http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. –Hair strands contain valuable information about senior citizens' stress levels that can be used to determine an individual's cardiovascular disease risk, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-hair-analysis-reveals-elevated-stress.html Cardiology Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:26:10 EST news285427542 Exercise may play a key role in helping children cope with stressful situations, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-shields-children-stress.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:16:43 EST news281877395 For chronic pain sufferers, such as people who develop back pain after a car accident, avoiding the harmful effects of stress may be key to managing their condition. This is particularly important for people with a smaller-than-average hippocampus, as these individuals seem to be particularly vulnerable to stress. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-chronic-pain-stress.html Neuroscience Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:08:10 EST news280987682 Lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) who are out to others have lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout, according to researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at Louis H. Lafontaine Hospital, affiliated with the University of Montreal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-health-benefits-closet.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:10:01 EST news278613398 (HealthDay)—Signifor (pasireotide diaspartate) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Cushing's disease in cases that cannot be treated by surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-signifor-cushing-disease.html Medications Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:10:02 EST news274989641 A study conducted by researchers at the University of Granada Group of Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology has demonstrated that cortisol levels in saliva are associated with a person's ability to make good decisions in stressful situations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-saliva-analysis-reveal-decision-making-skills.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 10 Dec 2012 10:10:56 EST news274356643 (HealthDay)—Adolescents who were born prematurely have reduced neuroplasticity, which may explain their motor, learning, and memory difficulties, according to a study published in the Nov. 14 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-neuroplasticity-teens-born-prematurely.html Neuroscience Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:30:01 EST news274333507 Adolescents can be chronically sleep deprived because of their inability to fall asleep early in combination with fixed wakeup times on school days. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost 70 percent of schoolchildren get insufficient sleep—less than eight hours on school nights. This type of restricted sleep schedule has been linked with depression, behavior problems, poor performance at school, drug use, and automobile accidents. A new study from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that exposure to morning short-wavelength "blue" light has the potential to help sleep-deprived adolescents prepare for the challenges of the day and deal with stress, more so than dim light. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-short-wavelength-beneficial-stress-hormone-response.html Health Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:50:05 EST news270380786 (Medical Xpress)—Men and women who are expectant parents have different stress reactions to relationship conflict, according to researchers at Penn State, who studied couples expecting their first child. In addition, recovery from the initial reaction to conflict also can be different for men and women, depending on individual difficulties, such as anxiety, or relationship difficulties, such as chronic relationship conflict. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-men-women-stress-reactions-relationship.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:20:58 EST news269677224 (Medical Xpress)—The stresses of poverty—such as crowded conditions, financial worry, and lack of adequate child care—lead to impaired learning ability in children from impoverished backgrounds, according to a theory by a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health. The theory is based on several years of studies matching stress hormone levels to behavioral and school readiness test results in young children from impoverished backgrounds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-stresses-poverty-impair-ability-young.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:50:01 EST news265538399 (HealthDay) -- Symptoms of depression are linked to shorter survival times among cancer patients, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-depression-shorten-cancer-survival.html Cancer Thu, 02 Aug 2012 04:52:47 EST news263101955 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 Soccer fans' testosterone and cortisol levels go up when watching a game, but don't further increase after a victory, according to a study published Apr. 18 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-hormone-higher-soccer-fans-game.html Medical research Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:00:05 EST news253981831 A new investigational drug significantly reduced urinary cortisol levels and improved symptoms of Cushing's disease in the largest clinical study of this endocrine disorder ever conducted. Results of the clinical trial conducted at centers on four continents appear in the March 8 New England Journal of Medicine and show that treatment with pasireotide cut cortisol secretion an average of 50 percent and returned some patient's levels to normal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-experimental-drug-cortisol-symptoms-cushing.html Medical research Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:04 EST news250359314 Stress has numerous detrimental effects on the human body. Many of these effects are acutely felt by the sufferer, but many more go 'unseen', one of which is shortening of telomere length. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-depression-contribute-aging.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:23:20 EST news249045788 (Medical Xpress) -- While pregnant, women pay particular attention to factors such as diet and exercise to ensure their babies are born healthy and develop normally. New research from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine suggests another factor women should pay particular attention to while pregnant−their mood. The findings were published in this month’s issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-stress-hormones-fluctuate-mood-pregnancy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:01 EST news248077743 "Stand by me" is a common refrain when it comes to friendship but new research from Concordia University proves that the concept goes beyond pop music: keeping friends close has real physiological and psychological benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-friends-negating-negativity.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:52:59 EST news246801172 The personality trait narcissism may have an especially negative effect on the health of men, according to a recent study published in PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-expensive-egos-narcissism-higher-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:00:01 EST news246555420 Participation in horticultural activities can improve confidence and social skills, cultivate a positive attitude, and rejuvenate the mind and body. Many studies have emphasized the effects of horticultural activities in relation to physical and psychological rehabilitation, but few have considered the influence of these types of activities on mentally challenged people's autonomic nervous system (ANS) and on the stress hormone cortisol. A new study examined how activities such as pressing flowers, planting, creating flower arrangements, and making topiaries affect stress relief for patients who are mentally challenged. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-heart-stress-mentally-adults.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:20:01 EST news242912973 Cortisol may be the Swiss Army knife of hormones in the human body -- just when scientists think they understand what it does, another function pops up. While many of these functions are understood for adults, much less is known about how cortisol operates in babies and toddlers, especially when it comes to an important phenomenon called the cortisol awakening response, or CAR. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-important-hormone.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:40:02 EST news241972027 When a person with mild cognitive impairment is agitated or restless, caregivers can expect to find they are more edgy as well. According to research conducted at Virginia Tech, the more a caregiver's day is disrupted by the unsettled behaviors of their loved one, the more they find themselves unable to meet or balance their own home and family work loads. This heightens the effect of elevated stress levels on their own bodies, placing caregivers at risk for current and future health problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-caregivers-health-problems.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:15:48 EST news241712136 A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that shift work at a young age is associated with elevated long-term cortisol levels and increased BMI. Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-stress-hormones-cardiovascular-shift-workers.html Health Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:20:30 EST news236848814 A new study by York University researchers finds that practicing yoga reduces the physical and psychological symptoms of chronic pain in women with fibromyalgia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-yoga-boosts-stress-busting-hormone-pain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:40:03 EST news230991979 In the longest running U.S. study of premature infants who are now 23 years old, University of Rhode Island Professor of Nursing Mary C. Sullivan has found that premature infants are less healthy, have more social and school struggles and face a greater risk of heart-health problems in adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-uri-nursing-effects-premature-birth.html Health Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:38:00 EST news227378258 Children whose mother or father is affected by bipolar disorder may need to keep their stress levels in check. A new international study, led by Concordia University, suggests the stress hormone cortisol is a key player in the mood disorder. The findings published in Psychological Medicine, are the first to show that cortisol is elevated more readily in these children in response to the stressors of normal everyday life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-mom-dad-bipolar-disorder-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 05 May 2011 10:53:05 EST news223811557