Studies and Analyses

Studies and Analyses

Yoga’s Impact on Eating Disorders: Study Reveals Benefits

A study published in the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly reports that mind-body exercise, such as yoga, is associated with greater body satisfaction and fewer symptoms of eating disorders than traditional aerobic exercise like jogging or using cardio machines. Yoga practitioners reported less self-objectification, greater satisfaction with physical appearance, and fewer disordered eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners. In yoga class, a woman develops sensitivity to bodi

Studies and Analyses

Don’t Skip Chest CT in the ER Just Because X-Ray Checks Out Okay, Warns Study

Chest X-rays may miss 40% of clinically significant thoracic injuries in multiple trauma patients that can be caught by chest CT, say researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the findings of 563 multiple trauma patients who had both chest CT and plain film X-rays performed. They found that the X-rays missed 40% of clinically significant thoracic injuries, including lung contusions, lung lacerations, rib and spine fractures a

Studies and Analyses

U.S. Leads Globally in High-Tech Imaging Utilization

The U.S. ranks highest in utilization of high-tech imaging compared to other countries worldwide, while Germany and Singapore ranks high in utilization of both high and low tech imaging, a new study shows.

The study compared utilization of radiography (low-tech imaging) to CT and MR (high tech imaging) in 15 countries (U.S., Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, China, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico) to determine how the wo

Studies and Analyses

Real-Time Ultrasound Diagnosis via Phone: A Game Changer

Over-the-phone transmission of diagnostic-quality ultrasound images is possible, potentially paving the way for ultrasound examinations to be performed in poorer areas of the world, inexpensively transmitted via the Internet, and read by experienced radiologists elsewhere, a new Dartmouth Medical School study shows.

The study was prompted in part by Veljko Popov, an MD/PhD student at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) who wanted to help the people in his homeland of Yugoslavia. Using

Studies and Analyses

Impact of Prolonged Labour on First-Time Mothers: Key Findings

Six out of ten first-time mothers who had a prolonged labour say that the experience will affect them for life, but more than eight out of ten still found giving birth exciting.

Those are two of the key findings of a survey of over 250 women published in the May issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing. A team of Swedish researchers, led by Astrid Nystedt from Umea University, studied 84 women who had experienced prolonged labour with assisted vaginal or caesarean delivery. They

Studies and Analyses

Mayo Clinic Unveils Key Findings on Early Breast Cancer Treatment

NCCTG investigations yield additional significant data

A study led by a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist and conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) provides important new data about the effectiveness and safety of a breast cancer treatment combining chemotherapy and a drug called trastuzumab (Herceptin).

According to Mayo Clinic medical oncologist and NCCTG study chair Edith Perez, M.D., these results could change the standard of care for thousands

Studies and Analyses

Study finds medication prevents travelers’ diarrhea

Antibiotic is effective, lacks side effects and doesn’t provoke resistance in bacteria

An antibiotic can be safely used to prevent attacks of diarrhea that plague millions of globe-trotting vacationers and business travelers, a Houston research team reports this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “Our findings show that rifaximin is an ideal drug for prevention of travelers’ diarrhea, an illness that affects an estimated 20 million international travelers each year,

Studies and Analyses

Rice, Iowa state biologists search for ’half-fusion’

Study shows illusive ’hemifusion’ state can precede membrane merger

Every living cell is surrounded by a membrane, a thin barrier that separates the genetic machinery of life from the non-living world outside. Though barriers, membranes are not impervious. Cells use a complex hierarchy of proteins that work in concert to allow cell membranes to fuse – with other cells or with membrane-encased packages of proteins and other chemicals that the cell needs to take in or

Studies and Analyses

Moderate Thyroid Hormone Therapy Cuts Heart Failure Stress 38%

Unexpected cell shape change raises possibility of novel therapeutic approach; Further animal study urged before human testing

Not only is low thyroid function very common in congestive heart failure, it also indicates a reduced likelihood of recovery, and an increased chance of death.
But based on earlier work showing that whatever leads to heart failure it is always preceded by changes in the heart cells, a new study demonstrates that a moderate dose of thyroid hormones

Studies and Analyses

Liver Receptor Discovery Links Diet to Blood Lipid Levels

Receptor Can, When Overly Abundant, Adjust for the Consequences of a High-Fat Diet

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a molecule found in liver cells is an important link in explaining the relationship among diet, lipid levels in blood, and atherosclerosis. The research team surmises that drugs targeted at the liver may one day help lower elevated lipids and battle cardiovascular disease. Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of th

Studies and Analyses

Surgery Proves Most Effective for Hammer Hand Relief

Hypothenar hammer syndrome, known for affecting laborers, gets relief from bypass grafting

The hand pain, tingling, numbness and cold sensitivity of hypothenar hammer syndrome, also known as hammer hand, are best alleviated by bypass grafting surgery, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic plastic surgeons.

“In the past, treatment of hypothenar hammer syndrome has been controversial, and physicians have been searching for some way to treat it,” says Craig Johnson, M.D.

Studies and Analyses

Doctors’ Role in Boosting Exercise for Diabetics: Study Insights

Saint Louis University research is published in ’diabetes care’

Diabetics are more likely to exercise if their doctors help them create and stick to a formalized exercise plan, according to new Saint Louis University research in the May issue of “Diabetes Care.”

“Physician advice alone was not associated with regular physical activity. However, when a physician helped to make a plan for physical activity or followed up on the plan, we saw more physical activity,” says A

Studies and Analyses

Cochlear Implants: Younger Age Boosts Language Skills in Kids

Deaf children who receive cochlear implants do better learning language and speech the younger they receive the implants, according to research by scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine.

However, it’s not clear whether implanting children before they turn age one is worth the potential risks associated with such early surgeries, the researchers said. The work will be presented next week at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

The study,

Studies and Analyses

Rice Bran Oil: Cholesterol-Lowering Potential Uncovered

A natural component of rice bran oil lowers cholesterol in rats, and ongoing research also shows it may have potential as an anti-cancer and anti-infection agent in humans, according to a University of Rochester scientist who has studied the antioxidant since 1996.

The latest findings from Mohammad Minhajuddin, Ph.D., and colleagues, are reported in the May 2005 Food and Chemical Toxicology journal. They show that total cholesterol levels in animals dropped by 42 percent, an

Studies and Analyses

Liverpool Study Aims to Tackle Retained Placenta Issues

An important new study has been launched by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s Hospital (LWH), to test a new treatment for ‘retained placenta’- a condition where the placenta does not come out naturally after childbirth.

The RELEASE study is being organised by Dr Andrew Weeks and Professor Zarko Alfirevic from the University’s Department of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine in collaboration with Professor Florence Mirembe from Makerere University in Uganda

Studies and Analyses

Superbugs on the Rise: New Studies Highlight Drug Resistance

As science gets wiser, so do the bugs. The rates of drug-resistant bacteria infecting patients in the community and in the hospital have been increasing steadily in recent years, according to two new studies in the June 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

Drug resistance in microorganisms has become a problem due in part to inappropriate prescribing and overuse of antibiotics. These drug-resistant “superbugs” can infect people and cause health probl

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