The American Thoracic Society has released a new official report recommending research priorities in incorporating ambulatory management of adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) into healthcare systems. The report identifies barriers preventing …
Tag Archives | American
Further research needed to develop evidence-based nutrition guidelines for cancer survivors
St. Louis, MO, February 18, 2011 — Cancer survivors die of non-cancer-related causes at much higher rates than the general public. In 2008, the U.S. economic burden of cancer totaled over $228 billion but only 41% of these costs involved direct ca…
To increase physical activity, focus on how, not why
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Most people know that exercise is important to maintain and improve health; however, sedentary lifestyles and obesity rates are at all-time highs and have become major national issues. In a new study, University of Missouri res…
Everything you wanted to know about microbes and oil spills but were afraid to ask
Is it true that microbes cleaned up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Can bacteria really “eat” oil, and if so, how? To help clear up the confusion the American Academy of Microbiology has brought together the nation’s leading experts to consider…
Noninvasive test for trisomy 21 closer at hand
St. Louis, MO, February 10, 2011 — In 1980 in the United States, approximately 4.5% of all pregnant women were of advanced maternal age. By 2007 that figure had increased to 14%. Women over 35 are at increased risk of giving birth to babies with t…
Web-based curriculum improves surgical residents’ knowledge of health care business
CHICAGO (January 6, 2011) — According to a report published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, surgery residents improved their knowledge of health care business concepts and principles with the use of a Web-…
Evidence suggests e-cigs safer than cigarettes, researcher claims
In a new report that bucks the concerns raised by the Food and Drug Administration, a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) (sph.bu.edu) researcher concludes that electronic cigarettes are much safer than real cigarettes and show promise…
The not-so-sweet truth about sugar — a risk choice?
More and more people have become aware of the dangers of excessive fructose in diet. A new review on fructose in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) indicates just how dangerous this simple sugar may be….
Getting bubbles out of fuel pumps
Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2010) — For more than 250 years, researchers have known that under certain conditions vapor bubbles can form in fluids moving swiftly over a surface. These bubbles soon collapse with such great force that they can pok…
Telementoring may address need for surgical subspecialty expertise in remote locations
CHICAGO (October 21, 2010) — Telementoring may be an effective way for subspecialist surgeons to assist remotely located general surgeons in the care of patients in need of emergency subspecialty surgical procedures, according to new research find…
Genetic defect found to cause severe epilepsy and mental retardation
BEER-SHEVA, Israel, October 12, 2010 — A research team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel has detected a genetic mutation resulting in a progressive disease of severe mental retardatio…
Sociologists find lowest-paid women suffer most from motherhood penalty
WASHINGTON, DC, October 5, 2010 — In a study of earnings inequality among white women, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst find that having children reduces women’s earnings, even among workers with comparable qualifications, e…
Abortion does not cause depression or low self-esteem in adolescents
A new study has determined that teenagers who have abortions are no more likely to become depressed or have low self-esteem than their peers whose pregnancies do not end in abortion. The study conducted by [...]
Rectal cancer rates are rising in young individuals
A new analysis has found that while colon cancer rates have remained steady over the past several decades among people under the age of 40, rectal cancer rates are increasing in this population across races and in both sexes. Published early online …
Black women with SLE develop cardiovascular disease at early age
A recent study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found significant racial disparities in the age of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients at the time of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and CVD-related …
Novel autoantibodies identified in patients with necrotizing myopathy
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have identified a subgroup of patients with necrotizing myopathy who have a novel autoantibody specificity that makes them potential candidates for immunosuppressive therapy. The complete st…
Study identifies factors which predict alcohol use after liver transplantation
Patients who receive a liver transplant due to alcoholic liver disease need to demonstrate periods of abstinence and often attend addiction treatment before transplantation. However, alcohol use disorders can recur, as can other diseases requiring t…
Researchers challenge myth of the well-adjusted Asian-American
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two University at Buffalo researchers are challenging the “myth of the well-adjusted Asian American,” detailing how members of one of the country’s fastest-growing ethnic groups face crucial disadvantages preventing them from receiv…
Parkinson’s Disease Linked to High Iron Intake
People with high levels of iron in their diet are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, according to a study in the June 10 issue of Neurology. People with both high levels of iron and manganese were nearly two times more likely to develop the disease than those with the lowest levels of the minerals in their diets. The study compared 250 people who were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s to 388 people without the disease. Interviews were conducted to determine how often participants ate certain foods during their adult life.
Artist’s work evolves despite dementia
The case of a talented artist whose paintings evolved as her dementia progressed suggests that language skills are not necessary, and may even inhibit, some types of creativity. The case is reported in the May 27 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Green tea boosts antimicrobial properties of toothpaste
Studies conducted at Pace University have indicated that green tea extracts (GTE) and polyphenol (PP) have an adverse effect on bacteria that cause strep throat, dental caries, and other infections. Additionally, the research suggests that the oral agents such as toothpaste and mouthwash are more effective in fighting pathogenic microbial agents, such as viruses, with the addition of GTE and PP. Researchers present their findings today at the 103rd General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Public Doesn’t Know Symptoms of Mini-Stroke
Public education is needed about the symptoms and risks of mini-stroke, also called transient ischemic attack or TIA, according to the first large study on the topic, which is published in the May 13 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found that only 9 percent of people could give the definition of a TIA or identify a symptom of TIA. TIA symptoms are the same as those for a regular stroke, but TIA symptoms resolve themselves within 24 hours.
Sesame oil helps reduce dose of blood pressure-lowering medicine
Cooking with sesame oil in place of other edible oils appears to help reduce high blood pressure and lower the amount of medication needed to control hypertension, researchers reported today at the XVth Scientific Meeting of the Inter-American Society of Hypertension. The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association’s Council for High Blood Pressure Research.
Genetic Abnormalities Found in Some ALS Patients
Researchers have discovered abnormalities in the chromosomes of several patients with sporadic, or non-hereditary, ALS, according to a study published in the April 22 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive disease of the nervous system also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Whiplash Pain is Common, Usually Mild, and Long-Lasting
The first observational study of whiplash injury to use a control group has shown that the intensity of whiplash pain is low, but its frequency is high, and compared to similar types of pain from ankle injury, it lasts longer and produces more disability. The study appears in the March 11 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Making a safer anthrax vaccine using spinach
Researchers have developed a strategy for making a safer anthrax vaccine: enlisting the help of spinach plants to manufacture a key component. They report their findings today at the American Society for Microbiology’s Biodefense Research Meeting. “Protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis is one of the three components of the anthrax toxin,” says Alexander Karasev, a lead researcher on the study. “Purified PA is currently used as a vaccine against anthrax. However, the licensed vaccine derived from apathogenic B. anthracis has side effects and a more efficacious and safer vaccine is needed.”
People with major depression may have higher suicide risk
People suffering from major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to attempt suicide, and women with both disorders are more likely to have attempted suicide than men with both disorders, according to a new report in the March 2003 American Journal of Psychiatry, the monthly scientific journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
Psychiatric Disorders Common Among Detained Youth
Among teens in juvenile detention, nearly two thirds of boys and nearly three quarters of girls have at least one psychiatric disorder, a federally funded study has found. These rates dwarf the estimated 15 percent of youth in the general population thought to have psychiatric illness, placing detained teens on a par with those at highest risk, such as maltreated and runaway youth.
Increasing biodiversity is not always best
Biodiversity worldwide may be decreasing, but at smaller scales it is increasing or at least changing in composition, suggesting the need for a dramatic shift in the current focus of ecological research. These changes may undermine the functioning of local ecosystems, according to an article in December’s American Naturalist. The authors studied data collected on oceanic island land birds and plants. Records from islands are useful because they present discrete areas where additions and subtractions of species can be accurately determined. The article, “Species Invasions Exceed extinctions on Islands Worldwide: A Comparative Study of Plants and Birds,” documents the fact that “land birds have experienced massive extinctions on oceanic islands, with many islands losing more than half of their native species,” said Gaines. “On these same islands, however, many exotic bird species have become established, such that the total number of land bird species has remained relatively unchanged.”
Epilepsy drug could help treat tapeworm-induced seizures
An anti-epileptic drug may help treat symptoms of a condition that affects as many as 1 in 10 people in developing countries. In a clinical study the drug helped reduce the incidence of seizures in people whose central nervous systems have become infected with the pork tapeworm taenia solium. The condition is associated with seizures, headache, and other neurological symptoms, but of these, seizures are the most common, occurring in nearly 90 percent of all patients.