Alertness

Challenges encountered in surgical management of spine trauma in morbidly obese patients

Physicians at Monash University and The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia describe the logistic, medical, and societal challenges faced in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients. Based on a case series of ...

Surgery created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Music therapy reduces anxiety, use of sedatives for patients receiving ventilator support

New research suggests that for some hospitalized ICU patients on mechanical ventilators, using headphones to listen to their favorite types of music could lower anxiety and reduce their need for sedative medications.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

One in ten teens using 'study drugs,' but parents aren't paying attention

As high schoolers prepare for final exams, teens nationwide may be tempted to use a "study drug"—a prescription stimulant or amphetamine—to gain an academic edge. But a new University of Michigan poll shows only one in ...

Health created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New smartphone application improves colonoscopy preparation

The use of a smartphone application significantly improves patients' preparation for a colonoscopy, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). The preparation process, which begins days in ...

Cancer created May 19, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

23 dead in initiation rites in South Africa

(AP)—Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival tests, South African police said Friday.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 4

Want to boost your memory and mood? Take a nap, but keep it short

We're told to have power naps to keep us safe on the road and improve our alertness if we've had insufficient sleep. They even help our surgeons stay awake during long shifts. But siestas and nana naps can ...

Sleep apnea created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1

FDA: lower ambien's dose to prevent drowsy driving

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved new, lower-dose labeling for the popular sleep drug Ambien (zolpidem) in an effort to cut down on daytime drowsiness that could be a hazard ...

Medications created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

What impacts whether African Americans call 9-1-1 immediately for stroke symptoms?

African-Americans know the signs of stroke, but concerns about medical cost, ambulance response time and unfamiliarity with the need for prompt hospital care impacted whether they called 9-1-1 immediately.

Cardiology created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa

(Medical Xpress)—The newest public health threat in Africa, scientists have found, is coming from a previously unknown source: the banded mongoose. Leptospirosis, the disease is called. And the banded mongoose ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Drug manufacturer agrees to $500 million penalty (Update)

A subsidiary of India's largest pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay a record $500 million in fines and penalties for selling adulterated drugs and lying to federal regulators in a case that is part of an ongoing crackdown ...

Medications created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Routine screening for depression not recommended for adults with no apparent symptoms of depression

For adults with no apparent symptoms of depression, routine screening is not recommended in primary care settings because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression, according ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Huge drug cost disparities seen in health overhaul

(AP)—Consumer alert: If you or someone you know needs costly medications and you're hoping President Barack Obama's health care law will meet the need, you may be in for a surprise.

Medications created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For mentally ill, a search for help is often in vain

When Chris Marciano was 4 years old, he would have a blistering tantrum whenever music came on the radio. By the second grade, his teacher described him as "not with us." At age 11, he was kicked out of school.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

iPads could affect implanted heart devices, early study finds

(HealthDay)—Sprawled out on the couch, reading the news on your iPad, you'd never think you could be putting yourself at risk. But you might be, if you happen to have an implanted heart device.

Cardiology created May 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


Alertness is the state of paying close and continuous attention, being watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency, or being quick to perceive and act. It is related to psychology as well as to physiology. A lack of alertness is a symptom of a number of conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, Addison's disease, or sleep deprivation. The word is formed from "alert", which comes from the Italian "all'erta" (on the watch, literally, on the height; 1618)

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Having both migraines, depression may mean smaller brain

(HealthDay)—Migraines and depression can each cause a great deal of suffering, but new research indicates the combination of the two may be linked to something else entirely—a smaller brain.

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

Slowing the aging process—only with antibiotics

Swiss scientists reveal the mechanism responsible for aging hidden deep within mitochondria—and dramatically slow it down in worms by administering antibiotics to the young.

Novel approach for influenza vaccination shows promise in early animal testing

A new approach for immunizing against influenza elicited a more potent immune response and broader protection than the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines when tested in mice and ferrets. The vaccine ...

Researchers complete largest genetic sequencing study of human disease

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases.

Enzyme-activating antibodies revealed as marker for most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis

In a series of lab experiments designed to unravel the workings of a key enzyme widely considered a possible trigger of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that in the most severe ...

Research offers promising new approach to treatment of lung cancer

Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system that allows inhalation of chemotherapeutic drugs to help treat lung cancer, and in laboratory and animal tests it appears to reduce the systemic damage ...

Overeating learned in infancy, study suggests

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more harm than good.

Study details genes that control whether tumors adapt or die when faced with p53 activating drugs

When turned on, the gene p53 turns off cancer. However, when existing drugs boost p53, only a few tumors die – the rest resist the challenge. A study published in the journal Cell Reports shows how: tumors that live even i ...

Researchers analyse hunting behaviour of fish larvae in virtual reality

Moving objects attract greater attention – a fact exploited by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major ...