_ Smart Phone Could Help Doctors to Diagnose Illness By Jane Farrell article Along with all their other functions, smart phones may soon be able to diagnose diseases in real time. Researchers from the University of Houston are developing a diagnostic system that could be read using only a smart phone and a $20 lens attachment. This new device, like essentially all diagnostic tools, relies on spotting specific chemical interactions between something that causes a disease – a virus or bacteria, for example – and a molecule that bonds with that one thing only, like a disease-fighting antibody.
_ Women's Health and Wellness New Theory on the Cause of Endometriosis By article Changes to two previously unstudied genes are the centerpiece of a new theory regarding the cause and development of endometriosis, a chronic and painful disease affecting 1 in 10 women.
Clues to the Mystery of Disease By article Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have devised a new biochemical technique that will allow scientists to delve much deeper than ever before into the specific cellular circuitry that keeps us healthy or causes disease.
_ Hope for TX for Brain Disorders & Pain Issues By article Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN have created the most detailed 3-D picture yet of a membrane protein that is linked to learning, memory, anxiety, pain, and brain disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and autism. The research, which focuses on the mGlu1 receptor, was reported in the March 6th, 2014 issue of the journal Science.
_ Screening for Sickle Cell Trait Needed By article Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine say the time is long past due to use current scientific data and technical advances to reduce the burden of sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) is estimated to affect 3 million people in the US: approximately 8 percent of African Americans and .5-3 percent of Hispanics. The inexpensive identification of the mutated hemoglobin and the technical capacity to screen populations have been known for decades.
_ Pain Management Minimally Invasive Back Surgery By article Research done at the Beaumont Health Systems in Royal Oak, Michigan and published in the February 2014 online issue of the journal Spine has shown that patients who have a low back surgery called minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion end up better off in many ways than patients who have more invasive surgery to alleviate debilitating pain.
_ Weight Loss Food and Exercise for Weight Control By article By Jana Klauer MD A large study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, surveyed diet and exercise patterns of U.S. men and women over a 20-year period. The participants were evaluated at 4-year intervals for diet, physical exercise, and body weight. Here’s what the researchers found about diet: Higher amounts of vegetables and fruit, whole grains (instead of refined grains), nuts and yogurt protect against weight gain.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Can Skype Make You Happier? By article By Hilary Young Loneliness and depression are not uncommon within the senior community. While the Centers for Disease Control reports that “depression is a true and treatable medical condition, not a normal part of aging,” the CDC also acknowledges that older adults do face a higher risk than other age groups of experiencing depression and anxiety. According to the CDC, about 80 percent of older adults are living with at least one chronic health problem, which could play a major role in the development of depression.
_ How Robotic Surgery Helps Prostate-Cancer Patiets By Jane Farrell article Prostate-cancer patients who have robotic-assisted surgery have less need for treatments such as hormone or radiation therapy, according to a new study. Researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center also found that the robotic-assisted surgery left fewer instances of cancer cells at the edge of the surgical specimen. The study, published in the journal European Urology, was led by Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic and minimally invasive surgery in the urology department at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Heart Health Blood Test to Detect Heart Attacks Quickly By article A new blood test can detect heart attacks hours faster than the current gold-standard blood test, according to a study led by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers and published in 2014 in the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
_ Medicare Part D Saved $1.5 Billion a Year By article Good news about Medicare Part D from a study done by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago: The prescription coverage saved expenditures totaling $1.5 billion annually for the first four years and also significantly reduced hospital admissions. The data were published in March 2014 by the National Bureau of Economic Research
_ Study: A Flu "Patch" May Be Alternative To The Needle By Jane Farrell article Instead of going to the doctor’s office for an annual flu shot, patients may eventually give themselves the same treatment via a painless patch. A study by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine gave the “microneedle patch” to nearly 100 people in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The investigators found that the subjects could successfully apply the patch. If the treatment becomes feasible, it could reduce health care costs and increase the number of people who are vaccinated.
_ The 12 Habits of Highly Healthy People: #1, Physical Activity By article By Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. The Mayo Clinic has created a program modeled on the same on that Mayo Clinic employees follow. It’s called "12 Habits of Highly Healthy People." The 12 habits are: 1) Physical activity 2) Forgiveness 3) Portion size
_ Exercise Need Motivation At The Gym? Just Add Music By Jane Farrell article By Joe Vennare, PT We will try anything to get a boost in the gym. Caffeine and pre-workout supplements might do the trick for some, but they come with a host of potential side effects in tow. Other people opt for performance enhancing drugs, legal or otherwise. This probably isn’t the best bet either. Breaking the law seldom is.
_ Ordinary Conditioner Removes Lice Eggs By article Back when your kids were in school, you may well have had to do battle with head lice and chances are that you bought special products such as prescription-only Kwell or over-the-counter RID. Now, though, if the grandchildren end up with eggs from head lice, also called nits, you may find that ordinary conditioner works just as well. That’s the conclusion of new research published in February 2015 in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Fighting Mild Forgetfulness By Jane Farrell article Editor’s note: Dementia, including Alzheimer’s, is one of the most frightening health problems, especially as we age. It cannot be prevented or cured, and it is marked by a humiliating mental decline. Because it affects primarily older people, many of us are frightened by signs of forgetfulness or memory loss. Here, the experts from the National Institute on Aging explain the issue of mild forgetfulness and how you can handle it: What is mild forgetfulness?
_ Blood-Pressure Meds and Serious Falls By Jane Farrell article Blood-pressure medications have an unintended and potentially deadly side effect: they increase the risk of serious fall injuries by up to 40 percent. Yale School of Medicine researchers looked at 4,961 patients older than 70 who had hypertension. Among the participants, 14 percent didn’t take any medication, 55 percent took moderate doses and 31 percent took high doses.
_ Bright Light Intensifies Emotions By article Human emotion, whether positive or negative, is felt more intensely under bright light, according to a study done at the University of Toronto Scarborough and Northwestern University. The research is published in the February 2014 edition of the Journal of Consumer Psychology.