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Psychiatric disorders represent an independent risk factor for delay in cancer diagnosis

Patients with psychiatric disorders are diagnosed with esophageal cancer much later and at a more advanced stage than patients with no psychiatric diagnosis, according to a study conducted by researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Digestive Health Center.

15 Aug 2005

Experts discuss use of human stem cells in ape and monkey brains

An expert panel of stem cell scientists, primatologists, philosophers and lawyers has concluded that experiments implanting, or grafting, human stem cells into non-human primate brains could unintentionally shift the moral ground between humans and other primates.

14 Jul 2005

Children generally negative about smoking

One-third of children enrolled in a family smoking prevention program believed they could smoke without becoming addicted, according to a new study. Yet, overall, the researchers found most of the children generally had negative attitudes about smoking.

30 Jun 2005

Service learning improves the social skills of students with mental impairments

Previous studies on the effectiveness of service learning programs on social skills of students with moderate cognitive impairments were primarily anecdotal.

16 Jun 2005

A million Americans now living with the AIDS virus and blacks account for 47 percent of HIV cases

According to the U.S. Government more than a million Americans are currently living with the AIDS virus.

14 Jun 2005

Hypertension, diabetes and obesity are important independent predictors of increased complications for patients undergoing major joint replacement surgery

Using a database of nearly 1 million Americans who underwent major joint replacement surgery, a team led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center have determined those surgical patients with diabetes, hypertension or obesity were significantly more likely to suffer post-operative complications.

1 Jun 2005

Brains of both black and white people have been programmed by racist stereotyping

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, carried out brain scans of black and white Americans, focusing on a part of the brain called the amygdala, the area that reacts to threat and novelty, and, because the region responds in different ways, exactly what goes on in that area was unclear.

10 May 2005

Vitamin C may help unborn of mothers who smoke

Thousands of babies born to mothers who continue to smoke throughout pregnancy despite physician warnings may benefit from new research which suggests that high doses of vitamin C may have the potential to counteract some negative impacts of smoking in unborn babies.

2 May 2005

Patronizing behavior of male bosses undermines the performance of female

"Positions of power remain a male prerogative. Women make up 46 percent of the U.S. labor force, but are extremely underrepresented in high level positions of power," says Theresa Vescio, Penn State University assistant professor of psychology who led the study. "Therefore, it is important to understand how the behaviors of male bosses affect female subordinates."

27 Apr 2005

HIV epidemic among young men unabated because many are unaware they are infected

U.S. health officials say many young gay and bisexual men who are HIV-positive are unaware they have the virus.

26 Apr 2005

Natural killer cells could lead to new Hepatitis treatments

Researchers have discovered that natural killer T (NKT) cells, the immune system's sentinels, patrol the labyrinthine blood vessels of the liver for invaders or signs of tissue damage and demonstrate a dogged behavior not seen before in other T cells.

4 Apr 2005

Clinical study of mirror neurons provides insights into autism and other disorders

Seeing is doing – at least it is when mirror neurons are working normally. But in autistic individuals, say researchers from the University of California, San Diego, the brain circuits that enable people to perceive and understand the actions of others do not behave in the usual way.

29 Mar 2005

Time for ethical reflection is before experimentation begins

The time for ethical reflection is before experimentation begins, especially in the case of potential new methods for creating human embryos for research, according to bioethicists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic in the spring issue of Ethics & Medicine.

16 Mar 2005

Lung cancer rates among men are on the decline

Results of the most comprehensive analysis to date of the impact of gender differences in lung cancer incidence in the United States indicate that lung cancer rates among men are on the decline, while the rate in women remains steady.

8 Mar 2005

Patient drawings important diagnostic tool for heart attack recovery

Simple drawings by heart attack victims of what they believe has happened to their heart may be an important diagnostic tool to aid their recovery, research at The University of Auckland has shown.

17 Jan 2005

Obesity may impose a smaller healthcare cost on African-Americans than other demographic groups

Obesity may impose a smaller healthcare cost on African-Americans than other demographic groups, according to a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) that found spending on obesity-related problems becomes progressively higher as adults grow older.

28 Dec 2004

State Health Rankings show 17.5 percent improvement in America’s overall health during the past 15 years

United Health Foundation, together with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Partnership for Prevention, today released the 15th annual America’s Health: State Health Rankings at the APHA’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

9 Nov 2004

New optical technology will help date a persons bruises

Optical technology can give the answer to when bruising happened and how. This can be important for cases of violent crime.

4 Nov 2004

High-dose statin therapy for aggressive cholesterol-lowering outperforms typical care

Patients treated with high doses of atorvastatin had about a one percent lower annual rate of heart attacks than similar patients receiving usual care, according to a new study in the Nov. 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Nov 2004

Smoking and coffee combined have a greater harmful effect on arteries and blood flow

Smoking and coffee often go together. But the combination appears to have a harmful effect on arteries and blood flow that is greater than would be expected from simply combining the effects of each practice.