Women Health

Many Europeans do not experience the run-up to Christmas as a particularly jolly time, and often feel despondent and stressed, reports a new study published in the Springer journal Applied Research in Quality of Life. However, the study suggests Christians, particularly those who are very religious, are the exception to this pattern. In a study on Christmas and subjective … [Read more...]

In a country as wealthy as the United States, it may come as a surprise that one in 12 seniors do not have access to adequate food due to lack of money or other financial resources. They are food insecure. Recent research at the University of Illinois using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) revealed that the seniors who are dealing with … [Read more...]

Dialysis patients with more muscle mass had better scores on a 6-minute walking test as well as better scores on physical and mental health questionnaires in a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The findings suggest that physical activity that builds muscle mass may help improve the health and quality of … [Read more...]

People who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol appear to have developed a false sense of security that could lead to heart disease and other obesity-related illnesses. A new UCLA-led study suggests that people who took statins in the 2009-10 year were consuming more calories and fat than those who used statins 10 years earlier. There was no similar increase in … [Read more...]

A woman's body at rest will remain at rest -- and that means health woes for older women. Led by Cornell University nutritional scientist Rebecca Seguin, a new study of 93,000 postmenopausal American women found those with the highest amounts of sedentary time -- defined as sitting and resting, excluding sleeping -- died earlier than their most active peers. The association … [Read more...]

People who decrease sitting time and increase physical activity have a lower risk of chronic disease, according to Kansas State University research. Even standing throughout the day -- instead of sitting for hours at a time -- can improve health and quality of life while reducing the risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, … [Read more...]

Aerobic exercise is known to prevent type 2 diabetes, and muscle-strengthening alone or in combination with aerobic exercise improves diabetic control among those with diabetes. Although men who weight train have been found to have an associated reduced risk of developing diabetes, whether such an association exists for women has not been established. In this week's PLOS … [Read more...]

Exercise can enhance the development of new brain cells in the adult brain, a process called adult neurogenesis. These newborn brain cells play an important role in learning and memory. A new study has determined that mice that spent time running on wheels not only developed twice the normal number of new neurons, but also showed an increased ability to distinguish new objects … [Read more...]

Researchers have found that exercise plays a role in how individuals feel they can manage their work-life balance. "Individuals who exercised regularly were more confident they could handle the interaction of their work and home life and were less likely to be stressed at work," said Russell Clayton, assistant professor of management at Saint Leo University and lead author … [Read more...]

Recording goals in a fitness diary, reflecting on the successes and failures and being held to account by others are some of the key strategies that have been found to maximize the achievement of goals to get fit. These findings will be presented January 8, 2014, to the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology in Brighton … [Read more...]

  As most people resolve themselves to lose weight this New Year, here's why it seems to get easier and easier to pack on unwanted pounds: New research published in the January 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat is reduced. Brown fat is a "good" fat located in the backs of our necks that helps burn "bad" white … [Read more...]

While it's clear that exercise can improve health and longevity, the changes that occur in the body to facilitate these benefits are less clear. Now researchers publishing in the January issue of Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism have discovered a molecule that is produced during exercise and contributes to the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolism. "Our finding … [Read more...]

As perceived by both patients and doctors, the cosmetic results after "lumpectomy" for breast cancer differ for African-American versus Caucasian women, suggests a pilot study in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery -- Global Open®, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Despite similar results on objective assessments, … [Read more...]

One in three women suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), a range of symptoms which include bladder and bowel problems as well as pelvic pain, according to the American Urogynecologic Society. Now, University of Missouri researchers have demonstrated that a comprehensive, nonsurgical treatment significantly improves symptoms in women with PFD. "Pelvic floor … [Read more...]

Virtual reality, dance and fun are not the first things that come to mind when we think of treating urinary incontinence in senior women. However, these concepts were the foundations of a promising study by Dr. Chantal Dumoulin, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Urogynaecological Health and Aging, a researcher at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, and an associate … [Read more...]

Doctors commonly recommend drug holidays, or breaks, from certain osteoporosis drugs due to the risks associated with these treatments. Yet little has been known about the ideal duration of the holidays and how best to manage patients during this time. This popular class of medications, known as bisphosphonates, has been shown to cause fractures in the thigh bones and tissue … [Read more...]

Clay has healing powers. This natural product is destined to help treat chronic kidney disease: a well-tolerated agent based on clay minerals lowers patients' excessive phosphate levels. Miss M. spends around 15 hours a week in hospital. Her renal functions are limited, and her kidneys are no longer able to filter toxins from her blood. She is a dialysis patient, forced to … [Read more...]

A recent study showed that prompted voiding is an effective measure for managing the problem of urinary incontinence and a behavioral strategy that can be implemented in nursing homes, both to deal with the problem and to change the attitudes of elderly residents and caregivers towards urinary incontinence. With a donation of HK$1.26 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club … [Read more...]

With the help of biomimetic matrices, a research team led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego has discovered exactly how calcium phosphate can coax stem cells to become bone-building cells. This work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of Jan. 6, 2014. UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professor Shyni … [Read more...]

Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives. University of Washington engineers hope a new type of … [Read more...]

Researchers at a breast cancer prevention clinic in Manchester, UK, have observed an increased uptake of preventative double mastectomies since May 2013, when Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone the procedure. In a Letter to the Editor, published in the open access journal Breast Cancer Research, researchers from the Genesis Prevention Centre Family History … [Read more...]

Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements may enhance curiosity and usage among young adults, according to a study published this week in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Researchers at the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative assessed more than 4,200 young adults (ages 18-34) and the impact of random assignment to exposure … [Read more...]

Texas Tech University sociology professor Jerome Koch has been studying body art -- both tattoos and piercings -- for years. And in that time, his research has turned up some pretty unexpected results. According to his new study, some interesting emotional correlations emerge among college-age respondents with four or more tattoos. Women with multiple tattoos report higher … [Read more...]

  Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. These effects were found in both healthy older adults and those … [Read more...]

As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria -- the cell's powerhouse -- may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on … [Read more...]

As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria -- the cell's powerhouse -- may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on … [Read more...]

Ultrasound is not just for babies anymore. For years, this imaging method that relies on soundwaves has been associated with obstetrics. But now, specially-designed tools are allowing doctors to find and treat muscle and joint injuries that in the past might have been overlooked. Leilani Straw planned to spend her retirement years exploring New York, until she developed a … [Read more...]

We have four major salivary glands and hundreds more in our mouth- not that we really notice, except when those glands are damaged. That’s when the pain and dryness can be excruciating. Researchers using a new method of growing cells may have found the answer for relief. Imagine having to carry water with you everywhere you go. It’s a way of life for people who have … [Read more...]

Glucosamine has been freely available in drugstores for many decades. It is widely used to treat arthritis and to prevent joint degeneration. Moreover, glucosamine is known to delay cancer growth. In addition, glucosamine reduces metabolism of nutritive sugars, as was already shown some 50 years ago. In 2007, Michael Ristow showed that too much nutritive sugar shortens the … [Read more...]

Boston University researchers have learned new information about the consequences of overeating high-calorie foods. Not only does this lead to an increase in white fat cell production, the type prominent in obesity, but it also leads to the dysfunction of brown fat cells, the unique type of fat that generates heat and burns energy. This study is the first to describe how … [Read more...]