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Oxytocin - don't sniff it if you want to hang on to your money!

Scientists have often suspected that oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in various behaviors related to emotion, plays a key role in trust. In humans, oxytocin induces childbirth and lactation, and plays a key role in maternal bonding, while in animals, researchers believe it encourages mating by suspending the animals normal wariness of other animals which allows "approach behavior."

1 Jun 2005

HIV deaths drop 90 percent among African-American IDUs who are given access to combination drug therapy

Combination drug therapy effectively reduces 90 percent of HIV deaths in African-American injection drug users when they are given ample access to care, according to a new Academy study in the June issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

1 Jun 2005

Losing weight for a better night's sleep

Significant weight loss can improve the sleep patterns of severely obese people, leading to less daytime sleepiness and better quality of life, a study by the Monash University Centre of Obesity Research and Education has found.

1 Jun 2005

Sniffing out a partner

Beneath the perfume, soap and deodorant, it seems that the old smelly rules of attraction still apply.

1 Jun 2005

Homicide-suicide among the elderly an emerging public health concern

A study by University of South Florida researcher Donna Cohen and Julie Malphurs of the Miami Veteran’s Administration Health Care System recently published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry shows homicide-suicide among the elderly to be "an emerging public health concern."

1 Jun 2005

UMHS study finds premium rates affect where ob/gyns choose to practice

The high cost of malpractice insurance for some medical specialties affects not only how many doctors are entering the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but also where they offer their widely needed obstetric, prenatal and gynecological care, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

1 Jun 2005

Having twins reduces the risk of many types of women's cancer

...and starting a family later in life increases risk of breast cancer and melanoma but reduces the risk of ovarian, cervix and uterine cancer according to an international study conducted by a team from The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).

1 Jun 2005

Study of compassionate care

Patients approaching the end of life can significantly reduce their depression symptoms and improve their sense of spiritual well-being according to a study published in the current issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

1 Jun 2005

Tobacco companies designed cigarettes "to addict women"

A new analysis of tobacco industry documents provides evidence that cigarette companies intentionally modified their products to promote female smoking by emphasizing attributes they knew would appeal to women - stylishness and taste, as well as perceived health benefits.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly one out of two visits to a doctor's office for help with a sleep disorder result in the prescription of potentially addictive medications

The drugs, called benzodiazepines, are often a cheaper alternative to some newer types of medicines that don't have the same potentially addictive side effects, said Rajesh Balkrishnan, the study's lead author and the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

1 Jun 2005

Triple approach is promising against cancer cells

A trimodal treatment strategy combining chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a protein kinase inhibitor is much more effective against cancer cells than any combination of only two treatment methods.

1 Jun 2005

Cancer treatments linked to decline in mental abilities later on in life

A study in the U.S. has found that cancer survivors who have undergone cancer treatment are twice as likely to develop cognitive problems than people who had never been treated for cancer, and they may be at risk of problems with mental abilities such as memory and learning.

1 Jun 2005

Heart doctors say off-pump or on-pump, no difference in bypass surgery

As far as the American Heart Association (AHA) is concerned, the long running debate over whether patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery do better if their hearts keep beating or if a heart-lung machine takes over should end.

1 Jun 2005

New study linking pain relievers and breast cancer fails to convince experts

Research in recent years has consistently linked the use of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory pain relievers with a lower risk of colon cancer, but findings about the drugs' effect on breast-cancer risk have been very mixed with some studies suggesting that the pain relievers protect against breast cancer, while others have found no link.

1 Jun 2005

Diabetics more sensitive to cardiovascular effects from air pollution

People with diabetes may be at higher risk for cardiovascular problems when air pollution levels are higher, according to a new study of Boston-area residents. The ability of the blood vessels to control blood flow was impaired in adults with diabetes on days with elevated levels of particles from traffic and coal-burning power plants.

31 May 2005

Nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units experience delirium

A study published today in the open access journal Critical Care reveals for the first time that nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU) experience delirium, which is also an independent predictor of longer hospital stay. It was previously though that this was only an issue for mechanically-ventilated ICU patients.

31 May 2005

We have been ingrained to think that seriously large people can only make improvements in their health if they diet and slim down

Behavior change and self-acceptance trump dieting hands-down when it comes to achieving long-term health improvements in obese women, according to a two-year study by nutrition researchers at the University of California, Davis.

31 May 2005

Improving access to trauma care in the United States

A study led by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers has, for the first time, determined access to trauma centers at the national level.

31 May 2005

Cancer patients have increased risk of cognitive dysfunction

Cancer patients may have an increased risk of cognitive dysfunction compared with individuals who have never had cancer, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

31 May 2005

Shorter course of 8 gray radiotherapy effective for palliation of painful bone metastases

A single treatment of 8 gray (Gy--a unit of measure of absorbed radiation dose) of radiation appears to be as effective in palliating painful bone metastases as the current U.S. standard treatment course of 30 Gy delivered in 10 daily treatments, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

31 May 2005