People whose loved ones are dying appear to be significantly dissatisfied with the care the patients are getting, according to a new survey published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. “People are less satisfied with care at the close of life, and I think it’s now urgent for us to start thinking about what interventions… Continue reading End-of-Life Care Often Inadequate
Tag: Staying Current
PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is already linked with a number of conditions, including depression, anger and substance abuse. And now, researchers say, it appears to be linked to accelerated aging as well. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, published the finding in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “This is the first study… Continue reading PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
Most People Eager to Know the Secrets of Their Genetics
A survey done by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK of nearly 7,000 people has revealed that 98 per cent want to be informed if researchers using their genetic data stumble upon indicators of a serious preventable or treatable disease. The study, which comes after the government’s announcement that Genomics England will sequence 100,000… Continue reading Most People Eager to Know the Secrets of Their Genetics
Better Ways to Fight Chronic Headaches
Imagine suffering chronic pain – say, in the form of headaches or migraines. Happily, you’ve found a solution to the problem. It has been several months of losing focus, sleep and general interest in the things you used to like. You went to a doctor and he told you an NTI device, which addresses jowl… Continue reading Better Ways to Fight Chronic Headaches
Health Data Collection Is Often Substandard
Most clinical registries that collect statistics on patient outcomes are substandard and lacking in features that could make them useful for patients, doctors and policy makers, according to a study. The investigation, by researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was published in the Journal of Healthcare Quality. The study revealed poor data… Continue reading Health Data Collection Is Often Substandard
Short Bursts of Exercise Can Offset Dangers of Sitting
It’s well known that extended periods of sitting carry serious health risks, but a new study indicates that short bursts of walking may be enough to offset those problems. Researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine published their findings in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Sitting for extended… Continue reading Short Bursts of Exercise Can Offset Dangers of Sitting
Light Could Someday Replace Painkillers
Despite the abuse potential of opioid drugs, they have long been the best option for patients suffering from severe pain. The drugs interact with receptors on brain cells to tamp down the body’s pain response. But now, neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to activate opioid receptors… Continue reading Light Could Someday Replace Painkillers
Advice from a Dermatologist: Treating Cold Sores At Home
Cold sores – small blisters on the lip or around the mouth – are surprisingly common. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD), more than half of Americans age 14 to 49 have the virus that causes the sores. If the virus reactivates, or “wakes up,” the AAD says, you could get the sores.… Continue reading Advice from a Dermatologist: Treating Cold Sores At Home
Bundles of DNA Could Lead to Treatment for Age-Related Diseases
A study tying the aging process to the deterioration of tightly packaged bundles of cellular DNA could lead to methods of preventing and treating age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, as detailed April 30, 2015, in Science. In the study, scientists at the Salk Institute and the Chinese Academy of Science found… Continue reading Bundles of DNA Could Lead to Treatment for Age-Related Diseases
Pet-Transmitted Diseases: How to Avoid Them
Researchers are now making recommendations on how people can minimize the transmission of disease from pets. Investigators from The Ohio State University and partner institutions have compiled information for more than 500 studies worldwide to make the recommendations. The study was published in CMAJ, The Canadian Medical Association Journal. Among the nearly 20 diseases people… Continue reading Pet-Transmitted Diseases: How to Avoid Them
Can Natural Aging Ever Be Reversed?
Researchers have discovered a link between DNA damage, cellular “senescence” and premature aging. The finding could lead to treatments that counteract some of the effects of progeria, conditions that cause premature aging. Eventually, even the effects of natural aging could be forestalled. The study, from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, was published in the… Continue reading Can Natural Aging Ever Be Reversed?
New Life for Traditional Antibiotics
“First-line” antibiotics could be brought back to fight against the increasing number of drug-resistant pathogens, according to a new study. A computer simulation created by Hannah Meredith, a biomedical engineering graduate fellow at Duke University, revealed that a regimen based on a pathogen’s recovery time could eliminate an otherwise resistant strain of bacteria. In theory,… Continue reading New Life for Traditional Antibiotics
Intellectually Demanding Jobs Can Extend Life of Early-Dementia Patients
Intellectually demanding jobs may help people live longer after developing early-onset dementia, researchers say. “[Our] study suggests that having a higher occupational level protects the brain from some of the effects of this disease, allowing people to live longer after developing the disease,” said Lauren Massimo, postdoctoral fellow, Penn State College of Nursing. Degeneration of… Continue reading Intellectually Demanding Jobs Can Extend Life of Early-Dementia Patients
Health Food Stores Recommend “Adult Use” OTC Supplements to Teens
Parent and grandparent alert! Fifteen year olds are not only able to buy over-the-counter dietary supplements from a sampling of health food stores across the country, the staff at those stores actually went so far as to recommend certain products, despite labels reading “for adult use only.” A release from North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ)… Continue reading Health Food Stores Recommend “Adult Use” OTC Supplements to Teens
Most Women Don’t Know Stroke Symptoms
According to a national survey by The Ohio State University, most women don’t know their risk factors for stroke, or its symptoms. Investigators from the university’s Wexner Medical Center found that among 1,000 women who were surveyed, only 11 percent could identify pregnancy, lupus, migraine headaches and oral contraception or hormone replacement therapy as female-specific… Continue reading Most Women Don’t Know Stroke Symptoms
Why You’re a Mosquito Magnet
The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be down to our genes, according to a study carried out on twins. Research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found, for the first time, an underlying genetic component to how attractive we are to mosquitoes and this is likely to be caused by… Continue reading Why You’re a Mosquito Magnet
Creativity and Electricity
A dose of electric current can stimulate creativity by an average of 7.4 percent in healthy adults, researchers say. Investigators from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine provided the first direct evidence of the benefits of the therapy. This research, published in the journal Cortex, showed that using a 10-Hertz current run through… Continue reading Creativity and Electricity
Family Members Observing CPR Don’t Cause Harm
The presence of family members during cardiac-arrest treatment doesn’t affect the outcome, according to a new study. Some hospitals allow family members to stay during the grueling procedure, while others ask them to leave. Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical and the University of Washington School of Medicine analyzed 41,568 patients who went… Continue reading Family Members Observing CPR Don’t Cause Harm