Smoking may increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to new research by investigators at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
The surprising finding emerged when researchers examined the relationship between smoking and diabetes among participants in a major national study, the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). They compared the incidence of diabetes after five years among smokers and those who had never smoked.
Twenty-f
Scientists in Japan have found a way to improve on a promising diabetes treatment. In the October 3 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Masaru Taniguchi and colleagues report that transplanted insulin-producing cells survive better when the activation of a specific type of immune cell is blocked.
Insulin-dependent diabetes is caused by the destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas (called islet cells) by auto-reactive T cells. The loss of insulin results
According to a recent report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, folate, a B vitamin found in foods like leafy green vegetables and citrus fruit, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults. The research was conducted by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
A team led by Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, director and professor of the Nutritional Epidemiology Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and
Researchers in Adelaide, Australia have found that a commercially available dietary supplement can improve the attention and behaviour of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“The parents of children who spent 15 weeks on a course of capsules containing a combination of fish oil and primrose oil reported increased attention and reduced hyperactivity, restlessness and impulsivity,” says Natalie Sinn from the University of South Australia and CSIRO Nutri
Benefits of Azilect seen when given alone or on top of concomitant dopamine agonist therapy
New data presented in an oral presentation session, at the 9th congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, showed that treatment with Azilect (rasagiline 1 mg) once daily can provide significant additional benefits to levodopa treated patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). These benefits were seen regardless of whether patients were receiving additi
Researchers at the University of South (USF) have found that green tea may offer another potential health benefit — protecting the brain against the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.
In an article published Sept. 21 in the Journal of Neuroscience, USF researchers report that a component of green tea prevented Alzheimer’s-like damage in the brains of mice genetically programmed to develop the neurodegenerative disease process. The component, called epigallocatechin-3
Yale School of Medicine researchers have identified three rapid diagnostic methods that can target antibodies commonly found in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, greatly improving potential diagnosis and treatment.
The team reports their findings in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. MS is a crippling neurological disease resulting from damage to myelin insulation surrounding nerve fibers, and to nerve fibers themselves. MS symptoms can include m
An international team of medical experts led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher has established the first clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a debilitating condition in the brain that often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
The international advisory panel led by Anthony Marmarou, Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery and director of research in the Virgin
Visually Provoked Seizures a National Health Problem
The Epilepsy Foundation today issued new recommendations for families on how to limit the risk of seizures triggered by flashing images and certain patterns on television, videogames, computers and other video screens. The recommendations are based upon guidelines in the UK and Japan and are the first published in the US to be based on an expert review of research on photosensitivity (the susceptibility to visual stimulation). Th
New cocoa-based snacks first to deliver real heart-health benefits, premium chocolate taste
With heart disease remaining the nation’s number one killer, Americans increasingly are looking for options to improve their heart health. Now there’s a new product hitting store shelves that will allow them to satisfy their passion for chocolate while being good to their heart.
CocoaViaTM is a revolutionary new line of heart-healthy snacks that combines real chocolate pleasure wit
Digital mammography that uses computers to detect breast cancer found significantly (up to 28%) more cancers than screen film mammography in women 50 and younger, premenopausal and perimenopausal women, and women with dense breasts, according to results from one of the largest breast cancer screening studies ever performed.
However, the study showed no difference between digital and standard x-ray mammography in detecting breast cancer for the general population of women. More tha
A fender-bender may have saved Douglas Collins’ life. A CT scan following the accident discovered Collins, 64, had a brain aneurysm, a weakness in the arterial wall that if ruptured could cause a stroke or death. It was not caused by the accident, but likely could have been a ticking time bomb present for years. The aneurysm was large and previously thought to require open surgery and a lengthy recovery.
A second opinion brought Collins to Rush University Medical Center and Chic
Univ. of Southern CA investigators show proximity to freeways poses respiratory risk
Living near a freeway may mean more than the annoying rumble of cars and trucks: For children, it brings an increased risk of asthma, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Scientists studying air pollution levels in 10 Southern California cities found that the closer children live to a freeway, the greater their chance of having
Univ. of Southern CA-led study shows significant death risk linked to airborne particles
Experts may be significantly underestimating air pollution’s role in causing early death, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers, who studied two decades’ worth of data on residents of the Los Angeles metro area.
When the epidemiologists examined links between particle pollution and mortality within more than 260 Los Angeles neighborhoods, they found
Research could improve clinical care, help educate women
A March of Dimes expert panel has recommended a targeted research agenda designed improve the lives of thousands of babies by preventing premature birth. The agenda has been published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“Preterm birth is a complex disorder, like heart disease or diabetes, with no single cause, and it requires a multi-faceted approach,” says Nancy S. Green, M.D., medical
Those who diagnose obesity talk about diet and exercise
Many physicians may be missing the chance to talk to obese children and their parents about ways to control the children’s weight, according to Saint Louis University research reported in Pediatrics.
“It’s really important that pediatricians identify overweight children during well-child visits and use that time to talk about healthy weight,” says Sarah Barlow, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics
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