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Natural plant extract could help treat COPD and inflammatory disorders

A widely and safely used plant extract acts as a novel anti-inflammatory agent that may one day be used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as other inflammatory conditions.

4 May 2010

Kidneys of healthy adults show signs of chronic injury, says study

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that the kidneys of healthy adults show signs of chronic mild injury that increase with age. This damage is present even though the adults showed no clinical signs of kidney disease.

4 May 2010

Darwin/Wedgwood dynasty exhibits a link between inbreeding and child mortality

Charles Darwin's worries about possible adverse effects of inbreeding in his family seem to have been justified, according to a study described in the May 2010 issue of BioScience. Darwin married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and his mother, Susannah Wedgwood, was the daughter of third cousins. The study, which extended to 25 families including 176 children, found a statistical association between child mortality and the inbreeding coefficient of individuals in the Darwin/Wedgwood dynasty.

4 May 2010

CA-BSI can be reduced in children through quality improvement efforts: Study

Bloodstream infections associated with catheters can be significantly reduced through quality improvement efforts, possibly leading to better health outcomes and lives saved, decreased stays at the hospital and related costs, according to a new study.

4 May 2010

Bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to babies by mother: Researcher

A North Carolina State University researcher has discovered that bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to human babies by the mother, causing chronic infections and raising the possibility of bacterially induced birth defects.

4 May 2010

Mood and anxiety disorders associated with poor health outcomes

Rates of mood and anxiety disorders appear to decline with age but the conditions remain common in older adults, especially women, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 May 2010

Study highlights high prevalence of GDM during pregnancy

Living in a food-insecure household during pregnancy may increase the odds of greater weight gain and pregnancy complications, particularly gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a new study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

4 May 2010

Study indicates a strong link between socio-economic status and asthma

New research shows Inuit populations in the Canadian Arctic have asthma rates far below Aboriginal people in other parts of Canada, especially those in urban centres.

4 May 2010

Study shows association between sleep duration and weight in adolescents

Adolescents who don't get enough sleep may gain more than some extra time to play video games or text their friends. They also may gain weight, according to research being presented Tuesday, May 4 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

4 May 2010

Obese men more likely to have low testosterone than non-obese men: HIM study

Obesity, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes, now appears to be associated with another health problem, but one that affects men only -- low testosterone levels.

4 May 2010

Skin cancer rates going down in Alberta: Research group

It appears that people are listening to doctors' orders to protect their skin from the sun. In the largest Canadian study of non-melanoma skin cancer, Andrei Metelitsa, Gordon Jung and their research group have found skin cancer rates in Alberta are going down in men and have levelled off for women. This comes at a time when American scientists say that skin cancer rates are on the rise.

4 May 2010

PTSD symptoms more common among childhood cancer survivors

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Kidneys of healthy adults show signs of chronic mild injury that increase with age: Mayo Clinic

4 May 2010

NIH awards Hutchinson Center $10.24M for research of breast cancer disparities in Hispanic women

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $10.24 million to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to lead a five-year study that aims to understand and prevent breast cancer disparities in Hispanic women.

4 May 2010

Young adult survivors of childhood cancer more likely to develop PTSD: Study

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Researchers receive $250,000 to study inventive cell-transfer therapy to treat cortical dysplasia

University of Florida researchers will receive $250,000 to study an inventive cell-transfer therapy to treat cortical dysplasia, a condition where the brain develops abnormally before birth, causing severe epilepsy in children and adults.

4 May 2010

Pregnant Arab women have high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency: Study

Pregnant Arab women have an "extraordinarily high prevalence" of vitamin D deficiency - a potential health issue for them and their babies, according to a new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study.

4 May 2010

Depressive symptoms after ACS associated with vascular brain changes

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosmatics has examined brain activity after a heart attack.This study provides the first evidence that persistent depressive symptoms after acute coronary syndrome are associated with vascular brain changes.

4 May 2010

Growth hormone boosts sprinting capacity in athletes but may have serious side effects

Human Growth Hormone (hGH) has long been used among athletes and body builders for stronger and a more muscular bodies over the past four decades. However it is only now that Sydney-based researchers have published a study that shows that hGH offers no such benefits.

3 May 2010

Weight loss through caloric restriction and increase in physical activity improve symptoms of GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a debilitating problem for sufferers -- heartburn, difficulty swallowing, chest pain and acid reflux. According to a Mayo Clinic study that will be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2010 in New Orleans May 1-5, even moderate weight gain can exacerbate those symptoms, DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researcher in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

3 May 2010