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Anxiety may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder

Compromised cognitive and adaptive functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder may be partly explained by related comorbid anxiety, suggest researchers.

7 Feb 2013

Baby boomers not as healthy as previously believed

Despite having a reputation of being the healthiest and most active generation, baby boomers are actually in worse overall health than their parents, according to a new study by researchers at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

6 Feb 2013

UCLA study to help reduce high medical costs for children with complex chronic diseases

The number of children with medically complex illness, such as cancer, congenital heart disease or cerebral palsy, is increasing due to advances in pediatric care that have led to increased survival in previously high-mortality conditions. This population, despite representing only 10 percent of children, accounts for a substantial proportion of overall pediatric hospital costs.

6 Feb 2013

Empowered patients cost health systems less

Patients who feel confident and engaged in decisions about their health and taking care of themselves incur lower healthcare costs as a result of their improved outcomes, suggests a study in Health Affairs.

6 Feb 2013

DHA more effective than EPA in preventing liver inflammation and fibrosis

Research at Oregon State University has found that one particular omega-3 fatty acid has a powerful effect in preventing liver inflammation and fibrosis - common problems that are steadily rising along with the number of Americans who are overweight.

6 Feb 2013

Technology helps doctor unlock clues about illness's environmental causes

Epidemiologist David Van Sickle spent years studying asthma, but like many researchers of the chronic disease, he was frustrated by the obstacles to determining precise triggers of an individual attack. That frustration gave him an idea for a rescue inhaler topped with a GPS sensor.

6 Feb 2013

CIHR-funded researchers raise awareness of sexual health

Being comfortable in our sexuality and making choices that support our sexual health are essential to our overall well-being. Promoting sexual health includes both preventing disease and helping people find pleasure in their sexual lives.

6 Feb 2013

Paternal obesity may alter genetic mechanisms in next generations

A father's obesity is one factor that may influence his children's health and potentially raise their risk for diseases like cancer, according to new research from Duke Medicine.

6 Feb 2013

World Cancer Day provides opportunity to challenge assumptions that prevent effective action

"For the poor, cancer remains a silent killer. Breaking this silence could save hundreds of thousands and likely even millions of lives each year -- most of them in developing, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)," Felicia Knaul, secretariat co-director of the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries, writes in the Huffington Post's "World" blog.

6 Feb 2013

Study shows link between outdoor particulate pollution and impaired fetal growth

Mothers who are exposed to particulate air pollution of the type emitted by vehicles, urban heating and coal power plants are significantly more likely to bear children of low birth weight, according to an international study led by co-principal investigator Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at UC San Francisco along with Jennifer Parker, PhD, of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6 Feb 2013

Ramipril may improve pain-free walking among patients with PAD and intermittent claudication

Among patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication (pain in the calf that comes and goes, typically felt while walking), 24 weeks of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril was associated with improvement in pain-free and maximum walking times and the physical health aspect of quality of life, according to a study appearing in the February 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Feb 2013

Three NIH-sponsored influenza trials begin to enroll volunteers

Three clinical trials that seek to find more effective treatments for influenza are enrolling volunteers with influenza at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., and at several dozen other domestic and international sites.

6 Feb 2013

Thoratec fourth quarter revenues increase 17% to $128.5 million

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012.

5 Feb 2013

Detection of B cells may predict graft-versus-host disease

The ability to detect B cells specific to the DEAD box protein may help predict the development of chronic graft-versus-host disease in male recipients of female hematopoietic cells, according to recent findings.

5 Feb 2013

UCSD receives $3.4M NIMH grant to study successful aging in HIV-infected adults

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded a $3.4 million grant to a team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine to study successful aging in HIV-infected adults. HIV is a serious, chronic, medical disease that affects the lives of more than one million Americans.

5 Feb 2013

Regular exercise reduces development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals

Regular exercise reduces the development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals—apparently related to increased expression of a protective substance called "heat shock protein" 72 (Hsp72), reports an experimental study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

5 Feb 2013

Patients with MS more likely to develop MI and stroke, regardless of migration background

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) run a high risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, regardless of migration background. According to Dr Tahereh Moradi, principal investigator, the study is the first in the world to examine the risk of cardiovascular diseases in male and female MS patients with both non-immigrant and immigrant backgrounds.

5 Feb 2013

NSU-COM to hold grand opening for America's first Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine

Nova Southeastern University's College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) will hold a grand opening for America's first Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine on Feb. 12.

5 Feb 2013

State roundup: Minn. officials want money for coverage expansion

Gov. Mark Dayton and his Human Services commissioner will travel to Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for federal money for MinnesotaCare. MinnesotaCare is a state-subsidized health plan that insures about 130,000 people under age 65. Dayton and Commissioner Lucinda Jesson are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Washington with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

5 Feb 2013

Children with autism spectrum disorders more likely to have feeding problems

Healthy eating not only promotes growth and development, but also provides important opportunities for children to socialize during meals. A new, comprehensive analysis of feeding behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) indicates that these children are five times more likely to have a feeding problem, including extreme tantrums during meals, severe food selectivity and ritualistic mealtime behaviors.

5 Feb 2013