacy concerns, CNET reports. The survey found that people are afraid of hacking, ...

Gastric Banding can Fight Against Type 2 Diabetes

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New research suggests that gastric banding can play a vital role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in people who are overweight and not obese. The Monash University study, led by Emeritus Professor Paul O'Brien and Dr John Wentworth from the Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), has determined that weight loss surgery (gastric banding) for overweight people with diabetes had a profound impact on the illness. The research has been released ...

Dementia Common Among Nursing-Home Resident Elderly Nearing End-Of-Life

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Nearly 70% of elderly Medicare beneficiaries experience severe dementia or cognitive impairment near the end-of-life and may need surrogate decision makers for healthcare decisions. Advance care planning for older adults with dementia may be particularly important for individuals who do not reside in a nursing home or a long-term care facility, according to an article published in the April issue of iHealth Affairs/i. Researchers at the Johns ...

Next-Generation Glaucoma Drugs Hold Considerable Promise

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For glaucoma, elevated pressure in the eye is the most common risk factor, an optic neuropathy that can cause blindness and affects more than 67 million people worldwide. Elevated eye pressure in glaucoma develops due to abnormal functioning of the trabecular meshwork (TM) causing intraocular fluid to back up. Next-generation glaucoma drugs will target the finely tuned mechanisms of the TM that maintain normal intraocular pressure, as described in an article in ...

Antipsychotic Drug Use Among Youth With ADHD is Increasing

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Antipsychotic medicines are often used for unlabeled indications, such as treatment of kids and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The results of a study of "atypical antipsychotic" drug use among youths with ADHD, comparing age groups, Medicaid eligibility, and presence in foster care are presented in iJournal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology/i, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article ...

Experience Helps Restaurant Chefs and Managers Stick With Local Foods

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Restaurant chefs and food purchasing managers who have bought local foods in the past are more likely to continue adding them to menus and store shelves, suggest a team of researchers. "Past experiences will have an impact on buying local foods," said Amit Sharma, associate professor of hospitality management, Penn State. "Restaurant managers who buy local foods currently are significantly more likely to keep purchasing locally." In a study of the cost and benefits ...

Why We Like People and Their Ideas?

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We all know intuitively who the popular people are - who is most liked - whether at the office, dorm, PTA meeting or any other social setting, even if we can't always put our finger on why. That information is often critical to professional or social success as you navigate your social networks. Yet until now, scientists have not understood how our brains recognize these popular people. In new work, researchers say that we track people's popularity largely through ...

Criteria for Choosing Lists of Least Beneficial Medical Services Revealed

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Evidence suggesting no additional benefit with higher risk or cost, or both, would be taken into consideration in the creation of lists of medical services deemed least beneficial. "Aiming to reduce wasteful medical care, the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation's Choosing Wisely initiative asks leading physician specialty societies to create a 'Top 5' list of medical services that provide no overall benefit to patients in most situations. As of August ...

Pathologic Changes Associated With AD Not Apparent in Adolescents Carrying Genetic Risk Factors

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Two studies indicate that some of the pathologic changes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older individuals are not apparent in young people who carry the apolipoprotein (APOE) genetic risk factor for developing AD. The studies were published in the iJournal of Alzheimer's Disease/i. In the first study, no differences were found in hippocampal volume or asymmetry between cognitively normal adolescent carriers and non-carriers of the ApoE (and) #603;4 ...

British Gurkha War Hero Feels Dishonoured

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One of Britain's greatest living war heroes, Rambahadur Limbu, feels dishonoured by the way the country has treated Gurkha soldiers like him. Standing with his walking stick outside the Houses of Parliament in London, few who pass the old Nepalese warrior would recognise his name or the Victoria Cross (VC) on his chest. Fewer still would know the short, stocky farmer is among just four people alive who won the highest possible military honour serving ...

Vitamin B3: Potent Modifier of Energy Metabolism

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Recently, vitamins B have been turned out to be potent modifiers of energy metabolism, especially the function of mitochondria. Vitamin B3, (niacin) has been found to delay the signs of aging in animal models. An international collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne reported in the high-profile journal, iEmbo Molecular Medicine/i, that vitamin B3 form, nicotinamide riboside, can slow down the progression ...

New Recommendations on the Management of Hepatitis C

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New on-line recommendations on the management of hepatitis C will now be announced by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). These EASL recommendations reflect the approval of three new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) during 2014 by the European Medicines Agency. It is estimated that approximately 185 million people are infected with HCV on a global scale, with approximately 150 million people living with chronic infection. In Europe, between ...

Protein That Contributes to Metastases in Ovarian Cancer Found

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By decapacitating the activity of a protein , researches have found 2 proteases that help ovarian cancer cells chew their way out of the tissue they grow in. Building on earlier work that showed that inhibition of heat shock proteins-the protein origami helpers-limited metastases in ovarian cancer in mice, Shane W. O'Brien, MS, Scientific Assistant at Fox Chase and colleagues explored how the heat shock proteins are involved in metastasis. O'Brien will present ...

'Kangaroo Care' Beats Incubators for Colombian Preterm Babies

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Cesar Algeciras often spends five hours straight in the neonatal intensive care unit, lovingly clutching his premature son to his bare chest, a form of Kangaroo care. "Feeling his heart beat is a delight," said the 36-year-old computer engineer. "Sometimes I don't even have to check the monitor to make sure he's fine." This simple practice of skin-to-skin contact is known as "kangaroo care" -- in a nod to the marsupials who carry their young in a pouch ...

South African Traditional Medicine Reliable Enough?

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South Africa's traditional "sangoma" healers, after decades in shadows, are now modernising and becoming big business, raising questions about the need for strict regulation. "Granny" Mahlasela Matcheke runs her practice from a squeaky clean white floor-tiled home in Johannesburg's up-and-coming Soweto township. Her consultation room is ringed by orderly shelves of transparent jars containing a kaleidoscopic collection of coloured powders and roots. ...

New Method for Prostate Cancer Detection can Save Men from Painful Examination

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Prostate tissue samples are taken from over a million men around the world every year - in most cases using 12 large biopsy needles - to check whether they have prostate cancer. This medical procedure, which was recently described by an American urology professor as 'barbaric'**, shows that 70% of the subjects do not have cancer. The examination is unnecessarily painful and involves risk for these patients, and it is also costly to carry out. A patient-friendly ...

Chemotherapy may be Helpful for Advanced Lung Cancer Patients

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Conventional chemotherapy was associated with an improvement in the survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, a new study found. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the preferred treatment option for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have mutations in the EGFR gene. These drug-sensitive mutations are found in about 10 percent of Western patients and almost 50 percent of Asian ...

Schoolchildren Exposed to Arsenic in Well Water Have Lower IQ Scores: Study

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At Columbia University, study by researchers reports that schoolchildren from three school districts in Maine exposed to arsenic in drinking water experienced declines in child intelligence. While earlier studies conducted by the researchers in South Asia, and Bangladesh in particular, showed that exposure to arsenic in drinking water is negatively associated with child intelligence, this is the first study to examine intelligence against individual water arsenic ...

Your Way of Shaking Hands can Reveal Your Personality

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Your way of shaking hands can say a lot about your personality. According to renowned communication author Allan Pease, certain techniques can communicate dominance or submissiveness, and can affect the outcome of a meeting, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He said that one should keep their palm vertical and give the same pressure as they receive in order to create a positive first impression. Pease said that the stronger a person's ...

Stem Cell Scientist Tearfully Clarifies Her 'Groundbreaking' Conclusions

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Tearfully accepting the 'mistakes' in her research, a young female scientist who was accused for fabricating data also insisted that her conclusions were accurate. Haruko Obokata, 30, blamed her youth and inexperience for errors in her methodology, but said she had managed to create the building-block cells capable of growing into the specialised cells of the brain, liver, heart or kidneys. "I apologise with my whole heart to my co-authors... and many ...

Mentally Ill in Morocco Get Freed from Their 'Demons'

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As a handful of troubled souls wander aimlessly around the Bouya Omar mausoleum, a thin mist hangs in the air, with the occasional chilling cry rising from behind its walls.. These are Morocco's "possessed" -- from violent schizophrenics to hard drug users -- who are believed to be tormented by evil spirits and whose relatives bring them here to await deliverance. But many are left wondering exactly what goes on inside the sanctuary of the 16th-century ...

Steps Needed to Encourage Consumption of Clean Drinking Water Mandated by the USDA

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USDA had mandated access to free drinking water at schools during lunchtime, which went into effect during the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Researchers from the University of Michigan and University of Illinois at Chicago examined compliance with the new requirement as well as perceptions about drinking fountain cleanliness and water quality. The study found that most schools met the new requirement; however, additional measures are needed to promote better access and ...

Sanitation and Water Facilities Vary in Sub-Saharan Africa

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In individual countries like sub-Saharan Africa, access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities is highly variable, a new study found. Dr Rachel Pullan and colleagues, from the London School of Hygiene (and) Tropical Medicine, identified marked geographic inequalities, estimating that coverage of improved drinking water supply varied from as low as 3.2% in some districts of Somalia to as high as 99.0% in urban populations in Namibia, while access to improved sanitation ...

Proteins may Help Develop New Treatments for Head and Neck Cancer

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Proteins that play a crucial role in DNA repair, cell replication and cell death could lead to better targets for treatment-resistant neck and head cancers. In a study to be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014 on Tuesday, April 8, Ranee Mehra, MD, a medical oncologist who specializes in head and neck cancers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and colleagues, showed a correlation between the expression levels of these proteins in head-and-neck cancers negative for ...

Google Glass Focuses on Parkinson's

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The next generation of wearable technology is now attempting to evaluate its potential to support people suffering from Parkinson's disease. Experts at Newcastle University are investigating Google Glass as an assistive aid to help people with Parkinson's retain their independence for longer. Glass is a wearable computer being developed by Google. Likened to the kind of technology fictionalised in the Hollywood Blockbuster Minority Report, at first ...

Limiting Alcohol Brand References in Pop Music Can Reduce Teen Binge Drinking

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Binge drinking by teenagers and young adults is strongly linked with liking, owning, and correctly identifying music that references alcohol by brand name in a study by the University of Pittsburgh and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. These findings, based on a national randomized survey of more than 2,500 people ages 15 to 23, suggests that policy and educational interventions designed to limit the influence of alcohol brand references in popular ...

Terrible Life Events in Poor Neighborhoods Cause Depression, Poor Health

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A new Duke University shows residents of poorer Chicago neighborhoods are more likely to suffer terrible life events and their health suffers as a result. The misfortunes they face can come in many forms - from mugging to job loss to the death of a loved one - and the stress involved often leads to anxiety, depression and other illnesses, according to the study, released April 8 in iPLoS ONE/i, an open access, peer-reviewed journal. "If you live ...

Researchers Identify Potent Experimental Drug to Fight Treatment-resistant Leukemias

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An experimental compound dubbed TTT-3002 has the potential to become the most potent drug available to block genetic mutations in cancer cells blamed for some forms of treatment-resistant leukemia, observe researchers working in mice and human cell lines. Results of the research by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, described March 6 in the journal iBlood/i, show that two doses a day of TTT-3002 eliminated leukemia cells in a group of mice within ...