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 Back to Eurekalert Medical and Health News Archives
Eurekalert Medical and Health News: 10-13-2004
In two studies at McMaster University's Department of Kinesiology, researchers demonstrated that doing isometric handgrip (IHG) contractions three times a week for eight weeks led to lower blood pressure in people who were already taking medication for high blood pressure (hypertension). Hypertension is associated with hardening of the arteries and development of cardiovascular disease. Results indicated that following eight weeks of IHG training, blood pressure decreased significantly.
Prof. Ehud Shapiro of the Weizmann Institute of Science has received the 2004 World Technology Award for Biotechnology. The award is one of 30 given yearly by the World Technology Network (WTN) to those individuals and organizations whose innovations are likely to have a major impact on the technology and society of the future.
Twenty-four researchers will present their original research papers during the Family Medicine Research Presentations at the American Academy of Family Physicians' annual Scientific Assembly this week in Orlando. Topics include recurrent depression linked to military deployment, elder abuse and neglect, obesity in adolescents and episiotomy in low-risk vaginal deliveries. The papers will be presented on Friday, Oct. 15, 1-4 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 16, 8-11 a.m. in the Orange County Convention Center.
Blondes and redheads not only are more susceptible to skin cancer, but the source of their skin and hair pigmentation, melanin, actually magnifies the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) in conjunction with other Federal agencies, private companies and organizations today launched a $60 million, 5-year public-private partnership -- the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative -- to test whether serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), other biological markers, and clinical and neuropsychological assessment can be combined to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). .
New research suggests that the design of aircraft cockpit displays may benefit from a radical change. The work challenges the previous scientific consensus and indicates that changing displays so they flicker, use one colour and contain more objects will better stimulate visual reactions in pilots than conventional multi-coloured outline displays. The advantages for new types of display arise because our conscious visual perception of the environment is very restricted.
A large-scale survey focusing on treatment goals for schizophrenia sheds new light on what physicians and people with schizophrenia feel is important for long-term quality care. This survey examines the similarities and differences of what schizophrenia patients and their physicians view as primary treatment goals. The results of the survey were presented today at the American Medical Association's 23rd Annual Science Reporters Conference in Washington D.C.
Because brain imaging offers great potential for tracking the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the National Institute on Aging is launching a landmark study to find neuroimaging and other methods for monitoring the progression of AD aimed at significantly reducing the time and cost of clinical trials. The $60 million Initiative, a unique public and private partnership, was announced today at the AMA's 23rd Annual Science Reporters Conference in Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of thousands of people are burned in fires each year with many suffering from facial burns as a result. These burn victims not only have severe physical scars, but deep emotional scars, too. A team of plastic surgeons has successfully combined several reconstructive techniques to help burn victims regain some sense of self without undergoing multiple painful procedures and huge scarring often associated with reconstructing the face, according to a study presented today at Plastic Surgery 2004 conference in Philadelphia.
Physicians are missing opportunities to counsel patients already at risk of developing heart disease about the health benefits of improved diet and exercise, according to research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Taking proper nutrition choices will be part of the overall theme of "Health and Wellness," the focus of this year's National Chemistry Week (NCW) celebration, Oct. 17-23. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, NCW will include events around the country.
You might want to toss those iron-fortified vitamins, because absent a diagnosed deficiency too much of a good thing can be bad.Dietary iron imbalances either way spell trouble for healthy cells, triggering a chain of cellular events in the brain that increases the odds of developing Parkinson's disease, a degenerative condition affecting movement and balance in more than 1 million Americans each year. But excessive iron levels are worse -- much worse.
The condition of mice with a genetic blood disease called beta-thalassemia improved significantly following treatment of their blood forming cells with a gene that enabled them to produce the type of hemoglobin normally found only in the fetus. These findings, by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, are published in the October issue of Blood.
A novel treatment using a common anesthetic drug has shown success in reducing the severe pain caused by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), according to a study published in the September 2004 issue of Pain Medicine.
Epilepsy, recently published a one-year follow-up study that finds some post-surgical epilepsy patients have a significant decline in verbal memory. This type of memory loss is associated with learning, recall and recognition.
A recent study published in Epilepsia indicates that people who have uncontrolled seizures on the left side of their brains are more likely to have learning disabilities, in comparison to people who have seizures on the right side of their brains. Epilepsy, a neurological disorder associated with recurrent seizures, affects 0.5% to 1% of the population. In theU.S., about 2.5 million people have this disorder and about 9% of Americans will have at least one seizure during their lives.
Research on honey as a potential replacement for synthetic antioxidants will be featured at the 36th Great Lakes regional meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world.s largest scientific society, in Peoria, Ill., Oct. 17-20.
Does hitting a baseball on the "sweet spot" of a bat really produce the best results? Can stuttering episodes be triggered by encountering certain kinds of syllables in a sentence? How can sound clean up hazardous waste? These and other questions will be addressed at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, to be held November 15-19, 2004 in San Diego. ASA is the largest scientific organization in the United States devoted to acoustics.
As diagnostic imaging and radiation treatment technologies both become more capable and precise, physicians using them face an increasingly difficult task: how to transfer information from the diagnostic systems to the treatment planning systems. Researchers are solving that problem with an image translation system designed to bridge the gap between advanced diagnostic techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and the latest techniques for delivering precise doses of radiation to tumors.
New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals why red blood cells from people with sickle cell disease are stickier than healthy red cells, pointing the way to potential new treatments for sickle cell disease.
This fall Oregon Health & Science University researchers are conducting a pilot study to test whether changes in physical education (PE) classes, food choices in cafeterias and vending machines, and advertisements for healthy choices can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The study is directed toward sixth-graders and focuses on ethnic minorities. The results of this multi-center study will be used to improve the program before expanding it to middle schools across the country.
New findings explaining the complicated process by which the "energy substations" of human cells split apart and recombine may lay the groundwork for new treatment approaches to a wide range of diseases, including some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.
The National Institutes of Health awarded the Stanford University School of Medicine a $4.3 million contract to test whether a drug commonly used to treat hypertension in pediatric patients actually works safely and effectively in children.
The power of touch among blood cells is the focus of a team of biomedical engineers at the University of Rochester that has received an $11.5 million grant to study a process that is fundamental to our health: How do mechanical forces govern our white blood cells and assure that they protect our bodies from invaders like the flu? What forces help keep those cells from getting out of control and attacking our own tissues?
University of Houston is joining a fast new research network in Texas making the ubiquitous fact-finding capabilities of the Internet seem like wrestling microfiche. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced approval of $9.8 million to build the high-speed Lonestar Education And Research Network for Texas higher education institutions and the Texas Internet Grid for Research and Education, enabling institutions to access and share resources, collaborate on research, and facilitate remote learning.
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