Stress News and Research

RSS

Nutrition tips for long-distance runners

With marathon trainees about to take to the streets of Chicago this Sunday, Loyola University Health System registered dietitian Brooke Schantz offers the top 10 nutrition tips runners can follow to help them cross the finish line.

7 Oct 2011

Australian project aims to improve the early detection of breast cancer

The University of Sydney, in partnership with BreastScreen NSW and Ziltron, has developed a pioneering web-based programme to monitor the performance of radiologists in detecting and diagnosing abnormalities in breast x-rays. Currently commencing its nationwide rollout, the BREAST Project has the potential to improve the early detection of breast cancer through screening and in turn reduce breast cancer mortality and morbidity.

4 Oct 2011

Residential washing machines may not eliminate hospital-acquired bacteria

Residential washing machines may not always use hot enough water to eliminate dangerous bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter, a Gram-negative bacteria, from hospital uniforms, according to a study published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

4 Oct 2011

NIH Director to deliver keynote address at eighth SIO international conference

The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) announced today that National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, will deliver the keynote address at its eighth international conference, which is co‐sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

4 Oct 2011

NICU stress linked with alterations in brain structure and function of preterm infants

New research shows that exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is associated with alterations in the brain structure and function of very preterm infants. According to the study now available in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, infants who experienced early exposure to stress displayed decreased brain size, functional connectivity, and abnormal motor behavior.

4 Oct 2011

UCLA neuro-physicists discover optimal brain rhythm for changing synaptic strength

The brain learns through changes in the strength of its synapses -- the connections between neurons -- in response to stimuli. Now, in a discovery that challenges conventional wisdom on the brain mechanisms of learning, UCLA neuro-physicists have found there is an optimal brain "rhythm," or frequency, for changing synaptic strength. And further, like stations on a radio dial, each synapse is tuned to a different optimal frequency for learning.

4 Oct 2011

PE, CT appear to reduce PTSD symptoms in patients with recent traumatic event

Prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, and delayed prolonged exposure therapy, appear to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in patients who have experienced a recent traumatic event, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Oct 2011

Quick injection of cortisone can prevent PTSD

As soldiers return home from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, America must cope with the toll that war takes on mental health. But the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is becoming increasingly expensive, and promises to escalate as yet another generation of veterans tries to heal its psychological wounds.

4 Oct 2011

Working in shifts associated with elevated levels of stress hormone cortisol

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that shift work at a young age is associated with elevated long-term cortisol levels and increased BMI. Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

3 Oct 2011

Anesthesia and liposuction

Liposuction is a body contouring procedure, not a cure for obesity. The results are judged with a mirror and not a scale. The procedure is ideally suited for men and women with localized fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise. Men typically want their "spare tire" and excess fat on their chest removed, while women want their abdomen, hips, and thighs reduced.

3 Oct 2011

Study sheds new light on relationship of anxiety and high blood pressure to primary aldosteronism

A study that has been published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by an Italian group headed by Nicoletta Sonino (Padova) sheds some new light on the relationship of anxiety and high blood pressure to a hormonal disturbance, primary aldosteronism.

3 Oct 2011

Scientists use Twitter to detect global mood changes

A novel study has used Twitter streams from 2.4 million people around the globe to take their emotional temperature found that people start the day in a good mood. But it decreases as work starts, then improves when work ends.

2 Oct 2011

Fat-rich 'western diet' fuels cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity

A major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health- and life-threatening conditions, obesity is epidemic in the United States and other developed nations where it's fueled in large part by excessive consumption of a fat-rich "Western diet."

30 Sep 2011

MU researchers examine use of propranolol to improve primary traits linked with autism

Most drug therapy interventions for people with autism have targeted psychiatric problems, including aggression, anxiety and obsessive behavior. Now, University of Missouri researchers are examining the use of propranolol to improve the primary traits associated with autism - difficulty with normal social skills, language and repetitive behaviors.

30 Sep 2011

Jails are holding increasing numbers of mentally ill

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in Georgia more mentally ill people are locked away than are treated in state psychiatric hospitals. In other state news about mental health, Florida seeks to recoup $4 million from company that managed Medicaid mental health services, and Milwaukee considers bolstering services.

30 Sep 2011

Good quality sleep is essential for overall health

Sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, growth, stress reduction and other vital functions. So getting the right amount of good quality sleep is as essential for overall health as good nutrition and regular exercise.

30 Sep 2011

Plausible way to circumvent drug resistance in breast cancer cells

Breast cancer cells that mutate to resist drug treatment survive by establishing tiny pumps on their surface that reject the drugs as they penetrate the cell membrane - making the cancer insensitive to chemotherapy drugs even after repeated use.

29 Sep 2011

Americans cutting back on health spending by skipping prescriptions, procedures

A Consumer Reports survey revealed that more Americans are ignoring their doctor’s advice and skipping prescription drugs or medical procedures to save money in 2011 than a year earlier.

28 Sep 2011

Nearly 90% of women consider mammograms important to their health, well-being: Poll

According to a recent poll of 1,000 American voters conducted for the American College of Radiology, nearly 9-in-10 women reported that having a regular mammogram gave them a feeling of control over their own health care. Nearly 90 percent of women who had a mammogram considered mammograms important to their health and well-being.

28 Sep 2011

New report explores early centre-based childcare

What type of childcare arrangements do parents choose before their children are 18 months old? Does the choice of childcare affect children's language skills and mental health at the age of five? These are some of the questions that are explored in a new report prepared by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health as part of a collaborative project with the Ministry of Education and Research. The report indicates that there is no evidence that early centre-based childcare is harmful for most children.

28 Sep 2011