http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the bodies of most Americans. Once perceived as harmless, phthalates have come under increasing scrutiny. A growing collection of evidence suggests dietary exposure to phthalates (which can leech from packaging and mix with food) may cause significant metabolic and hormonal abnormalities, especially during early development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-phthalates-links-chemicals-widely-plastics.html Pediatrics Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:02 EST news288377310 Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study, in which both factors were considered simultaneously. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-air-pollution-noise-cardiovascular.html Health Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:08 EST news288274242 A subtle change to hospital data collection policies could make a big difference in preventing occupational health and safety hazards, according to workplace safety researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-occupational-medical-billing-workplace-injuries.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 12:05:44 EST news287060733 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 The prevalence of obesity within the military is currently 13 percent. This rising epidemic, also rampant throughout the general population, could result in military career setbacks, negatively impact operational readiness, and jeopardize Department of Defense operations. To combat the epidemic, a team of researchers chose the military cafeteria as the venue to observe and evaluate eating behavior and the positive impact of modest changes to promote healthy eating and food selection. The results are captured in a new report published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-modest-military-dining-facilities-healthier.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:30:01 EST news283175911 (HealthDay)—Workers with rheumatoid arthritis have higher health care and other costs for U.S. employers than workers without the condition, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-rheumatoid-arthritis-costly.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:00:01 EST news282591371 A new report from Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Community Health raises significant concerns about the federal government's system for tracking work-related injuries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-federal-figures-work-related-amputations.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:48:27 EST news281882897 New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that men who take vitamin C supplements regularly run a higher risk of developing kidney stones. The study, which is published in the scientific periodical JAMA Internal Medicine, did not however observe an increased risk between kidney stones and multivitamins – which contain lower concentrations of vitamin C. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-vitamin-supplements-linked-kidney-stones.html Health Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:00:07 EST news279197716 A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) run a high risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, regardless of migration background. According to principal investigator Tahereh Moradi, the study is the first in the world to examine the risk of cardiovascular diseases in male and female MS patients with both non-immigrant and immigrant backgrounds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-high-cardiovascular-diseases-swedish-born-immigrant.html Neuroscience Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:48:35 EST news279190107 Exposure to a chemical once used widely in plastic bottles and still found in aluminum cans appears to be associated with a biomarker for higher risk of heart and kidney disease in children and adolescents, according to an analysis of national survey data by NYU School of Medicine researchers published in the January 9, 2013, online issue of Kidney International, a Nature publication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bpa-linked-potential-adverse-effects.html Health Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:40:05 EST news276946734 A new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers reveals that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isn't implicated in the overall death rate of the U.S. population, and may even protect against stroke and some cancers. The findings, based a nationwide health survey of nearly 10,000 individuals over a period of some 12 years, are published online, January 9, in the journal Gut. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bacterium.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:02 EST news276883496 (HealthDay)—The cost of lost productivity among U.S. workers with cancer is equal to 20 percent of the nation's health care spending, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-cancer-billions-yearly-worker-productivity.html Cancer Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:40:01 EST news274989680 White non-Hispanic construction workers are awarded higher workers' compensation settlements in Illinois than Hispanic or black construction workers with similar injuries and disabilities, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-white-workers-illinois-higher-comp.html Health Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:47:54 EST news269254065 Exposure to ambient air pollution from traffic during infancy is associated with lung function deficits in children up to eight years of age, particularly among children sensitized to common allergens, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-exposure-traffic-air-pollution-infancy.html Health Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:50:11 EST news269236203 (HealthDay)—Some workers and residents exposed to dust and fumes after the 2001 collapse of the World Trade Center towers have shown gradual improvement in lung function, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-lung-function-recovery-people-exposed.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:50:01 EST news268581362 Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in women. A new study has found that a diet rich in antioxidants, mainly from fruits and vegetables, can significantly reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. The study is published in the October issue of The American Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-diet-high-total-antioxidants-myocardial.html Cardiology Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:45:04 EST news267443080 Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have revealed a significant association between obesity and children and adolescents with higher concentrations of urinary bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical recently banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from sippy cups and baby bottles. Still, the chemical continues to be used in aluminum cans, such as those containing soda. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-higher-bpa-children-teens-significantly.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:57:22 EST news267184626 Treating very young infants with antibiotics may predispose them to being overweight in childhood, according to a study of more than 10,000 children by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine and the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and published in the online August 21, 2012, issue of the International Journal of Obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-antibiotic-infants-months-overweight-childhood.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 21 Aug 2012 05:00:02 EST news264699617 Marijuana is up to 20 times more potent than it was 40 years ago and most pregnant women who use the drug are totally unaware that it could harm their unborn child before they even know they are pregnant. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-high-potency-synthetic-marijuana-pose.html Addiction Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:03:39 EST news264247413 (HealthDay) -- Standard definitions of obesity, which are based on height and weight, may not apply to former National Football League players and other groups with greater muscle mass, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-obese-heavy-ex-nfl-players.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:40:02 EST news262890992 (Medical Xpress) -- Individuals with elevated levels of PCBs and DDT in their blood run a greater risk of having a stroke. This is shown in a study from Uppsala University that is being published today in the scientific journal Environmental International. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-link-environmental-toxins.html Cardiology Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:51:49 EST news261813101 UC Davis researchers have found that workers' compensation insurance is not used nearly as much as it should be to cover the nation's multi-billion dollar price tag for workplace illnesses and injuries. Instead, almost 80 percent of these costs are paid by employer-provided health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other disability funds, employees and other payers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-occupational-injury-illness-paid-private.html Health Fri, 25 May 2012 17:22:05 EST news257185225 The rate of workplace deaths in Michigan remained steady in 2011, as 141 workers died on the job compared with 145 in 2010, according to an annual report from Michigan State University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-on-the-job-deaths-steady-injuries-underreported.html Health Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:16:05 EST news254564152 If you eat low-fat dairy foods, you may be reducing your risk of stroke. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-low-fat-dairy-foods.html Cardiology Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:20:02 EST news254072130 (HealthDay) -- Obese workers have even higher health costs than smokers, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-obese-workers-health-smokers.html Health Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:56:04 EST news253540554 Voluminous research literature attests to the multiple negative consequences of maternal depression and depressive symptoms for the health and development of children. In contrast, there is a profound paucity of information about depressive symptoms in fathers according to a follow up study by NYU School of Medicine researchers in the February 23rd online edition of Maternal and Child Health Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-characteristics-fathers-depressive-symptoms.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:34:37 EST news249280451 (Medical Xpress) -- The incidence of glioma - the most common form of brain tumour - is not increasing in the Nordic countries, contradicting the claim that mobile phone use is a cause of the disease. This according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the scientific journal Epidemiology. The analyses presented by the researchers also show that the increased risks previously reported to be associated with mobile telephony in a few individual studies should have been observable in the general cancer statistics if mobile phone use had indeed been associated with a true risk increase. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-brain-tumours-nordic-countries.html Cancer Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:30:02 EST news246086119 (Medical Xpress) -- Low-educated and immigrant women run a lower risk of breast cancer occurrence than highly educated women and women born in Sweden. However, the risk of dying from breast cancer is higher for those low-educated and immigrant women that do get the diagnose - a development that has occurred in Sweden during the last ten years. This according to a new study from the Karolinska Institutet based on the records of some 5 million women between 1961 and 2007. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-breast-cancer-occurrence-higher-mortality.html Cancer Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:20:01 EST news245404832 A mouse model to investigate allergy to fenugreek has been developed by Norwegian researchers. The model can also be used to study cross-reactivity to peanut, soy and lupin, major food allergens with public health relevance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-food-allergy-fenugreek.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:11:30 EST news243079875 Metabolic syndrome biomarkers predict subsequent decline in lung function after particulate exposure, according to new research involving rescue personnel exposed to World Trade Center (WTC) dust. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-metabolic-syndrome-biomarkers-lung-function.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:10:07 EST news240810779