http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Why is fish oil good for the heart? A new study suggests that this omega 3 fatty acid-rich nutrient could blunt some cardiovascular effects of mental stress. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fish-oil-heart-mental-stress.html Health Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:30 EST news288448215 A fur trader who suffered an accidental gunshot wound in 1822 and the physician who saw this unfortunate incidence as an opportunity for research are key to much of our early knowledge about the workings of the digestive system, say speakers of an upcoming symposium. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-odd-america-physiologist-digestion.html Other Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:59:15 EST news286019947 Researchers have long known that cancerous tumors grow collections of abnormal blood cells, the fuel that feeds this disease and keeps it growing. Now, new evidence in an animal model suggests that blood vessels in the fat tissue of obese individuals could provide the same purpose—and could provide the key to a new way for people to lose weight. When researchers Jian-Wei Gu, Kristina L. Makey, Edmund Chinchar, Carissa Howie, and Lucio Miele, all from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, gave obese mice a cancer drug that works by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels, these mice lost about 70 percent of their fat mass. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-fat-blocking-blood-vessels.html Medical research Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:24:30 EST news285931464 Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem so under-recognized that even military physicians may fail to look for it. A new study conducted by Charles W. Wilkinson, Elizabeth A. Colasurdo, Kathleen F. Pagulayan, Jane. B. Shofer, and Elaine R. Peskind, all of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington in Seattle, has found that about 42 percent of screened veterans with blast injuries have irregular hormone levels indicative of hypopituitarism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-veterans-blast-concussions-hormone-deficiencies.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:02 EST news285842055 With work and entertainment operating around the clock in our modern society, sleep is often a casualty. A bevy of research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. However, it's been unclear why sleep loss might lead to these effects. Several studies have tested the effects of total sleep deprivation, but this model isn't a good fit for the way most people lose sleep, with a few hours here and there. In a new study by Keith Pugh, Shahrad Taheri, and George Balanos, all of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, researchers test the effects of partial sleep deprivation on blood vessels and breathing control. They find that reducing sleep length over two consecutive nights leads to less healthy vascular function and impaired breathing control. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-blood-vessel-function.html Health Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:32:57 EST news285841968 Afghanistan's geography is dominated by a collection of craggy peaks, the highest—a mountain known as Noshaq—has been measured to 7,492 meters. Consequently, the soldiers on duty in this mountainous terrain must often ascend to great heights as part of their duty. However, quick climbs without adapting to altitude can lead to a condition called acute mountain sickness (AMS), marked by headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, nausea, and insomnia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-days-staging-effective-high-altitude-climbs.html Health Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:46:06 EST news285763559 A new study led by North Carolina researchers has found that when it comes to weight- and fat loss, aerobic training is better than resistance training. The study is believed to the largest randomized trial to directly compare changes in body composition induced by comparable amounts of time spent doing aerobic and resistant training, or both in combination, among previously inactive overweight or obese non-diabetic adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-short-aerobic-resistance-weight-fat.html Health Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:51:36 EST news276367890 It is well known that people with Down syndrome (DS) suffer from marked muscle weakness. Even the simple tasks of independent living, such as getting out of a chair or climbing a flight of stairs, can become major obstacles. This can reduce the quality of life for those with DS and lead to a loss of independence. Now, a new study sheds light on some of the suspected causes of muscle weakness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-insights-role-muscle-weakness-syndrome.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:40:05 EST news274972312 Chronic wounds such as foot ulcers are a common problem for diabetics and are the cause of more than 80 percent of the lower leg amputations in these patients. There is currently no effective way to improve healing of these types of wounds, but new research offers hope. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-arginine-proline-enriched-diet-wound.html Diabetes Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:17:51 EST news272218663 As men and women age, increasing quantities of fat tissue inevitably take up residence in skeletal muscle. A small study of older and younger men conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University suggests that a build-up of a fat molecule known as ceramide might play a leading role in muscle deterioration in older adults. The results of the study were published online this month by the Journal of Applied Physiology, a publication of the American Physiological Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-fat-molecule-ceramide-factor-muscle.html Medical research Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:20:00 EST news270919182 A new study shows that both length of time and percentage of overall sleep spent in different sleep stages are associated with decreased metabolic rate, increased hunger, and increased intake of calories (specifically from fat and carbohydrates). The findings suggest an explanation for the association between sleep problems and obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-architecture-hunger.html Health Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:29:39 EST news270131324 Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most serious complications related to diabetes, often leading to end-stage kidney disease. Purple corn grown in Peru and Chile is a relative of blue corn, which is readily available in the U.S. The maize is rich in anthocyanins (also known as flavonoids), which are reported to have anti-diabetic properties. Scientists from the Department of Food and Nutrition and Department of Biochemistry at Hallym University in Korea investigated the cellular and molecular activity of purple corn anthocyanins (PCA) to determine whether and how it affects the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Their findings suggest that PCA inhibits multiple pathways involved in the development of DN, which may help in developing therapies aimed at type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-purple-corn-compound-aid-future.html Medical research Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:22:15 EST news267207727 This summer's action film, "The Amazing Spider-Man," is another match-up between the superhero and his nemesis the Lizard. Moviegoers and comic book fans alike will recall that the villain, AKA Dr. Curt Connors, was a surgeon who, after losing an arm, experimented with cell generation and reptilian DNA and was eventually able to grow back his missing limb. The latest issue of the journal Physiology contains a review article that looks at possible routes that unlock cellular regeneration in general, and the principles by which hair and feathers regenerate themselves in particular. The authors apply what is currently known about regenerative biology to the emerging field of regenerative medicine, which is being transformed from fantasy to reality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-ways-animals-regenerate-hair-feathers.html Medical research Thu, 10 May 2012 11:07:51 EST news255866768 Coronary artery disease continues to be a major cause of death in the U.S., killing hundreds of thousands of people per year. However, this disease burden isn't evenly divided between the sexes; significantly more men than women are diagnosed with coronary artery disease each year. The reasons behind this difference aren't well defined. Though some studies have shown that men's hearts become more constricted than women's during exercise, letting less blood flow through, women are more likely than men to have symptoms of heart trouble after emotional upsets. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mental-stress-harder-women-hearts.html Cardiology Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:38:28 EST news254505606 Mouthguards are used by almost everyone participating in sports. These devices, typically purchased over-the-counter and used on the upper teeth, are designed to protect against broken teeth and an injured tongue. Recently, researchers in South Carolina found that a customized device which rests on the lower jaw can decrease levels of serum cortisol following exercise. The reduction of this steroid hormone indicates less stress following strenuous activity and may provide a more rapid recovery after intense muscle exertion. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mouthpiece-stress-strenuous.html Health Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:33:28 EST news254590400 Late gestation is a busy time for babies getting ready for life outside the womb, particularly for functions critical to life such as breathing and maintaining an adequate heartbeat. These two functions are connected in mature infants and healthy people throughout life, so measuring their level of connectedness can give doctors a cue about whether an infant is ready to head home or needs to remain in the care of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Current methods to analyze this connection are not yet fully developed, leaving doctors and nurses without an optimal way to deal with periodically missing data or natural variations in breathing or heartbeat. Now, however, researchers in Virginia have found a way around this problem by using a new analytical method that looks for so-called cardiorespiratory interaction using individual breaths and heartbeats and relating the two in time. The findings shed light on which infants may be mature enough to leave the NICU, showing that postnatal age seems to be an indicator of maturity, but birth weight or gestational age at birth are not. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-analysis-premature-infants-heartbeats-cues.html Health Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:25:03 EST news251997884 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the Universities of Bath, Oxford and Toulouse have been looking at how adipose tissue (fat) plays a dynamic and active role during exercise and physical activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-fat.html Medical research Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:08:03 EST news249638821 Researchers have long known that specific parts of the brain activate when people view particular images. For example, a region called the fusiform face area turns on when the eyes glance at faces, and another region called the parahippocampal place area does the same when a person looks at scenes or buildings. However, it's been unknown whether such specialization also exists for visual working memory, a category of memory that allows the brain to temporarily store and manipulate visual information for immediate tasks. Now, scientists have found evidence that visual working memory follows a more general pattern of brain activity than what researchers have shown with initial visual activity, instead activating a more diffuse area in the front of the brain for all categories of visual stimuli. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-visual-memory-specialized-brain-encoding.html Neuroscience Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:17:21 EST news247767426 Previous studies have suggested a particular hotspot in the brain might be responsible for perceiving pitch, but auditory neuroscientists are still debating whether this "pitch center" actually exists. A review article discusses a recent study claiming that this pitch center may not exist after all, or may not be located where previous research has suggested. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-central-brain-area-melodies-speech.html Neuroscience Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:12:48 EST news241794694 One in 15 women of childbearing age is diagnosed with a disorder commonly referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The condition is one of the most common causes of women not ovulating and thus causes difficulty in conceiving. Fertility is not the only health consequence these women face, however. PCOS has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading killer of women and men alike. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-polycystic-ovary-syndrome-cardiovascular-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:31:30 EST news237828674 The female hormone estrogen is known to offer protection for the heart, but obesity may be taking away that edge in adolescent girls. New research from the University of California at Merced finds that although obesity does not help teens of either gender, it has a greater impact on girls' blood pressure than it does on boys'. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-gender-differences-blood-pressure-early.html Health Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:18:49 EST news237813501 Although exercise is generally considered to be a good thing for people with high blood pressure, it has traditionally been considered too risky for women who are also pregnant. Some studies suggest that exercise has benefits such as decreasing the risk of women developing preeclampsia, a condition that raises blood pressure to dangerously high levels but how this might happen has remained unknown. New research using an animal model falls into the "pro-exercise" camp: It suggests that exercise before conception and in the early stages of pregnancy may protect a mother-to-be by stimulating the expression of two proteins thought to play a role in blood vessel health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-early-pregnancy-beneficial-proteins-mothers-to-be.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:17:53 EST news237813462 The kidney performs several vital functions. It filters blood, removes waste products from the body, balances the body's fluids, and releases hormones that regulate blood pressure. A number of diseases and conditions can damage the kidney's filtration apparatus, such as diabetes and immune disorders. This damage leads to a condition called nephrotic syndrome, which is characterized by protein in the urine, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and swelling (edema). People with nephrotic syndrome retain salt and water in their bodies and develop swelling and high blood pressure as a result. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-kidney-high-blood-pressure.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:44:14 EST news235914218 A new study published by the American Physiological Society offers the strongest evidence yet that vulnerability to type 2 diabetes can begin in the womb, giving new insight into the mechanisms that underlie a potentially devastating disease at the center of a worldwide epidemic. The study, conducted in baboon primates, finds that when mothers are even moderately undernourished while pregnant and breastfeeding, their offspring are consistently found to be prediabetic before adolescence. It is the first time that diabetes has been shown to have prenatal origins in a primate model. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-undernourishment-pregnant-lactating-females-key.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:20:40 EST news227190025