Does IQ explain socioeconomic inequalities in health? Evidence from a population based cohort study in the west of Scotland BMJ Online First
Intelligence may play an important role in health inequalities, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.
Reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health is an important issue and the target of many governments. Understanding the causes of socioeconomic inequalities in health is crucial if effective interventions are to be ident
Patient compliance and cosmetic benefits indicate positive role of this novel non-melanoma skin cancer therapy
New five year clinical trial results have demonstrated the high efficacy and long-term response rates of Metvix® photodynamic therapy (MAL-PDT) in NMSC compared to current standard treatments cryotherapy and surgery. As NMSC is the most common form of skin cancer in Caucasians and, like all skin cancers, has been increasing over recent decades, new methods to effectively t
A press briefing will take place at the Nobel Forum, Stockholm, at 6.15pm local time on Monday 30th January 2006. If you would like to attend, please contact Katarina Sternudd (Karolkinska Institutet) or Clare Oh (Earth Institute)–see contact details below.
Achieving success in the global fight against the “big three” diseases–HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which together account for 5.6 million deaths a year–may well require a concurrent attack on the world’s most neglected
Tens of thousands of Americans living with emphysema would benefit from a surgical procedure that removes part of the lung, according to national research presented yesterday by a Saint Louis University cardiothoracic surgeon.
The findings confirm earlier study results and offer new hope to select patients, says Keith Naunheim, M.D., director of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and principal investigator of the eight-year long Natio
Patients with diabetes mellitus are less likely to develop vascular complications (such as retinopathy, nephropathy and coronary artery disease) if their blood sugar levels are tightly controlled. Physicians use a simple blood test — glycosylate hemoglobin (HBA 1c ) — to measure control and guide therapy.
In this study, Woodward and colleagues identified over 63 000 patients in eastern Ontario with diabetes, and examined their control over their blood sugar and how often it
Changes in the brain that are important indicators of bipolar disorder are not prominent until young adulthood and are reduced in persons taking mood-stabilizing medications, Yale School of Medicine researchers report this month in Biological Psychiatry.
The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure a part of the brain that regulates emotions, the ventral prefrontal cortex, that lies above the eyes. The changes in persons with bipolar disorder were not prominent until yo
Children’s Rehabilitative Services (CRS) at St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center in Phoenix is using a special ultrasound to identify the risk for stroke in children who have sickle cell disease. The transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound measures blood flow in the arteries, identifying the narrowness of the artery and assessing stroke risk.
The TCD ultrasound, which is placed at the base of the patient’s skull, measures the blood flow in the arteries. The more rapid
The diagnostic value of CT enteroclysis is superior to conventional enteroclysis, previously considered the gold standard, as an imaging method for the evaluation of the small bowel in patients with Crohn’s disease, a new study shows.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease of the intestinal wall. Complications of Crohn’s disease, such as abscesses, and stenoses, are found in approximately 40% of patients. Patients with inflammatory and some-times even obstructiv
Investigators have discovered that some type of protective system goes into action in some cases when a baby’s immune system is deficient. This discovery indicates a hidden safety net that might have far-reaching consequences for treating diseases of the immune system such as AIDS. The Mayo Clinic-led study was conducted with colleagues in Toronto and Baltimore, and is reported in the early online edition of the Feb. 1 Journal of Immunology.
The researchers studied 20 patients who as
Hormone use and abuse in sport and development conference
Many of the performance-enhancing drugs used in sport are analogues of natural hormones found in the body. What do these hormones do? How do they affect athletes, and how can you detect them? How do they affect normal young adults? What happens to a young adult when the balance of hormones goes wrong? How does nutrition affect physical performance?
Some of the world’s top researchers will meet to discuss the
Sneaky Super Bowl party shows we eat over 50 percent more
Attention Party Animals! If you want to have fun this Super Bowl without feeling guilty about all the super-snacking, use smaller serving bowls. We use the size of the bowls on a table as a rule-of-thumb as to how much we should take.
Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab invited forty graduate students to a Super Bowl party and served them roasted nuts and Chex Mix from one of two buffet tables
APA provides tips for mind/body health
Prevention is a key message during National Heart Health month, and the American Psychological Association (APA) today released strategies to help Americans manage stress.
Research shows that 20 percent of Americans are worried that stress will affect their health, yet 36 percent say they deal with stress by eating or drinking alcohol. While these behaviors may reduce stress in the short term, they contribute to an unhealthy li
Study shows one third of candidates are unlikely to benefit from ICD
Last year, about 170,000 people in North America had devices surgically implanted to stop potentially fatal arrhythmias. For many, these were life-saving, but for others they were unnecessary, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. Now a new, noninvasive test may help determine which patients are most likely to benefit from the device, known as implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). A large, multicenter, NIH-spo
Human adenoviruses may cause human obesity, but more research is needed before a screening test and vaccine become reality. Meanwhile, one researcher advises, ’Eat right, exercise, wash your hands’
There is a lot of good advice to help us avoid becoming obese, such as “Eat less,” and “Exercise.” But here’s a new and surprising piece of advice based on a promising area of obesity research: “Wash your hands.”
There is accumulating evidence that certain viruses may cause
Study finds statins have beneficial effect on rheumatoid arthritis cells in vitro
Statins, a class of drugs widely used to treat high cholesterol, have also recently been studied for their potential role in inflammation and other cell processes, including immune response. They have also been shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in normal cells and tumor cells. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes proliferation of synovial tissue, which lines the joints, but little is known about the
The Danone Institute has provided a fellowship for basic research to Ana Antón Solanas, a research assistant in the Dietetics and Diet Therapy Unit of the University of Navarra. With the help of this fellowship, the researcher will collaborate in a program for defining individualized treatments for each type of obesity.
The grant will finance her participation in the project entitled “Effects of a Hypocaloric Diet and Physical Training in the Metabolic and Hormonal Response in a
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