Health News from Medical News Today

Group-Based Child Care Appears To Be Associated With Reduced Risk For Emotional Problems In Children

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 PDT

Regulated group-based child care appears to be associated with reduced risk for emotional problems among children of mothers with maternal depressive symptoms, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication. Children of depressed mothers are at increased risk of mental health problems. Researchers want to better understand how maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) are associated with child outcome over time, the authors write in the study background. Catherine M. Herba, Ph.D...

Prenatal Exposure To Maternal Cigarette Smoking Associated With Altered Reward Processing And Anticipation

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 PDT

JAMA Psychiatry Study Highlights Whether adolescents with prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking differ from their nonexposed peers in the response part of their brain to the anticipation or the receipt of a reward was examined in a study by Kathrin U. MÃ¼ller, Dipl-Psych, of Technische UniversitÃ¤t Dresden, Germany, and colleagues. The researchers assessed 177 adolescents with prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking and 177 nonexposued peers (age range, 13-15 years) matched by sex, maternal educational level, and imaging site...

Screening Colonoscopy Associated With Increased Survival Duration And Rates For Patients With Colon Cancer

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 PDT

Patients with colon cancer identified on screening colonoscopy appear to have lower-stage disease on presentation and better outcomes independent of their staging, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Surgery, a JAMA Network publication. Since their introduction in 2000, National Institutes of Health-recommended screening colonoscopy guidelines seemingly have consistently decreased overall rates of colorectal cancer in the United States. Ramzi Amri, M.Sc...

Smoking Cessation Associated With Reduced Postoperative Complications After Major Surgery

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 PDT

JAMA Surgery Study Highlights Smoking cessation at least one year before major surgery eliminates the increased risk of postoperative mortality and decreases the risk of arterial and respiratory events evident in current smokers, according to a study by Khaled M. Musallam, M.D., Ph.D., of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon and colleagues. (Online First) A total of 125,192 current and 78,763 past smokers from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent a major surgery were included in the study sample...

Mortality Appears To Be Higher For Patients With Thicker Single Primary Melanomas Than For Thicker Multiple Primary Melanomas

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 PDT

JAMA Dermatology Study Highlights Although overall mortality rates due to single primary melanomas (SPMs) and multiple primary melanomas (MPMs) appear to be similar, relative mortality for thicker SPM appears to be greater than that for thicker MPM, according to a study by Anne Kricker, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney, Australia and colleagues. (Online First) A total of 2,372 patients with SPM and 1,206 patients with MPM participated in the study...

Pesticides Tied To Reduced Biodiversity In Streams And Rivers

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:00:00 PDT

A new study of water habitats in Europe and Australia, that for the first time examines the effect of pesticides on regional biodiversity, concludes pesticide use significantly reduces regional biodiversity of invertebrates in streams and rivers, in some areas by as much as 42%. The researchers say it is time to find new ways to look at how pesticide use affects the natural environment...

New Technology Reduces, Controls CT Radiation Exposure In Children

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 PDT

Patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are being exposed to significantly less radiation during CT scans because of new technology that allows doctors to more tightly control radiation doses. The first-of-its-kind imaging software reduced overall radiation exposure from CT scans by 37 percent, according to two new studies published online today in the journal Radiology...

Obesity Is Now A Disease, American Medical Association Decides

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 PDT

Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association, an action that could put more emphasis on the health condition by doctors and insurance companies in order to minimize its effects. The new decision was made at the AMA's annual meeting on Tuesday by delegates in Chicago, and went against a recommendation by a committee that had studied the subject. Dr...

Many U.S. Adults May Not Be Protected Against Whooping Cough

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 PDT

Many U.S. adults are not up to date on their whooping cough vaccinations, putting vulnerable babies at risk of the potentially deadly disease, according to a new survey. The number of whooping cough (Pertussis) cases is increasing in the United States. In 2012, over 41,000 kids and adults were affected by the disease, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates are at their highest level in 50 years...

Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Must Receive Independent Medical Advice, Doctors Urge Obama

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 PDT

Hunger strikers currently detained in GuantÃ¡namo Bay should receive independent medical advice, 153 doctors told President Barack Obama in an open letter published today in The Lancet. An increasing number of doctors and healthcare professionals are expressing concern and alarm that the hunger strikers are not receiving a proper or humane standard of medical care by military doctors. There are estimated to be over 100 hunger strikers in GuantÃ¡namo Bay. A letter signed by thirteen hunger strikers to their military doctor was published in The Guardian on May 31st, 2013...

Final Design Of Consistent Nutritional Labelling System Given Green Light

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 PDT

People will now find it easier to make healthier choices about the food they eat with the new consistent front of pack nutritional label launched today by Public Health Minister Anna Soubry. This comes after research shows that people can end up bewildered by the different nutrition labels on food. The new label aims to make it easier for people to make healthier choices. The consistent system will combine both traffic light colour-coding and nutritional information to show how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, and calories are in food products...

Blood Test Predicts Type 1 Diabetes Risk

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 PDT

German scientists have found a way to predict a person's risk of developing type 1 diabetes, their study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The American Diabetes Association estimates there are over 3 million Americans living with type 1 diabetes, while Diabetes UK says that are about 300,000 in the UK. There is currently no cure for diabetes type 1, which unlike type 2 is not preventable. It can be fatal unless the patient regularly takes exogenous insulin...

9 Strategies For Making Senior Communities Stand Out - Interview In Advance Of The Long-Term Care CXO Summit, 25-26 July, 2013, Florida

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 PDT

Kristin Kutac Ward of Retiring By Design, a solution provider at the marcus evans Long-Term Care CXO Summit Fall 2013, on making senior communities stand out in the market. Every senior community is different and needs a unique analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), advised Kristin Kutac Ward, President, Retiring By Design. A solution provider at the marcus evans Long-Term Care CXO Summit Fall 2013, in Palm Beach, Florida, July 25-26, Kutac Ward gives her recommendations for improving occupancy, following up on inquiries and planning for the long-term...

Getting Nutrition In LTC Facilities Right - Interview In Advance Of The Long-Term Care CXO Summit, 25-26 July, 2013, Florida

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 PDT

Staci Vetrovsky of Nutrition Care Systems, Inc., a solution provider company at the marcus evans Long-Term Care CXO Summit Fall 2013, on why LTC facilities need to focus more on nutrition. "In order to maintain their competitive edge, long-term care (LTC) facilities must be on the cutting-edge of nutrition," says Staci Vetrovsky, Vice President, Nutrition Care Systems, Inc. "The younger population coming into LTC facilities expects upscale dining options and is more health-conscious than the previous generation," she adds...

Risk For Insulin Resistance In Offspring Increased By Directed In Vitro Technique

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

A special type of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, may increase the risk for insulin resistance among children conceived in this way, according to a new study from Greece. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. During natural fertilization, as well as other IVF treatments, the egg is exposed to many sperm. In both of these cases, the strongest, healthiest sperm has the best chance of reaching and fertilizing the egg...

Hope For Treatment Of Non-24 Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder In The Blind

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

An investigational new drug significantly improved a common and debilitating circadian rhythm sleep disorder that frequently affects people who are completely blind, a multicenter study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The new drug, called tasimelteon, selectively targets the master body clock in the brain, which controls the timing of the sleep-wake cycle, alertness patterns and the timing of some hormones, as well as many other aspects of physiology and metabolism...

In Postmenopausal Women, Testosterone Improves Verbal Learning And Memory

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

Postmenopausal women had better improvement in verbal learning and memory after receiving treatment with testosterone gel, compared with women who received sham treatment with a placebo, a new study found. Results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "This is the first large, placebo-controlled study of the effects of testosterone on mental skills in postmenopausal women who are not on estrogen therapy," said principal investigator Susan Davis, MBBS (MD), PhD, of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia...

Fat Tissues In Sheep Affected By Prenatal Exposure To BPA

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

New research suggests that fetal exposure to the common environmental chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, causes increased inflammation in fat tissues after birth, which can lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome. Results of the animal study were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Found in plastic water bottles, older baby bottles and many other consumer products, BPA is a known hormone disrupter with estrogen-like properties...

Rational Biological Source Of Pain Found In The Skin Of Patients With Fibromyalgia

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

Fibromyalgia, a painful condition affecting approximately 10 million people in the U.S., is not imaginary after all, as some doctors have believed. A discovery, published this month in PAIN MEDICINE (the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine), clearly now demonstrates that fibromyalgia may have a rational biological basis located in the skin. Fibromyalgia is a severely debilitating affliction characterized by widespread deep tissue pain, tenderness in the hands and feet, fatigue, sleep disorders, and cognitive decline...

Increased Risk Of Prostate Cancer In Human Stem Cells Following Exposure To Low Doses Of BPA

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

Exposing developing tissue to low levels of the plastic bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is linked to a greater incidence of prostate cancer in tissue grown from human prostate stem cells, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. BPA is a synthetic estrogen that is used to add flexibility to many common products, including food cans and containers, compact discs, eyeglasses, and even baby bottles. It is universally prevalent, and tests indicate that almost everyone has measurable levels of the chemical in their bodies...

Link Between BPA And Defects Of A Testicular Hormone In Newborn Boys With Undescended Testicles

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

A new study links fetal exposure to a common chemical pollutant, bisphenol A (BPA), to defects of a testicular hormone in newborn boys with undescended testicles. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, suggest yet another potential harmful effect of BPA, which is widely used in many plastics, liners of food cans and dental sealants...

Precocious Puberty In Girls May Be Delayed By Vitamin D Supplementation

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

Vitamin D supplementation may help delay early onset of puberty in girls, a new clinical study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Among girls, puberty generally begins between the ages of 10 and 14. Boys undergo these changes later, usually between 12 to 16 years of age. Precocious puberty is diagnosed in girls when sexual development begins before the age of 8; in boys, it is diagnosed when these changes occur before age 9...

Weight Loss Promoted By Drug Combination In Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 PDT

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, lost significantly more weight when they took two drugs that are traditionally used to treat diabetes, rather than either drug alone, a study from Slovenia demonstrates. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. PCOS is the leading cause of infertility among women. In the United States, the disorder affects approximately 5 million women, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women's Health. This translates to 1 in 10 to 20 women, overall, who are affected...

Obese Women Who Skip Breakfast At Greater Risk For Insulin Resistance

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Overweight women who skip breakfast experience acute, or rapid-onset, insulin resistance, a condition that, when chronic, is a risk factor for diabetes, a new study finds. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, suggest that regularly skipping breakfast over time may lead to chronic insulin resistance and thus could increase an individual's risk for type 2 diabetes...

Discovery Of A Mutant Gene In Rett Syndrome

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Discovery of a mutant gene responsible for a disease is a milestone, but for most conditions, it may be only a first step towards a treatment or cure. Understanding Rett Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is further complicated by the fact that the implicated gene controls a suite of other genes. Two papers, published in Nature Neuroscience and Nature, reveal key steps in how mutations in the gene for methyl CpG-binding protein (MECP2) cause the condition...

The Importance Of A Father's Diet Before Conception

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

When fathers eat a high-fat diet before conception of offspring, the male offspring have increased body weight after weaning and high body fat in midlife despite eating a low-fat diet, a new study in mice finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "Many researchers have studied the effects of maternal diet on the risk of obesity in their children. We found that the father's diet also affects the offspring in ways that are inherited," said the study's principal investigator, Felicia V...

Relationship Between Short-Term Antidepressant Use, Stress, High-Fat Diet And Long-Term Weight Gain

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Short-term use of antidepressants, combined with stress and a high-fat diet, is associated with long-term increases in body weight, a new animal study finds. The results were presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco...

Early Development Of Offspring Affected When Nursing Rats Ate A Chemical In Antibacterial Soap

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

A mother's exposure to triclocarban, a common antibacterial chemical, while nursing her babies shortens the life of her female offspring, a new study in rats finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Commonly used in antibacterial soap and other personal care products, triclocarban has the potential for a large portion of the public to be exposed to it, said the study's lead author, Rebekah Kennedy, a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville...

Implantable Defibrillators Benefit The Elderly Too

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

The elderly may benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators as much as younger people, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-powered device placed under the skin of the chest which delivers electrical impulses to restore a normal heartbeat if it detects a dangerous abnormal rhythm. Overall health - not age alone - should determine how well patients will do after getting an ICD and help guide decisions about who should receive one, researchers said...

In Children With Autism, Voices May Not Trigger Brain's Reward Centers

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

In autism, brain regions tailored to respond to voices are poorly connected to reward-processing circuits, according to a new study by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The research could help explain why children with autism struggle to grasp the social and emotional aspects of human speech. "Weak brain connectivity may impede children with autism from experiencing speech as pleasurable," said Vinod Menon, PhD, senior author of the study, which was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

Nerve Cell Properties Altered By Diet Restored By Bariatric Surgery

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Understanding how gastric bypass surgery changes the properties of nerve cells that help regulate the digestive system could lead to new treatments that produce the same results without surgery, according to Penn State College of Medicine scientists, who have shown how surgery restores some properties of nerve cells that tell people their stomachs are full. The results may also better predict which patients will keep the weight off after surgery. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is the most effective way to get severe obesity under control...

Certain Types Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease May Increase Risk Of Death

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Joseph Pidala, M.D., M.S., assistant member of the Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Immunology programs at Moffitt Cancer Center, and colleagues from the Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Consortium have determined that certain gastrointestinal and liver-related types of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are associated with worsened quality of life and death. Their study appeared in the May issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the official journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation...

Witnessing Violence In Infancy Leads To Later Aggression In School

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Aggression in school-age children may have its origins in children 3 years old and younger who witnessed violence between their mothers and partners, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study. "People may think children that young are passive and unaware, but they pay attention to what's happening around them," said Megan Holmes, assistant professor of social work at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland...

Preventing Vascular Calcification May Treat One Of The Main Symptoms Of Premature Aging Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

HGPS is a rare genetic disease that affects one in every 4-8 million births. The disease is caused by a spontaneous mutation in one of the two copies (alleles) of the gene LMNA, which codes for lamin A, a protein important for the integrity and function of the envelope surrounding the cell nucleus. The mutation causes incorrect processing of the messenger RNA for lamin proteins, resulting in the synthesis of an anomalous protein, called progerin...

Vaccine For A Common Respiratory Disease Moves A Step Closer

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

RSV is a common cause of respiratory infection, but there is no vaccine available. It causes flu-like symptoms in healthy adults, but becomes life-threatening in young children and the elderly. It is estimated to cause over 100 000 deaths yearly worldwide. The teams of Research Director Sarah Butcher (Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki) and Professor Ari Helenius (ETH Zurich) have now solved the three-dimensional structure of RSV. "The structural model helps us to understand how infectious viruses are formed...

Discovery Of Rare Genomic Mutations In 10 Families With Early-Onset, Familial Alzheimer's Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Although a family history of Alzheimer's disease is a primary risk factor for the devastating neurological disorder, mutations in only three genes - the amyloid precursor protein and presenilins 1 and 2 - have been established as causative for inherited, early-onset Alzheimer's, accounting for about half of such cases. Now Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have discovered a type of mutation known as copy-number variants (CNVs) - deletions, duplications, or rearrangements of human genomic DNA - in affected members of 10 families with early-onset Alzheimer's...

Minimally Invasive Techniques Allow Doctors To Remove Suspicious Polyps, Keep Colon Intact

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Millions of people each year have polyps successfully removed during colonoscopies. But when a suspicious polyp is bigger than a marble or in a hard-to-reach location, patients are referred for surgery to remove a portion of their colon - even if doctors aren't sure whether the polyp is cancerous or not. Since only 15 percent of all polyps turn out to be malignant, many patients are unnecessarily subjected to the risks of this major surgery. Now there is an alternative...

Variations In Quality And Outcomes Of Care In Teaching And Safety-Net Hospitals

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Teaching hospitals with a higher intensity of physician-training activity achieve lower mortality rates, but higher hospitalization readmission rates for key medical diagnoses, reports a study in the July issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The disparity in readmissions is greatest for "safety-net" hospitals serving low-income populations, according to the new research led by Dr Stephanie K. Mueller of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston...

Making Bacteria Make More Antibiotics More Quickly

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

An antibiotic has been found to stimulate its own production. The findings, to be published in PNAS, could make it easier to scale up antibiotic production for commercialisation. Scientists Dr Emma Sherwood and Professor Mervyn Bibb from the John Innes Centre were able to use their discovery of how the antibiotic is naturally produced to markedly increase the level of production. "We have shown for the first time that an antibiotic with clinical potential can act as signalling molecule to trigger its own synthesis," said Professor Bibb...

Mannitol May Prevent Aggregation Of Toxic Proteins In Parkinson's Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Mannitol, a sugar alcohol produced by fungi, bacteria, and algae, is a common component of sugar-free gum and candy. The sweetener is also used in the medical field - it's approved by the FDA as a diuretic to flush out excess fluids and used during surgery as a substance that opens the blood/brain barrier to ease the passage of other drugs. Now Profs. Ehud Gazit and Daniel Segal of Tel Aviv University's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, along with their colleague Dr...

Whooping Cough Can Be Deadly For Infants, But 61 Percent Of Adults Don't Know Their Vaccine Status

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are on the rise in the U.S., recently reaching their highest level in 50 years. The disease can be serious or even fatal to newborns who have not yet received vaccinations. Effective vaccines against pertussis have been available for many decades, but that vaccine protection can wear off over time. A new University of Michigan poll shows that 61 percent of adults say they don't know when they were last vaccinated against pertussis, which could mean they might be unwittingly exposing vulnerable babies to the disease...

Memory Loss In Alzheimer's Recovered By Blocking Overactive Receptor

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

A new study shows that memory pathology in older mice with Alzheimer's disease can be reversed with treatment. The study by researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, at McGill University and at UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al found that blocking the activity of a specific receptor in the brain of mice with advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) recovers memory and cerebrovascular function. The results, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation in May, also suggest an underlying mechanism of AD as a potential target for new therapies...

'Undruggable' To Druggable: A New Target For Cancer Drug Development

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified in the most aggressive forms of cancer a gene known to regulate embryonic stem cell self-renewal, beginning a creative search for a drug that can block its activity. The gene, SALL4, gives stem cells their ability to continue dividing as stem cells rather than becoming mature cells...

Strong Link Between Bullying And Suicide

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Bullying and suicide among youth are a serious public health problem, a CDC expert panel reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health today. The authors explained that bullying can have long-lasting and damaging effects which can persist for months and even years. Several studies over the last few years have associated bullying with depression. The media has covered the theme extensively. In view of this, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) decided to gather a group of experts (Panel) to focus on bullying, its causes and consequences, and how to address it...

Sleep Could Be Key To Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:00 PDT

Men who don't have enough sleep during the working week and catch up at the weekend could be reducing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This was the message from a US study presented at a scientific meeting this week. Peter Liu, a lead researcher at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), and colleagues, tested men whose lifestyles meant they had chronic sleep restriction during the working week...

A High-Fat Diet Impairs Memory And Learning In Adolescent Mice

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A high-fat diet in adolescence appears to have long-lasting effects on learning and memory during adulthood, a new study in mice finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Adolescent mice fed a normal-calorie but high-fat diet became moderately obese but not diabetic, and they displayed significantly impaired spatial memory, according to the study authors, from CEU-San Pablo University (Universidad CEU-San Pablo) in Madrid...

Obese Children With Impaired Heart Function At Greater Risk Of Later Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Impaired heart function among obese children and adolescents may be an indicator of future heart disease, a new clinical trial finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Obesity rates in developed countries worldwide are climbing among all age groups, including children. In the United States today, one-third of children are overweight or obese, which raises concerns about the effects of early weight gain on future health...

Overweight Women Who Lose Weight Experience Improved Memory

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Memory improves in older, overweight women after they lose weight by dieting, and their brain activity actually changes in the regions of the brain that are important for memory tasks, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "Our findings suggest that obesity-associated impairments in memory function are reversible, adding incentive for weight loss," said lead author Andreas Pettersson, MD, a PhD student at Umea University, Umea, Sweden...

Stress Hormones Found In Healthy, Full-Term Babies Different From Those Of Their Mothers

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A University of Calgary researcher has identified how a steroid hormone may indicate infant distress during labour and delivery. The study, published by PLOS ONE this month, suggests that a full-term, healthy baby preferentially secretes a different stress hormone than its mother does. That stress hormone, corticosterone, has not been previously studied in human development. "Fetal corticosterone, which is related to cortisol, could serve as a biomarker of fetal stress," says study lead author Katherine Wynne-Edwards, PhD, Jack Manns Professor of Comparative Endocrinology...

Transgender Adolescents Can Safely Receive Hormone Treatment To Halt Puberty

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Hormone treatment to halt puberty in adolescents with gender identity disorder does not cause lasting harm to their bones, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "Hormonal interventions to block the pubertal development of children with gender dysphoria are effective and sufficiently safe to alleviate the stress of gender dysphoria," said the study's lead author, Henriette Delemarre-van de Waal, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatric endocrinology at Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands...

In Obese And Overweight Children, Vitamin D Deficiency Linked To Increased Allergy Risk And Severity

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

One reason why obese children and teenagers are more likely to have hard-to-control asthma and allergies may be vitamin D deficiency, a new study finds. Results of the study were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "The increased risk for asthma and allergies, and for more severe cases of allergic disease, in overweight and obese adolescents has not previously been understood," said Candace Percival, MD, lead investigator and a pediatric endocrinology fellow at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD...

Girls With Anorexia Nervosa Suffer Reduced Anxiety With Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Estrogen replacement therapy is associated with a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among girls with anorexia nervosa, a new clinical trial finds. The results were presented today at The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting in San Francisco...

Advanced Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancer Responds To Osteoporosis Drug

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A new osteoporosis drug hinders the growth of estrogen-sensitive cancer that has become resistant to treatment with tamoxifen, a study in mice shows. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The medication, bazedoxifene, which is approved in Europe under the brand name Conbriza for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis, also reduced estrogen activity and estrogen receptor levels in cultured human breast cancer cells, the study authors reported...

Diagnostic Genetic Tool Identifies Benign Thyroid Growths, Potentially Avoiding Thousands Of Unnecessary Surgeries

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A new genetic test accurately and consistently diagnoses benign growths, or nodules, on the thyroid gland, according to a study from Chile. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "We have developed a 'gene signature' that effectively identifies benign thyroid nodules," said Hernan Gonzalez, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. "This test is potentially useful to identify patients who do not require surgery...

Heart Failure And Hypertension Meds May Help Decrease Obesity

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A type of drug normally used to treat heart failure and high blood pressure helped prevent weight gain and other complications related to a high-fat diet in an animal study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Weight gain, especially around the waist, and high blood pressure, combine with other abnormalities to form a cluster of diseases known as metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses...

Improving Health Care Access In Developing Countries, Remote Regions, Using Mobile Health Devices

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Mobile health technology has substantial potential for improving access to health care in the developing world and in remote regions of developed countries, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). In many countries, access to health care is hampered by lack of medical professionals and health care infrastructure, limited or poor equipment, sporadic power and other obstacles. However, the development of remote-presence medical devices can help fill this void by connecting people in remote locations with experienced health care professionals for real-time assessment...

Association Between Eating Behaviors In Preschoolers And Later Cardiovascular Risk

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Eating behaviors of preschoolers may be associated with risk of cardiovascular disease in later life, suggests a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). A study of 1076 preschool children aged 3-5 years in the TARGet Kids! practice-based research network in Toronto, Ontario, looked at the link between eating habits and serum levels of non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is a surrogate marker of later cardiovascular risk...

New Target Timelines And Deadlines Increase Initiation Speed Of NCI Sponsored Clinical Trials

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and investigators have reduced the deadlines for initiation of trials with the goal of reaching more patients in need of new treatments, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In the year 2008, the NCI created the Operational Efficiency Working Group (OWEG) to develop recommendations for increasing the speed at which NCI-sponsored trials are initiated...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: June 18, 2013

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

1. Two Independent Reviews, Made Possible through Unprecedented Data Release, Raise Questions about rhBMP-2 rhBMP-2 provided little or no benefit compared to bone graft and may be associated with more harms, possibly including cancer Two independent reanalyses of trial data, based on an unprecedented data release by Medtronic, Inc., indicate that the current evidence shows little benefit and potential harms are associated with the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), an orthobiologic agent used to promote bone growth, in spinal surgery...

New Drug Developed That Reverses Loss Of Brain Connections In Alzheimer's

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The first experimental drug to boost brain synapses lost in Alzheimer's disease has been developed by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. The drug, called NitroMemantine, combines two FDA-approved medicines to stop the destructive cascade of changes in the brain that destroys the connections between neurons, leading to memory loss and cognitive decline. The decade-long study, led by Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Del E...