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Chronic pain has an effect on memory

We all know that a chronic bout of pain if it goes on for any length of time stops you thinking straight but now Canadian researchers say they have found that it also has a significant effect on both attention and memory.

21 May 2007

The Medical Research Council welcomes FSA decision to add folic acid to flour

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has welcomed the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) decision to recommend the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

20 May 2007

Aspirin during pregnancy could reduce risk of pre-eclampsia

Women who receive aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs during pregnancy are at lower risk of pre-eclampsia, conclude authors of an article published in an upcoming edition of The Lancet.

20 May 2007

Not enough is known about long-term safety of "functional foods"

So-called 'functional foods' need to be systematically monitored because not enough is known about their long-term safety and effectiveness, say a group of scientists writing in the British Medical Journal.

18 May 2007

Chronic pain can impair your memory and your concentration

Anyone who has experienced chronic pain knows that it affects the ability to work, sleep and perform other activities essential to leading a full life.

18 May 2007

Sally speaks on osteoporosis story on Capitol Hill

The Society for Women's Health Research and the National Osteoporosis Foundation held a briefing on Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers about recent advances in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

18 May 2007

Quest for effective HIV vaccines present new possibilities, challenges

A vaccine that prevents HIV infection remains an important goal in the fight against AIDS, but the current top HIV vaccine candidates may not work in this way, say scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

17 May 2007

Herpes infection may be symbiotic

Mice with chronic herpes virus infections can better resist the bacterium that causes plague and a bacterium that causes one kind of food poisoning, researchers report in Nature.

17 May 2007

Increase in fatal car crashes involving young women

Automobile crashes remain the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults, compounded by the effects of alcohol and failure to use seatbelts.

17 May 2007

Promoter hypermethylation is common in breast cancer

Cancer epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have identified specific genes that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to a process called DNA promoter hypermethylation.

17 May 2007

Household smoking restrictions more strongly associated with better health status than workplace smoking restrictions

In the first study of its kind to evaluate how smoking restrictions in the workplace and at home affect health status, researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health found that nonsmokers who live under both a total household and total workplace smoking ban are over two and a half times more likely to report better health than those without smoking bans.

17 May 2007

Innovative drug-delivery system for rotavirus vaccine

A thin strip that dissolves in the mouth like a popular breath-freshener could someday provide life-saving rotavirus vaccine to infants in impoverished areas.

17 May 2007

Single dose of vitamin D may be enough to boost the immune system to fight against tuberculosis

Their findings came from a study that identified an extraordinarily high incidence of vitamin D deficiency amongst those communities in London most at risk from the disease, which kills around two million people each year.

16 May 2007

USDA says meat from swine safe for human consumption

Testing confirms that meat from swine fed rations supplemented with pet food scraps containing melamine and related compounds is safe for human consumption, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow swine held on farms to be released and approved for processing.

16 May 2007

Screening men over 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysms could save lives

Between 5% and 10% of men aged 65 to 79 have abdominal aortic aneurysms, but don’t know it.

16 May 2007

Reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors when discontinuing HRT

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been shown to reduce many cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, but many women have stopped using HRT due to reports from the Women's Health Initiative that HRT may increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease.

16 May 2007

Low-glycemic load diet may be more effective for dieters who secrete insulin at a higher level

Overweight individuals who secrete insulin at a higher level may experience greater weight loss by selecting a low-glycemic load diet, compared to a low-fat diet, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA.

16 May 2007

Just 75 minutes of exercise per week helps improve fitness levels for postmenopausal women who are overweight

New research indicates that even small amounts of physical activity, approximately 75 minutes a week, can help improve the fitness levels for postmenopausal women who are sedentary and overweight or obese, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA.

16 May 2007

Web-based intervention programs change behavior of sedentary adults

The Internet can be an effective tool in helping inactive adults to get moving, a new study suggests.

15 May 2007

Specific genes identified that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to DNA promoter hypermethylation

Hypermethylation is a process that causes genes that promote normal cell growth to produce proteins that cause malignant behavior, or unregulated cell growth. Until now, data has been very limited regarding the mechanism and causes of hypermethylation, especially for hypermethylation in breast cancer.

15 May 2007