Heart disease risk should be assessed early
Young adults who have several risk factors for heart disease may start to show problems in their arteries by the time they’re in their 40s, a new study shows.
Researchers found that among more than 3,000 African American and white men and women, those with more heart disease risk factors in their 20s were two to three times more likely to have calcium build-up in their arteries 15 years later.
Young Children with Epilepsy Seizures Could Benefit from Animal Model of Disease
Researchers have developed an animal model of infantile spasms, improving the likelihood of finding new treatments for the thousands of young children who suffer from these catastrophic epilepsy seizures, according to research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 – May 5, 2007.
Infantile spasms are a specific type of epilepsy seizure seen in infancy and early childhood. The disorder involves a sudden bending forward and stiffening of the body, arms, and legs. The seizures typically last one to five seconds and occur in clusters, ranging from two to 100 spasms at a time. There are few available treatments.
Fear affects emergency care for child with asthma
Parents’ psychological responses to asthma attacks are among the strongest motivators of seeking accident and emergency (A&E) services for their child, according to a study conducted in London.
In contrast, characteristics of the home environment, such as dampness, overcrowding, or living with a smoker, have little effect on use of emergency departments.
TV ads double obese children’s food intake in UK
Overweight children who watch television advertisements for food are likely to double their intake and the fattest children are most likely to choose the least healthy foods, a study published on Tuesday showed. The study by the University of Liverpool of 60 British children aged 9-11 years, published at the European Congress on Obesity in Budapest, showed the more overweight a child was, the more it would eat when exposed to adverts followed by a cartoon.
Obese children increased food intake by 134 percent and normal weight children by 84 percent, the study said. Obese children consistently chose the highest fat product available in the research, chocolate.
Knee alignment doesn’t affect osteoarthritis risk
Malalignment of the knee does not predict the development of osteoarthritis, but it may be an indication of disease severity or progression in individuals who already have the disease, according to a study conducted by Massachusetts-based researchers.
“We would posit, based on the findings in this study, that abnormalities in frontal plane knee alignment are typically a consequence and not a primary cause of osteoarthritis,” Dr. David J. Hunter from Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues write in the current issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Mother-child therapy best after domestic violence
Therapy to help children recover from domestic violence is more likely to be successful if the mothers get help as well, new research suggests.
In a study of 181 children between the ages of 6 and 12 who were exposed to domestic violence in the previous year, researchers found that group therapy was effective at improving the children’s behavioral and emotional difficulties. It was more effective, however, when their mothers also received help with their parenting skills.
Fish oil may preserve thinking ability in elderly
High blood levels of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, may help preserve thinking ability in the elderly, according to the findings of two studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The results were particularly striking among subjects with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.
Accumulating evidence suggests that diets that include omega-3 fatty acids, specifically, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), protect against the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a Dutch research team. However, the effect of EPA+DHA consumption on thinking ability, or “cognitive function,” has received less scrutiny.
Study finds major depression connection to diabetes
Elderly people who are depressed are more likely to become diabetic than those who are not, according to a study that suggests depression may play a role in causing the most common form of diabetes.
Writing on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers said people with a high number of symptoms of depression were about 60 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, than people who are not depressed.
Migraine linked to heart attacks in men
Men with migraine headaches are more likely than non-migraineurs to experience a heart attack, according to data from the Physicians’ Health Study.
The Physicians’ Health Study is a large study that enrolled men ages 40 to 84 years between 1981 and 1984. The subjects, who had no history of heart disease, cancer or other major illnesses at enrollment, complete questionnaires annually regarding health issues.
New Hope for Antibiotic Resistance
A surprising new theory developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska, suggests that some bacterial cells act as “suicide bombers” in cell communities, with the altruistic intention of dying for the common good – and in the process, strengthening other cells that then become resistant to antibiotic drugs.
The finding could aid future research into developing drugs that can skirt the potentially catastrophic problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
