Studies outline dangers of mixing stress, deprivation and tempting foods
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Two studies in the October issue of Behavioral Neuroscience show that when animals are stressed, deprived and exposed to tempting food, they overeat, with different degrees of interaction. The powerful interplay between internal and external factors helps explain why dieters rebound and even one cookie can trigger a binge if someone’s predisposed to binge.
The findings also implicate the brain’s opioid, or reward, system in regulating overeating, especially when the food is extra-tempting - and not only in under-fed animals. This knowledge may help even non-stressed people to avoid overeating, keep their weight down and improve their health. Behavioral Neuroscience is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Exposure to movie smoking accounts for smoking initiation among over one-third of U.S. adolescents
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The first national study to look at the connection between smoking in movies and smoking initiation among adolescents shows that exposure to smoking in popular films is a primary risk factor in determining whether young people will start smoking.
The study by researchers from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) appears in the November 7 issues of the journal, Pediatrics. The research, supported by the National Cancer Institute, suggests that exposure to movie smoking accounts for smoking initiation among over one-third of U.S. adolescents. It concludes that limiting exposure of young adolescents to movie smoking could have important public health implications.
Important that GP’s take flu pandemic threat seriously
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Family doctors are advised to plan their response to managing a flu pandemic in this week’s BMJ.
The advice is based on a module that is freely available on BMJ Learning to help keep health professionals up to date with key issues.
Genetics and language or genetic language?
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Most comparisons of language and inherited traits consider whether genetic patterns conform with expected relationships observed by linguists. But few have considered the use of genetic data to support specific hypotheses raised by linguists regarding the relationships between language families.
In a forthcoming article in Current Anthropology, Francisco M. Salzano (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil) examines the proposals of three eminent linguists through the lens of genetic data.
Genetic profile of ovarian cancer
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A newly identified gene expression profile could help predict how patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to chemotherapy treatment.
Described in a study in the November 1, 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the new findings further establish an important role for microarray gene profiling as a predictor of clinical outcome in ovarian cancer, and could eventually provide clinicians with insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance.
HIV-positive patients have shorter survival periods while awaiting liver transplants
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A new study on HIV-positive patients eligible for liver transplants found that their survival while waiting for a transplant is significantly shorter than patients who are HIV-negative. Other than infection, which caused many of the deaths, there appear to be no other factors that predict a poor outcome for these patients.
The results of this study appear in the November 2005 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS). The journal is published on behalf of the societies by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and is available online via Wiley InterScience.
Hope over cheek lung cancer test
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A simple check of cells taken from inside the cheek can help give an early warning of lung cancer, a study says.
The test by Canadian cancer research firm Perceptronix accurately predicted early stage-one lung cancer in two-thirds of cases.
Autism ‘extreme male brain’ clue
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The brain structure of people with autism is an “exaggeration” of the normal male brain, researchers suggest.
It has long been suggested that autistic behaviour is an exaggeration of male habits such as making lists.
Exercise helps elderly cut long-term risk of falls
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Research has shown that starting an exercise program can lower an elderly woman’s risk of falling, and a new study suggests the benefit can be lasting.
Researchers found that among 98 elderly women who took part in a 6-month exercise program, the risk of suffering a fall was still reduced one year after the program ended.
Low blood sugar a risk for active diabetic kids
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Children with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have an overnight drop in blood sugar on days when they get exercise, according to a new study.
In an experiment that monitored diabetic children’s nighttime blood sugar on sedentary and active days, researchers found that the risk of hypoglycemia—abnormally low blood sugar—was greater on exercise days.
Anti-clotting drug cuts heart attack deaths
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Thousands of deaths could be prevented each year by giving aspirin and another drug to prevent blood clots in patients who have suffered a heart attack, researchers said on Friday.
Each year, 10 million people worldwide have a heart attack. Aspirin is a standard emergency treatment but Dr. Zheng-Ming Chen and scientists at the University of Oxford in England found that adding the drug clopidogrel could save lives.
Shortness of Breath without Chest Pain Can Signify High Risk Heart Disease
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While most people know that chest pain can signify the presence of heart disease, it is less well known that shortness of breath can also be a serious cardiac symptom.
Now, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have found that patients with shortness of breath can have a higher risk of dying from cardiac disease than patients without symptoms, and even than patients with typical cardiac pain.
Trichomoniasis: a common STD in young US adults
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More than 2 percent of young adults in the United States have a sexually transmitted disease (STD) called trichomoniasis—including more than 10 percent of young black women, according to a new report.
Trichomoniasis, a parasitic infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, “is more common than we usually think,” Dr. William C. Miller from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Reuters Health. “We need to consider routinely testing young adults.”
FDA Panel Ponders Home HIV Test
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The pros and cons of a simple home-use HIV test were the focus of 10 hours of testimony at an FDA advisory committee meeting yesterday. Now the company that makes the test is talking to the FDA about the next step.
The OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, developed by OraSure Technologies Inc, of Bethlehem, Pa., won FDA approval in March 2004—but not for home use.
Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis
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A case-control study of more than 2000 people has identified a number of factors that may induce primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in genetically susceptible individuals. These include a history of urinary tract infections, hormone replacement therapy, tobacco use, and nail polish use.
The study is published in the November 2005 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hepatology is available online via Wiley InterScience.
