Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Report
While soy may be beneficial to women in a variety of ways, research in monkeys suggests that it could have an adverse effect on the behavior of men, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Reporting in the current issue of the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior, the researchers found that in male monkeys, “long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones ca
The loss of 2 or more inches in height during adulthood serves as a powerful predictor of osteoporosis in the hip, and thus the risk for hip fractures, in elderly women, according to a new study at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The finding has led researchers to recommend that primary care physicians routinely screen aging patients for height loss.
“May is National Osteoporosis Month, and in 2004, an osteoporotic or fragility fracture of the hip should be preventable,” said Dr. S
Cohort study of sibling effect, infectious diseases, and risk of atopic dermatitis during first 18 months of life BMJ Online First
Having siblings, keeping a pet, or living on a farm helps protect infants against the development of atopic (allergic) diseases, but early infections increase the risk, according to new research from Denmark. This study will be available on bmj.com on Friday 30 May 2004.
Researchers conducted four separate interviews with over 24,000 pregnant wom
Women born in the summer have fewer children on average than women born at other times of the year, according to research published today (Thursday 29 April) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1].
The findings, from a study of more than 3,000 Austrian women, show that despite the advent of modern contraception a woman’s birth month influences her reproductive performance, just as it has been found to do within historic populations.
Lead researcher
A recent study of Parkinson’s disease patients who use the medication pergolide shows a possible link between pergolide and injured cardiac valves. Study details and conclusions will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.
Valvular heart disease has been reported by various groups, totaling about 25 patients with Parkinson’s disease who take pergolide. “These reports are anecdotal, from uncontrolled ca
Direct to consumer ads can be misleading, say researchers
Pharmaceutical ads marketed directly to the consumer may minimize the risks and exaggerate the benefits of medications, often confusing the public about what drugs are most effective, but Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers have found a remedy. The solution, they say, lies in a “prescription drug benefits box,” a standardized table on every direct-to-consumer (DTC) ad that would present FDA approval data in clear, easy t
The progression from HIV infection to AIDS and death from AIDS is more rapid in people living in developing countries than those living in the United States and Europe, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences and Chiang Mai University in Thailand. The researchers tracked the length of time between HIV infection and AIDS among young Thai men. They also studied the death rate of the men 5-7 years after th
Elderly people living in residential homes are at significantly lower risk of hip fracture if they fall on carpeted wooden floors than onto any other type of flooring, says new research from the University of Warwick in a recently published report.
Changing floor coverings could have a real impact on the number of hip fractures suffered by the elderly. The study from Warwick’s Centre for Primary Healthcare Studies and the University of Edinburgh, published in May’s edition of the journal Ag
More and more, physicians are using the left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, to sustain patients who are awaiting heart transplants. The surgically implanted mechanical device takes over for weak and diseased hearts, acting as a bridge to transplant surgery.
For the LVAD to work optimally, however, the aortic valve, which releases oxygen-rich blood from the heart into the body, must be free from disease. In a study presented Thursday (April 22, 2004) at the International Society of Hear
Even biology majors may not have heard much about archaea. Along with bacteria and eukarya (which encompass every organism from fungi to mammals), the elusive microbes make up one of the three domains of life. Now researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time tied a specific disease to one of these unfamiliar organisms.
“It’s not surprising that no one has really heard about them; archaea have still not even penetrated mainstream biology textbooks,”
The meat of Australia’s bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA, a University of Western Australia and CSIRO sponsored PhD student has discovered.
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is found in dairy products, beef and lamb.
In trials, CLA has been shown to possess potential anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetes properties, in addition to reducing obesity and atherosclerosis (high blood pressure). PhD student Clare Engelke has found that the meat-fat of
Multiple births — twins, triplets or more babies in one pregnancy — have more risks of infant death and long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy than births of single babies do. However, many couples seeking infertility treatments desire multiples and have poor knowledge particularly about the risks for twins, a University of Iowa study reported.
The investigation found that one in five women seeking treatment desired multiples over having a singleton, or one baby. While patients usu
A brain imaging study has shown that, after they overcome their reading disability, the brains of formerly poor readers begin to function like the brains of good readers, showing increased activity in a part of the brain that recognizes words. The study appears in the May 1 Biological Psychiatry and was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health.
“These images show that effective reading instruction not only impro
A researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine says a small study shows promise for a nutritional supplement that may help boost fertility in women who have difficulty conceiving. Initial results indicate that of the women who took the supplement, one-third became pregnant after five months.
“This was a small, pilot study but if the findings hold up in a larger trial, the supplement may be a feasible treatment for some women,” said Lynn Westphal, MD, assistant professor of obste
Trend comes despite critical public health need
Despite a critical need for new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant infections and other infectious diseases, very few new antibiotics are being developed, according to a study in the May 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.
To document trends, researchers evaluated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) databases of approved drugs and the research and development (R&D) programs of the world’s largest
Numerous studies have been published showing that consuming alcohol increases the risk for breast cancer. That’s what makes a new research finding from Portugal so intriguing. The study has determined that certain compounds found in wine, beer (and tea) have contributed to a significant decrease in breast cancer cell proliferation.
Background
Numerous studies have found that regular, moderate use of alcohol affects the levels of important female hormones, especially for
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