Cholesterol-lowering diet helpful in pregnancy
Pregnant women who stick to a cholesterol-lowering diet may reduce their risk of delivering prematurely, Norwegian investigators report.
“These results indicate that dietary intervention in pregnancy can modify cardiovascular risk factors in pregnancy and may result in health benefits for mother and child,” Dr. Janette Khoury from the National Hospital in Oslo and colleagues write in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Most asthma drugs OK to use during pregnancy
With the exception of steroid pills, asthma medications taken during pregnancy do not appear to impair the growth of the unborn baby, researchers in California report.
“These data are reassuring for clinicians from the standpoint of adhering to treatment guidelines and provide appropriate treatment of asthma for women who are pregnant with respect to fetal growth,” said Dr. Christina D. Chambers from UCSD Medical Center, San Diego.
Urine test accurately detects bladder cancer
A simple and accurate urine test can detect bladder cancer early and may be especially useful for smokers and others prone to the disease, Italian researchers reported on Tuesday.
The test for the enzyme telomerase in urine was found to be accurate 90 percent of the time in men, after the cancer diagnoses were confirmed with standard invasive examinations of the bladder and urinary tract. The test also detected the disease in early stages.
Fresh bird flu outbreak in China, India on alert
Fears of avian flu spreading deepened on Wednesday after China reported another outbreak in poultry while India said it was testing blood samples from 10 dead migratory birds.
There has been a spate of fresh cases in Asia and on the eastern edge of Europe ahead of the winter, when experts say the deadly H5N1 strain thrives best.
HIV program shows promise for low-income teens
HIV prevention programs that involve more of a teenager’s everyday world may have a particularly strong influence over behavior down the road, researchers have found.
Their study, of 12- to 17-year-olds living in low-income housing developments, found that a “community-level” HIV prevention program was especially effective at keeping kids from having sex, as well as encouraging condom use among those who did.
Obese workers passed over in hiring, promotions
Overweight workers in Britain are discriminated against when applying for positions, passed over for promotions, and more likely to loose their jobs, a report said on Tuesday.
In a survey of more than 2,000 personnel officers by Personnel Today magazine, 93 percent said they would choose an applicant of “normal weight” over an obese applicant with the same experience and qualifications.
Turned-off genes linked to ovarian cancer
Two genes that are turned off in ovarian cancer cells could provide an early test for the illness known as the silent killer, Austrian scientists said on Tuesday.
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have identified five genes that have very low activity in ovarian cancer. Two, called N33 and NFA6R, do not work in most cases.
Hepatitis C infection tied to diabetes risk
There appears to be a connection between infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Italian researchers report.
Dr. Alessandro Antonelli of the University of Pisa and colleagues note in the medical journal Diabetes Care that there have been some reports of a link between type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C but at least one large study did not confirm this.
McDonald’s to put fat content on wrappers
McDonald’s Corp. customers will soon know that the Big Mac they bought contains almost half their recommended daily fat intake just by looking at the wrapper.
In its latest measure to fend off critics that blame the world’s largest restaurant company for contributing to rising incidents of obesity and other health problems, McDonald’s on Tuesday said it will start printing nutritional information on the packaging of its food.
