http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed a smart phone app that helps users lose weight by carefully recording their food consumption. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-smart-app-weight-loss.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 13 May 2013 10:51:39 EST news287661083 Pregnant women are advised not to smoke during pregnancy because it can harm the baby's lungs and lead to wheezing and asthma, among other problems. If a woman absolutely can't kick the habit, taking vitamin C during pregnancy may improve her newborn's lung function and prevent wheezing in the first year of life, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vitamin-lung-problems-babies-born.html Pediatrics Sat, 04 May 2013 04:17:12 EST news286859824 Smoking prevention in schools reduces the number of young people who will later become smokers, according to a new systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. For young people who have never smoked, these programmes appear to be effective at least one year after implementation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-schools.html Health Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:01 EST news286480715 The Philippine health department warned the public on Friday against electronic cigarettes, saying the tobacco substitute could turn children into smokers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-philippines-e-cigarette.html Health Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:30:01 EST news284960686 Teenagers who increased the days on which they got just 20 minutes of exercise were able to cut down on their smoking habit. And teenage smokers were more likely to quit altogether if they participated in a smoking cessation/fitness program—and they ramped up the days on which they got at least 30 minutes of physical activity, according to a study published online April 9. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-short-daily-teen-smokers.html Health Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:24:18 EST news284700251 Italy on Tuesday announced plans to raise the legal limit for buying electronic cigarettes to 18 years from a previous 16, citing the high dose of nicotine inhaled when using the smokeless product. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-italy-minors-electronic-cigarettes.html Health Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:51:50 EST news284129502 (Medical Xpress)—Have you ever driven to work so deep in thought that you arrive safely yet can't recall the drive itself?  And if so, what part of  "you" was detecting cars and pedestrians, making appropriate stops and turns?  Although when you get to work you can't remember the driving experience, you are likely to have exquisite memory about having planned your day. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-autopilot-mind-brain-conscious-unconscious-habit.html Neuroscience Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:39:04 EST news277108717 A new study from Sweden reveals that having low peer status in adolescence is a strong risk factor for regular and heavy smoking in adulthood. Researchers from Stockholm University in Sweden used a large database that followed the lives of more than 15,000 Swedes, mainly from the Stockholm area, from birth to middle age. The researchers isolated 2,329 people who were interviewed once at age 13 about peer status at school and again at age 32 about their smoking habits. The results indicate that the lower a young person's status is among his or her school peers, the more likely that person is to become a regular (less than 20 cigarettes per day) or heavy (20+ cigarettes) smoker in adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-adolescents-status-peers-adult-smokers.html Addiction Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:11 EST news272562959 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the Aptuit Centre for Drug Discovery and Development in Italy, have found that a drug called GSK598809 is able to block a type of dopamine receptor in the brain that has been linked to nicotine addiction. The team, studying the impact of the drug on baboons and mice has found, as they describe in their paper published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, that when delivered to the brain, the drug appears able to reduce the cravings for nicotine found in the smoke of cigarettes and thus may someday soon serve as an aide to quitting the habit that kills millions the world over every year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-experimental-drug-nicotine-craving.html Neuroscience Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:16:15 EST news266739348 The prevalence of smoking in Christchurch, New Zealand, increased following the 2010 earthquake, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-natural-disasters-christchurch-residents-tobacco.html Health Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:39:30 EST news265973963 Homework may be the last thing your child wants to do, but a Kansas State University education expert says encouraging the habit of homework is important. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-grade-parents-homework-productive.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:25:30 EST news264151519 (Medical Xpress) -- Smokers are more likely to develop prostate cancer but only half as likely to get themselves tested for the condition, a study has shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-links-prostate-cancer-screening.html Health Thu, 28 Jun 2012 05:50:15 EST news260081407 (Medical Xpress) -- As Indiana prepares for a statewide smoking ban on July 1, a new study from Ball State University finds that 21.2 percent of Hoosiers admit to regularly lighting up a cigarette, a habit costing the state nearly $2.6 billion in productivity losses and $2.2 billion in health care costs each year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-indiana-billions-productivity-health.html Health Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:30:01 EST news258717652 Simply ejecting your rear from the couch means your hand will spend less time digging into a bag of chocolate chip cookies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-couch-equals-cookies-simple-health.html Health Mon, 28 May 2012 16:00:17 EST news257416458 (AP) -- There are smoke-free bars, smoke-free parks, even smoke-free college campuses. But a smoke-free country? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-smoke-free-country-zealand-taxes-aim.html Health Thu, 24 May 2012 05:01:59 EST news257054505 Although women over age 50 who become pregnant via egg donation are at an elevated risk for developing obstetrical complications, their complication rates are similar to those of younger recipients, according to a study by Columbia University Medical Center researchers to be published in the February 2012 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology. This is contrary to epidemiological data suggesting that these women are at greater risk of certain complications of pregnancy, including hypertension, gestational diabetes, premature birth, and placenta abnormalities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-pregnancy-egg-donation-similar-women.html Health Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:18:49 EST news247249112 US President Barack Obama is "fit at fifty" after improving his cholesterol readings and kicking his smoking habit, according to results of his latest medical exam released Monday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-obama-fifty-medical.html Health Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:42:16 EST news239305330 While smoking remains legal, the number of smokers is never going to fall significantly, argues public health doctor in a letter to this week's BMJ. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-doctor-tabloids-publish-daily-death.html Health Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:09:24 EST news238788499 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the journal Menopause adds one more reason for women to avoid or give up the smoking habit. The study results show that women who light up are more likely to start menopause a year earlier than non-smokers and are also at a higher risk of bone and heart diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-linked-early-menopause-women.html Addiction Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:09:32 EST news238154951 (Medical Xpress) -- In a new study published in PLoS Medicine, researchers have shown that it is not only the American habit of “super-sizing” meals that is leading to obesity, but the number of snacks and meals that are being eaten throughout the day. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-american-snacking-habits-blame-obesity.html Health Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:21:01 EST news228738048