Women Health

Commuting to work by walking on quieter side streets rather than main roads can help people avoid exposure to peaks in harmful air pollution, according to new research presented today at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress, 2015. Black carbon is one of the components of air pollution, and comes from incomplete combustion by diesel vehicles. It is known … [Read more...]

Pioneering new research by the University of Exeter could revolutionize global diagnostic procedures for one of the most common forms of epilepsy. Scientists from Exeter have investigated using mathematical modelling to assess susceptibility to idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) by analysing electrical activity of the brain while the patient is in a resting … [Read more...]

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has analyzed the long-term effects of psychotherapy on borderline personality disorder. Authors report the effect of DBT compared to TAU on inpatient service use, and a follow-up 6 months after the end of treatment. Data on psychiatric hospitalisation were collected by interviewing patients at two … [Read more...]

A commonly prescribed antidepressant may alter brain structures in depressed and non-depressed individuals in very different ways, according to new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study -- conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans -- found that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonin … [Read more...]

An early study suggests that a synthetic triglyceride oil called triheptanoin may provide hope for people with Huntington's disease. The study is published in the January 7, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Huntington's disease is inherited and causes nerve cells to break down in the brain, especially areas involved … [Read more...]

In the span of a decade, Canada has gone from ecstasy importer to global supplier of the illegal party drug. At the same time, even newer designer highs -- sometimes just a mouse-click away -- are flooding the drug market faster than legislation can keep pace. It's a worrying problem that University of Alberta researchers say requires more education to help Canadians … [Read more...]

A blogger's weight affects her or his credibility with readers seeking food advice, according to a Cornell study published online and in a forthcoming print issue of the journal Health Communication. The study revealed that when a blogger is overweight, as shown in the blogger's photo, readers are far more skeptical of the information that blogger provides when compared with … [Read more...]

While most of us worry about the fat cells building up on the fleshy parts of our bodies, scientists have started to pay serious attention to another kind of fat cell deep inside our bones, in what's called the marrow. Today, they've published new important clues about this little-understood kind of fatty tissue -- including the discovery that there are two different … [Read more...]

Women who have inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are more likely to develop breast cancer or ovarian cancer, especially at a younger age. Approximately 5 percent of women with breast cancer in the United States have mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 based on estimates in non-Hispanic white women. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers recently conducted the largest U.S. … [Read more...]

People who get dizzy several minutes after standing up may be at risk of more serious conditions and even an increased risk of death, according to new research published in the September 23, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Feeling dizzy, faint or light-headed after standing due to a sudden drop in blood pressure can be … [Read more...]

There are fewer smokers in the current generation of adolescents. Current figures show about 25 per cent of teens smoke, down dramatically from 40 per cent in 1987. But are those who pick up the habit doing so because they have a negative self-image? Does the typical teenaged smoker try to balance out this unhealthy habit with more exercise? And if so, then why would an … [Read more...]

Some research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids, abundant in fish oils, can relieve inflammation in Crohn's disease. But a new study using software developed by Duke scientists hints that we should be paying closer attention to what the other omegas -- namely, omega-6 and omega-7 -- are doing to improve or worsen the disease. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease … [Read more...]

People with a genetic predisposition for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) significantly increased their odds of developing the blinding eye disorder if they had a history of heavy smoking and consistently did not exercise or eat enough fruits and vegetables, according to an observational study of women funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes … [Read more...]

An oral capsule that vibrates as it moves through the digestive tract has shown notable promise as a non-pharmacological treatment for constipation, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). In the pilot study, the vibrating capsule was found to nearly double the weekly bowel movements of patients suffering from chronic idiopathic constipation … [Read more...]

Up to 15 percent of the general adult population is affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and most patients struggle to find effective drug therapy. A new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) provides these patients and their physician's guidance. The new guideline and accompanying technical review have been published in Gastroenterology, the … [Read more...]

In human cells, shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are both a sign of aging and contribute to it. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found that the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. The … [Read more...]

Kaycee M. Sink, M.D., M.A.S., of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues evaluated whether a 24-month physical activity program would result in better cognitive function, lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, or both, compared with a health education program. Epidemiological evidence suggests that physical activity is … [Read more...]

What do a prominent physiologist and two-time survivor of pancreatic cancer and a world-renowned researcher whose landmark discoveries on aspirin, drug therapies of proven benefit and therapeutic lifestyle changes that have saved more than 1.1 million lives have in common? They are both passionate about the importance of regular physical activity in reducing risks of dying from … [Read more...]

Exercise training for patients with pulmonary hypertension was shown to be safe and to improve quality of life, according to an analysis by UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists of studies involving more than 400 participants. Pulmonary hypertension is a type of high blood pressure that affects the lungs and heart, making it hard to breathe, or making one weary or … [Read more...]

The loss of muscle strength and function, what's known as sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. It's also a growing public health concern because of the risk for falls, injury and decline in quality of life. That's why an Iowa State University researcher is working to slow or reverse the progression of sarcopenia. Rick Sharp, a professor of kinesiology, is testing the … [Read more...]

Just like attempts at influencing hairstyles or clothing can backfire, adults who try to guilt middle-schoolers into exercising won't get them to be any more active, according to a new study by University of Georgia researchers. The study, which appears in the September issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found students who don't feel in … [Read more...]

High-intensity training (HIT) is often recommended as a way to improve cardiovascular fitness in men and women. HIT exercise can have a positive effect on a person's maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) capacity, the pathway that cells use to metabolize energy. However, studies on these exercise regimens have focused on … [Read more...]

Pedalling like Chris Froome or Alberto Contador might seem appealing, but Oxford University researchers have found that for most of us it's likely to reduce rather than improve our performance. A team from Oxford's Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences looked at a common measure of aerobic fitness called VO2 max. While it can be measured accurately in a laboratory, … [Read more...]

Washington State University researchers have found that the timing of an animal's sleep can be just as important as how much sleeps it gets. Ilia Karatsoreos, an assistant professor in WSU's Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, shifted mice from their usual cycle of sleeping and waking and saw that, while they got enough sleep, it was of poorer quality. The … [Read more...]

Ingrown hair, also known as "razor bumps," are a common skin condition, particularly in people whose hair has the tendency to curl back or grow sideways in a hair follicle. The result often looks like acne, consisting of tiny round bumps, some of which have a visible hair trapped inside them. They also can be accompanied by pustules and skin discoloration. Furthermore, they can … [Read more...]

New research published in this month's edition of United European Gastroenterology journal suggests that supplementation with vitamin D may impact on the intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with Crohn's disease, and could have a role in the treatment of the condition. The study is by Professor Maria O'Sullivan and Tara Raftery. Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity … [Read more...]

Ampligen, the first drug ever seeking approval to treat chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), recently hit another roadblock with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In its long quest to treat 1 million Americans suffering from this debilitating illness, the FDA advisory panel did not recommend the drug to be sold on the market, largely because … [Read more...]

Every day, patients around the country get IV devices placed in their arms, to make it easier to receive medicines or have blood drawn over the course of days or weeks. But these PICC lines, as they're called, also raise the risk of potentially dangerous blood clots. Now, a University of Michigan Medical School team has shown how serious that clot risk really is for … [Read more...]