Health

Vision Health

Toward a Cure for Dry Eye

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Dry eye syndrome, a condition that is especially prevalent in women as they age, happens when the quantity of tears is no longer sufficient to lubricate the eyes. A burning sensation is typical and impaired vision including damage to the cornea may result. In search of a cure, researchers led by Kara Maki Ph.D. at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Mathematical Sciences in New York are testing computer simulations that map the way tears move across the surface of the eye. The study was published on May 6th 2014 in the journal Physics of Fluids.

Mental & Emotional Health

When Thoughts Pop Into Your Head

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When a random thought pops unbidden in your head, do you ever have the feeling that this occurrence reveals some meaningful insight about you? Then you’re far from alone. Yet according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Harvard Business School, that notion is not based in fact and can sway your judgment.

Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy and Hospitalization

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Scientists have zeroed in on which chemotherapy regiments are likelier to lead to hospitalizations for early stage breast cancer patients.The retrospective study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, was conducted by researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. For their analysis, the researchers looked at hospitalization-related insurance claims by patients who were undergoing varying chemotherapy regimens.

How Long Should Hep C Treatment Last?

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As new treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) are approved, biomedical scientists are exploring their mechanisms and what they reveal about the virus. An online publication in May 2014 in Hepatology is the first to report real-time tracking of viral decay in the liver and blood in 15 patients with HCV.

Partners in Parkinson’s

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The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and the AbbVie pharmaceutical company announced on May 27th 2014 the launch of Partners in Parkinson’s, a new strategic health initiative offering comprehensive support to help people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) optimize their care at every stage of the disease. “No two cases of Parkinson’s disease are alike.

Oral Health

The Best Foods to Eat for Optimal Oral Health

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By Dr. K.J. McLaughlinDid you know that your diet can directly influence the level of your oral health?The health of your teeth and gums is extremely important as this area of your health can also have an impact upon the health of your heart, arteries, and immune system. Of course poor oral health also affects has your appearance.Your lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol consumption, and your diet, can greatly influence your teeth and gums.

Sleep Health

Melatonin and Osteoporosis

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Melatonin is a widely touted sleep aid, but researchers have discovered that the supplement makes bones stronger in elderly rats and may do the same for humans.The research was led by Faleh Tamimi, a professor in the School of Dentistry, of McGill University, Montreal. It was published in the journal Rejuvenation Research.Although a good night’s sleep and osteoporosis may not seem to have any connection, in fact there is a link.

Heart Health

“Virtual Human” Shows How Stiff Arteries Raise BP

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High blood pressure is highly age-related and affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. The condition is a major source of morbidity and mortality, because it makes individuals more prone to heart failure, stroke and kidney disease. Yet doctors can't fully explain the cause of 90 per cent of all cases. Now a computer model of a "virtual human", created by researchers at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, suggests that stiff arteries alone are enough to cause high blood pressure. The study was published in May 2014 in in PLOS Computational Biology.

Stroke

A Longer Window for Treating Stroke?

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There is an urgent need for developing new drugs that can alleviate the harmful effects of a stroke because current treatment possibilities using thrombolysis are limited to the first hours following a stroke. To that end, researchers at Lund University in Sweden are studying brain cells known as pericytes. The team discovered in 2012 that pericytes can for new cells. According to a release from the university, the 2014 research shows for the first time that pericytes are directly involved in the reaction of the brain tissue after stroke.

Cancer Center

Cancer Center Ads Emotional, Not Informative

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Emotional reactions to cancer center consumer advertisements may lead to unrealistic expectations and inappropriate treatments, according to a study done at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and published in May 2014 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. A release from the American College of Physicians notes that in response to a rapidly increasing demand for cancer care in the United States, a growing number of cancer centers are marketing their clinical services directly to patients through consumer advertising.

E-Cigs Not Healthy

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Researchers at the Mayo Clinic Division of Allergy and Immunology warn that although one of the initial "health benefits" proposed by e-cigarettes makers was that it would help those who smoke cigarettes cut back, that theory hasn't been proven and there's no evidence to support the claims. An article about the findings was published in the June 2014 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

Menopause

Non-Hormonal Hot Flash Remedy Works

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A study done at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and published in the May 27th 2014 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine compared low-dose oral estrogen and low-dose non-hormonal venlafaxine hydrochloride extended release (XR) to a placebo. Both treatments proved to be effective in reducing the number of hot flashes and night sweats reported by menopausal women.

Asthma

Inhaler Reminders Improve Adherence

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If you’re an asthma sufferer and you sometimes forget to use your inhaler, an electronic reminder could be the answer to keeping yourself on track. A study conducted by a research team at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia showed that reminders prompting asthma patients to take their control inhalers if they miss a dose significantly improved medication adherence, During the six-month investigation, patients receiving reminders took on average 73% of their prescribed doses compared to only 46% in patients who did not have reminders.

Pain Management

New Target for Chronic Pain Treatment

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a new target for treating chronic pain: an enzyme called PIP5K1C. In a paper published on may 21st 2014 in the journal Neuron, a team of researchers led by Mark Zylka, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, shows that PIP5K1C controls the activity of cellular receptors that signal pain.By reducing the level of the enzyme, the scientist demonstrated that the levels of a crucial lipid called PIP2 in pain-sensing neurons is also lessened, thus decreasing pain.

Digestive Health

Possible Breakthrough for IBD Tx

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A microRNA cluster believed to be important for suppressing colon cancer plays a critical role in wound healing in the intestine, according to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The findings could provide a fresh avenue for investigating chronic digestive diseases and for potentially repairing damage in these and other disease or injury settings. A release from the medical center quotes Dr. Joshua Mendell as saying, "We identified a novel role for microRNAs in regulating wound healing in the intestine.

Pain Management

Virtual Chronic Pain Patient Boosts Docs’ Skills

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An online training module using “Edna”, a virtual elderly woman with chronic lower back pain as a case study, greatly improved medical student clinical skills. That’s the finding of a study done at the University of Pittsburgh and published in the May 2014 issue Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The module is the first curriculum resource created through the efforts of the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium's Centers of Excellence in Pain Education program (CoEPEs).

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