Women Health

Using unique demographic records on 140,600 reproducing individuals from the Utah Population Database (USA), a research team led from Uppsala University has come to the conclusion that lowered birth rates are one reason why women outlive men in today's societies. The study is published in Scientific Reports. The causes underpinning sex differences in lifespan are hotly … [Read more...]

As many as one in four women in the U.S. suffer from chronic pelvic pain. A lot of times medication, steroid injections or physical therapy will help, but for women whose pelvic pain comes from the pudendal nerve, the pain goes much deeper. Now, an Atlanta doctor is trying a procedure that may be the non-invasive cure millions of women are looking for. Kristan Leeper can … [Read more...]

Essential biological processes are managed by an internal timer or body clock. When the body clock gets out of whack, conditions such as metabolic syndrome can occur. A research team led by biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) conducted an investigation to see if improving the body clock would protect against metabolic syndrome … [Read more...]

After vigorous exercise, some 3,000 genes go to work to aid recovery by boosting muscles and blood vessels, but in the presence of high doses of antihistamines almost 27 percent of the gene response is blunted, according to University of Oregon researchers. Whether the antihistamine effect on 795 affected genes might suggest a problem for competitive athletes and devoted … [Read more...]

Suppose you were trying to design a vaccine to combat next season's influenza virus. Having a detailed map that tells you exactly how various strains of the flu bug will evolve would be extremely helpful. Creating just that sort of map is the goal of evolutionary biologists who study a conceptual tool called the fitness landscape, which provides a way to visualize and … [Read more...]

Attractive and smart but unlucky in love? New research suggests you might not have luck to blame but rather your own negative traits. Researchers found that when evaluating potential mates, people give more weight to negative qualities than to positive ones. That is, even if someone has a number of positive qualities, one or two negative qualities can be enough for others to … [Read more...]

Researchers led by Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at ETH Zurich's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, have performed a feat that many specialists had until now held to be impossible: they have extracted stem cells from a 50-year-old test subject's fatty tissue and applied genetic reprogramming to make them mature into … [Read more...]

An internal clock within the kidneys plays an important role in maintaining balance within the body, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). Many of the body's processes follow a natural daily rhythm or circadian clock that is based on regular light-dark cycles as Earth rotates. Dmitri Firsov, PhD, … [Read more...]

New research demonstrates that the six-step hand-hygiene technique recommended by the World Health Organization is superior to a three-step method suggested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in reducing bacteria on healthcare workers' hands. The study was published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for … [Read more...]

We're all aware of the physical advantages of exercising and the emotional advantages have also been well-documented. But how much do we know about the psychological impact of engaging in physical activity? This study from Cognition and Emotion demonstrates the positive impact of acute aerobic exercise on individuals experiencing emotion regulation difficulties. Emily E. … [Read more...]

Our ability to fight off recurrent infections, such as colds or flu, may lie in the 'immunological memory' found in a newly discovered class of gene regulatory elements, according to research from the University of Birmingham, supported by the BBSRC and Bloodwise. The research, published in The EMBO J, identifies one way in which the immune system is able to provide a quick … [Read more...]

A small percentage of people diagnosed with a mysterious neurological condition may only experience psychiatric changes -- such as delusional thinking, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior -- according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, people who had previously been diagnosed with this disease, … [Read more...]

Researchers in the U.K. report that non-restorative sleep is the strongest, independent predictor of widespread pain onset among adults over the age of 50. According to the study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology (formerly Arthritis & Rheumatism), a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), anxiety, memory impairment, and poor physical health among … [Read more...]

Josep Rodes-Cabau, M.D., of Laval University, Quebec City, Canada, and colleagues randomly assigned 171 patients with an indication for atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and no history of migraine to receive dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin + clopidogrel [the clopidogrel group], n = 84) or single antiplatelet therapy (aspirin + placebo [the placebo group], n = 87) for 3 … [Read more...]

New research from the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project shows that genetics plays a role in sleep/wake timing of seizures. Researchers studied 1,395 individuals with epilepsy in families containing multiple people with epilepsy to determine whether sleep/wake timing of seizures runs in families. The study found that seizures in relatives were likely to occur at the same time … [Read more...]

One of the mysteries of lupus is why the immune cells that normally keep inflammation at bay can't seem to do their job. A University College London study published on March 8 in Immunity now suggests that for people with lupus, the B cells that regulate inflammation are getting signaled to become pro-inflammatory cells instead. The research, done using human blood samples and … [Read more...]

Two proteins, p38 gamma and p38 delta, control the accumulation of fat in the liver, a process linked to the development of insulin resistance and diabetes, which are common outcomes of obesity. These findings are presented in an article published by researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC). The study, led by Dr. Guadalupe Sabio, … [Read more...]

Hypertension is a major risk factor of various diseases including stroke, heart failure, vascular disease, and kidney disease. Angiotensin II, which is produced by the renin-angiotensin system, primarily functions as a physiological regulator of blood pressure and cardiovascular homeostasis, but it also plays a major role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. In the aorta, … [Read more...]

A woman can beat middle-aged spread, her disease risks, and her hot flashes with the help of her healthcare provider. And even a short term program can spell success for women and fit into a busy provider's practice, shows a demonstration obesity-fighting and health risk reduction program detailed in an article just published online in Menopause, the journal of The North … [Read more...]

Many Americans do not meet recommended intakes of calcium and vitamin D, despite the important role these vital nutrients play in bone health during all stages of the lifecycle. Researchers set out to determine calcium and vitamin D intakes among specific subpopulations of Americans in order to identify those most in need of fortification/enrichment and supplementation. Their … [Read more...]

The lifestyle altering effects of westernization could be responsible for the high prevalence of obesity, and associated health risks in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers have found. The study, published in PLOS ONE, by a team from the University of Warwick Medical School found that over one in five women in Nigeria were reported to be overweight or obese, with this statistic … [Read more...]

In your bones, there is fat. Why? Researchers don't know, but they have theories. How does it get there? They have theories about that, too. Is it the same sort of fat found in muscle? Not sure. Is this bone fat a bad thing? Yes. Researchers think it is. But sometimes, they say, it might not be so bad. "This is a new field," said Maya Styner, MD, an assistant … [Read more...]

Sugar has been a part of the human diet since sugarcane was domesticated in 8000 B.C., but today myths and misunderstandings about sugar and the role it plays in health abound. In the media, sugar has been linked to obesity, toxicity, addiction, and fatty liver disease, among a host of other health outcomes, but with little, no or poor research to back up such claims, according … [Read more...]

After menopause, more than half of women may have vulvovaginal symptoms that have a big impact on their lifestyle, emotions, and sex life. What's more, the symptoms tend to travel with other pelvic troubles, such as prolapse and urinary and bowel problems. But many women aren't getting help, shows a study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American … [Read more...]

A team led by UC San Francisco professor of medicine John Fahy, MD, has discovered why mucus in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) is thick, sticky and difficult to cough up, leaving these patients more vulnerable to lung infection. Fahy and his team found that in CF -- contrary to previous belief -- inflammation causes new molecular bonds to form within mucus, … [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...]

Low levels of vitamin C in the blood are linked to a more severe form of peripheral artery disease, an often painful condition in which the leg blood vessels become blocked, according to a report in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of atherosclerosis in which fatty deposits build up along artery walls … [Read more...]

Vitamin D treatment acts in the brain to improve weight and blood glucose (sugar) control in obese rats, according to a new study. "Vitamin D deficiency occurs often in obese people and in patients with Type 2 diabetes, yet no one understands if it contributes to these diseases," said Stephanie Sisley, MD, the study's principal investigator and an assistant professor at … [Read more...]

When one hears the term "alternative protein source" tofu, tempeh and seitan are what typically come to mind. In the March issue of Food Technology, Toni Tarver writes about three lesser known, but just as nutritious and palatable alternative protein sources. Algae-Derived Proteins Algae are a diverse group of photosyntehetic organisms that are chiefly aquatic, contain … [Read more...]

Across the country, health and human service providers have shown a growing interest in using yoga as an option for treating people who experience mental health problems. But a recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that while there are some promising benefits to using yoga, there isn't yet enough evidence to support the practice as a standalone … [Read more...]