_ Multiple SclerosisCell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis By Sondra Forsyth articleScientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute are one step closer to creating a viable cell replacement therapy for multiple sclerosis from a patient's own cells.
_ Trees Save Lives, Especially in Cities By Sondra Forsyth articleIn the first broad-scale estimate of air pollution removal by trees nationwide, U.S. Forest Service scientists and collaborators calculated that trees are saving more than 850 human lives a year and preventing 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms. The researchers valued the human health effects of the reduced air pollution at nearly $7 billion every year in a study published recently in the journal Environmental Pollution.
_ Breast CancerExposure To Nighttime Light Could Be Dangerous for Breast-Cancer Patients By Jane Farrell articleThe breast-cancer drug tamoxifen is useless if a patient is exposed to even dim overnight light, according to a new study. But it can become effective during the same period in combination with the hormone melatonin.Researchers from Tulane University School of Medicine published the study in the journal Cancer Research. It is the first study to show that melatonin, which regulates sleep and wake cycles, is essential to tamoxifen’s success in treating breast cancer. But melatonin doesn’t work if it’s shut off by exposure to light at night.
_ Medical CareDebunking Myths About Robotic Surgery By Sondra Forsyth article By Keith Chisholm, MDRobotics-assisted surgery has become enormously popular, with physicians around the world performing 1.5 million procedures from hysterectomies to heart valve repairs in 2011.
_ Parkinson's DiseaseAnti-Inflammatory Drug for Parkinson's By Sondra Forsyth articleAn experimental anti-inflammatory drug can protect vulnerable neurons and reduce motor deficits in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, according to researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. The results were published in July 2014 the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.
_ Mental & Emotional Health“Experiential Products” Boost Happiness By Sondra Forsyth articleMaterial items designed to create or enhance an experience, also known as "experiential products," can make shoppers just as happy as life experiences. That is the finding of research done at San Francisco State University and published online July 24th 2014 in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
_ Mental & Emotional HealthThe Guilty Couch Potato By Sondra Forsyth articleUsing media as a stress reducer can lead to feelings of guilt and failure, according to research done at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and VU University Amsterdam. The study was published July 24th 2014 in the Journal of Communication. The team found that people who had high stress levels after work and engaged in television viewing or video game play didn't feel relaxed or recovered, but had high levels of guilt and feelings of failure.
_ Women's Health and WellnessHysterectomy With Morcellation Poses Cancer Risk By Sondra Forsyth articleAmong women undergoing a minimally invasive hysterectomy using electric power morcellation, uterine cancers were present in 27 per 10,000 women at the time of the procedure, according to a study published July 22nd 2014 by JAMA. There has been concern that this procedure, in which the uterus is fragmented into smaller pieces, may result in the spread of undetected malignancies.
_ Mental & Emotional HealthWhen It's More Than Just Anxiety By Jane Farrell articleAlthough there’s a lot of talk about depression, another condition – Generalized Anxiety Disorder – doesn’t get nearly as much attention. And that can make it harder for friends and family to understand what’s happening when someone they love has GAD. Here, from the National Institute of Mental Health, are some things you should know:What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
_ Vision HealthStudy: AMD Isn't Always Age-Related By Jane Farrell articleAge-related macular degeneration, until now seen as a condition of people in their 50s and beyond, is more prevalent in younger people than previously thought, according to new statistics.The findings comes from researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. The investigators found that just under 4 percent of 35- to 44-year-old people in their study were affected by AMD.The illness is the most common cause of visual impairment and blindness in industrialized countries.
_ Heart HealthWomen With a Heart Attack Fare Worse Than Men By Sondra Forsyth articleWhile awareness campaigns may be getting women to go to the hospital more quickly during a heart-attack, a new look at hospital data shows women have longer hospital stays and are more likely than men to die in the hospital after a heart attack.For the study published online July 21st 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers from Yale School of Medicine analyzed 230,684 hospitalizations for heart attack in patients age 30 to 54 from a total of 1.1 million hospitalizations reported in a national database from 2001 to 2010.
_ Medical CareSurvey: Quality of Health Care Providers By Sondra Forsyth articleThe Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has released the results of a major survey examining the public's opinions about what it means to be a quality health care provider in the United States. The survey, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sheds new light on how American adults perceive the quality of their health care and doctors, as well as the information they use and trust when making health care decisions. The survey produces new and actionable data during a crucial period of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation.
_ Mental & Emotional HealthImproving How Docs Manage Depression By Sondra Forsyth articleA performance improvement initiative for physicians can significantly increase their use of evidence-based practices in screening for and treating depression, according to a study published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
_ Medical CareUpdate on Telehealth By Sondra Forsyth article By Miles E. Drake, Jr., MD“Telehealth” or “telemedicine” have been used more or less interchangeably over the past 50 years to describe the provision of health care services and exchange of health information by electronic means. The initial concept of telephonic and later computer-based medical interaction and education was defined by the Institute of Medicine as “the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates participants”.
_ Mental & Emotional HealthTime Is Precious: Make Every Minute Count By Sondra Forsyth article By Andrea Warshaw-WernickTime is the essence of life. Why do people waste it? We must treat time like a special gift. It’s a resource that we can't buy, rent, borrow, store, save, renew or multiply. All we can do is spend it! And don’t wait until something happens to you or to a loved one to realize how precious your time is.Here are 5 tips to follow to help you stay positive and not waste any of your precious time!
_ Breast CancerImmunotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer By Sondra Forsyth articleYale Cancer Center researchers used a new molecular analysis tool to accurately detect the level of an important target for immunotherapy in early-stage breast cancers. The diagnostic test, using RNAScope, measures the amount of PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) mRNA in routine formalin-fixed cancer tissues and is devoid of many of the technical issues that plague antibody-based detection methods that have yielded conflicting results in the past. PD-L1 is the target of several novel immune stimulatory therapies in clinical trials.
Pain ManagementHow To Avoid Ulcers By Jane Farrell articleOver the counter pain relievers may seem harmless enough, but take enough of a certain type and you could find yourself with a peptic ulcer, a potentially serious abdominal disorder.
_ Senior Health StrokeStroke Rates Have Dropped 40% for People 65+ By Sondra Forsyth articleA new analysis of data from 1988-2008 by researchers at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine has revealed a 40% decrease in the incidence of stroke in Medicare patients 65 years of age and older. The decline is greater than anticipated considering this population's risk factors for stroke. Not only that, but the drop applies to both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. The team also found that deaths resulting from stroke declined during the same period. The findings are published in the July 2014 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.