http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. University of Adelaide researchers are hoping to better understand why some sufferers of Parkinson's disease experience a marked reduction in blood pressure after they've eaten a meal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-meal-induced-falls-blood-pressure-parkinson.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Wed, 03 Apr 2013 06:25:22 EST news284189110 A Massey University PhD student has developed a complementary food for infants in developing nations that could help minimise vitamin A deficiency. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sweet-potato-weaning-food-infant.html Health Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:30:02 EST news283504396 Reconstructive hand surgery can dramatically enhance the life quality and independence of those paralysed by a cervical spinal cord injury. Despite this, the operation is not frequently performed, either in Sweden or elsewhere. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden are now hoping to change that. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-surgery-life-quality-spinal-cord.html Surgery Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:12:38 EST news283425150 Has your paternal or maternal grandfather broken their hip on any occasion? In that case there is a greater risk that your own bones are more fragile as an adult. This has been demonstrated in a thesis at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden based on a study of over 1,000 young adults in Gothenburg, which identified those factors increasing the risk of bone fragility in men. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-grandad-hip-fracture-factor-osteoporosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:00:16 EST news282225607 Diana McIntyre approaches her 80th birthday later this year with the same energy and zest for life of friends decades her junior. Aside from back surgery years ago, she's never been sick and, through a busy volunteer schedule, never seems to slow down. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-aging.html Health Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:46:59 EST news281184409 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 (Medical Xpress)—The onset of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is unpredictable. Because it depends on the unforeseeable occurrence of traumatic events, it is difficult to identify preventative or causative factors. Scientists typically turn to patients who have already developed PTSD to study the disorder, but that means they can't draw comparisons to their psychological state prior to experiencing trauma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-gene-high-anxiety-effect-battlefield.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:50:01 EST news279994850 (Medical Xpress)—Australians are being warned of a higher risk of stroke caused by the nation's most common heart rhythm disorder, atrial fibrillation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-higher-common-heart-disease.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:00:03 EST news279791353 (Medical Xpress)—Australian diabetes experts, psychiatrists and neuroscientists have reported the benefits of measuring depression and disease-related distress in patients with diabetes. They have also shown that distress is influenced by heritable genetic changes in the way patients' bodies handle serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-distress-people-diabetes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:50:01 EST news278062334 Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 35 million people worldwide. It is generally assumed that the clumping of beta-amyloid (Aß) protein causes neuronal loss in patients. Medication focuses on reducing Aß42, one of the most common proteins and the most harmful. University of Twente PhD student Annelies Vandersteen is refining the current approach. She explains: "The results of my research provide a broader understanding of the processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease and in this way may help to bring about new medication". http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-alzheimer-disease-treatment.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:43:09 EST news274700548 Children and young people in Europe are exposed to all kinds of fast food, crisps and fizzy drinks – so how can they learn to resist the temptation to indulge? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-european-children-resist-unhealthy-temptations.html Health Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:39:32 EST news273494360 (Medical Xpress)—Depression among older adults can lead to serious health problems. Jojanneke Korte, PhD student at the University of Twente, investigated the effects of the life-review group therapy programme "The Stories we live by" ("Op verhaal komen" in Dutch) in some two hundred older patients (55+) with mild depressive symptoms. According to Korte, "The process of systematically recalling memories, otherwise known as life-review', is found to be effective. Depressive symptoms had disappeared in more than half of participants by the end of the course, and these participants were still symptom-free nine months later." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-efficacy-depression-therapy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:42:24 EST news273318124 Men who drink one normal-sized soft drink per day are at greater risk of getting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, according to a Swedish study released Monday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-soft-day-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:22:44 EST news273169331 Why do we get older? When do we die and why? Is there a life without ageing? For centuries, science has been fascinated by these questions. Now researchers from Kiel (Germany) have examined why the polyp Hydra is immortal – and unexpectedly discovered a link to ageing in humans. The study carried out by Kiel University together with the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) will be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-longevity-gene-hydra-immortal-humans.html Medical research Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:33:51 EST news272018016 (Medical Xpress)—A non-robotic device that helps stroke survivors regain upper limb movement is expected to be commercially available in Australia within the next 12 months. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-smart-arm-survivors-recover-faster.html Neuroscience Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:10:01 EST news271666053 Processed snack foods are not usually known for their health benefits, but a Massey University PhD student has devised a snack that not only tastes good, it is healthy too. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-healthy-snackusing-otherwise-discarded-tomato-skinsdeveloped.html Health Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:30:13 EST news270201681 Individuals with kidney failure often develop heart problems, but it's not clear why. A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) provides evidence that their kidneys' inability to excrete waste products in the urine, which leads to build-up of these products in the blood, may damage the sugary lining of blood vessels and lead to heart troubles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-blood-vessel-lining-account-kidney.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:00:03 EST news269791159 An African-American or Mexican-American senior living in a community where many neighbors share their background is less likely to have cancer or heart disease than their counterpart in a more mixed neighborhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-ethnically-homogenous-area-boosts-health.html Health Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:00:04 EST news269786444 A new regulator for heart formation has been discovered by studying how embryonic stem cells adjust the packaging of their DNA. This approach to finding genetic regulators, the scientists say, may have the power to provide insight into the development of any tissue in the body – liver, brain, blood and so on. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-dynamics-dna-packaging-formation-heart.html Medical research Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:57:15 EST news267973028 September marks the start of spring but new research reveals it is also the month when Australians' vitamin D levels are at their lowest ebb. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-season-vitamin-d-deficiency-australian.html Health Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:42:47 EST news267781359 A three-year Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study has found that a prep-year child's literacy was boosted when parents or carers asked children simple questions about a book while reading it to them. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-simple-boost-prep-literacy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:44:26 EST news264851059 Chronic infections are a large and growing problem throughout the developed world, and intensive research is being conducted in ways to combat the recalcitrant bacteria. When bacteria aggregate into so-called biofilm, they become resistant to antibiotics. Until now scientists have only been able to speculate about what happens when bacteria overpower the immune system during a chronic infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-scientific-method-unmasks-chronic-infections.html Medical research Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:54:29 EST news263645661 The fate of people suffering with obesity or osteoporosis could lie in the hands of Deakin University researchers who are looking into the way fat and bone cells develop, with the assistance of the humble zebrafish. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-humble-zebrafish-treatments-obesity-osteoporosis.html Medical research Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:57:01 EST news263638613 A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-analytic-decrease-religious-belief.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:01 EST news254665532 A Queen's physicist and a PhD student have developed a groundbreaking device that controls the depth of a laser cut, laying groundwork to provide pinpoint accuracy during surgeries. This new laser control technology is valuable in all surgeries where cutting too deeply could lead to serious complications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-groundbreaking-device-laser-accuracy-surgeries.html Surgery Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:49:26 EST news253979359 Using brain-imaging technology for the first time with people experiencing mathematics anxiety, University of Chicago scientists have gained new insights into how some students are able to overcome their fears and succeed in math. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-brain-reveals-successful-students-math.html Neuroscience Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:02:42 EST news238294951