Apples during pregnancy protects baby from asthma
A new study suggests that women who eat apples while pregnant may protect their child from developing asthma and related symptoms.
In the study, researchers from The Netherlands and Scotland led by S. M. Willers of Utrecht University tracked the diets of nearly 2,000 pregnant women and checked the lung health of 1,253 of their children.
Only one drug type now knocks out gonorrhea in US
Due to drug resistance, one class of antibiotics should no longer be used to treat gonorrhea, officials with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday.
They no longer recommend antibiotics called fluoroquinolones—which include ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin—for treatment of gonorrhea because fluoroquinolone-resistant gonorrhea is now widespread in the United States.
Low education predicts lower quality of life for prostate cancer patients
Among men who have received similar treatments for prostate cancer, those with less education –– particularly those who did not graduate from high school –– experience a significant drop in their quality of life after treatment compared with men who have more education, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).
“These men did not start out with a lower quality of life before cancer,” says lead author Sara J. Knight, PhD, a staff psychologist at SFVAMC. “What’s surprising is that after treatment, they have clinically significant problems across the board –– mental and emotional as well as physical –– in managing their lives.”
Major genetic study identifies clearest link yet to obesity risk
Scientists have identified the most clear genetic link yet to obesity in the general population as part of a major study of diseases funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK’s largest medical research charity. People with two copies of a particular gene variant have a 70% higher risk of being obese than those with no copies.
Obesity is a major cause of disease, associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It is typically measured using body mass index (BMI). As a result of reduced physical activity and increased food consumption, the prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. According to the 2001 Health Survey for England, over a fifth of males and a similar proportion of females aged 16 and over in England were classified as obese. Half of men and a third of women were classified as overweight.
Smoking affects heart of even the young and fit
Young adult smokers may seem healthy, but smoking is taking its toll on their heart, a research team in Poland reports. Chronic smoking appears to impair the ability of the heart to relax between beats, resulting in decreased pumping capacity.
There is little information regarding the effects of smoking on cardiac function in young adults, Dr. Barbara Lichodziejewska and associates at Warsaw Medical University note in their article in the medical journal Chest.
Mortality Rate Increases for Kidney Recipients with Anemia
According to a new study in American Journal of Transplantation, kidney transplant patients suffering from anemia, a treatable blood deficiency, are more likely to die or suffer from organ failure than other transplant recipients.
“During a four year period following kidney transplantation, we found that anemic patients were 70 percent more likely to die following their transplant, and two and a half times more likely to again require dialysis,” says study author Dr. Istvan Mucsi.
