Poor kidney function tied to faster heart changes
People with decreased kidney function have faster progression of clogged arteries in the neck and increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events, research indicates.
Dr. Michel Chonchol, of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, and colleagues examined associations between different levels of kidney disease, the thickness of neck arteries—an indicator of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)—and cardiovascular events in 3364 individuals.
At the outset, 551 subjects (16.4 percent) had chronic kidney disease and the average thickness of the neck arteries, determined with ultrasound, was 0.79 mm. The average change in neck artery thickness was 0.02 mm/year.
Bladder trouble tied to depression, anxiety
Women who suffer from “dysfunctional voiding”—like having to urinate often and having difficulty voiding—experience a greater degree of depression and anxiety compared to women without these symptoms, research suggests.
“Dysfunctional voiding ... is more commonly seen in recent years,” Dr. Alex T. L. Lin, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, told Reuters Health. “Although we suspect that depression and anxiety are reactions to the dysfunctional voiding, we could not preclude the possibility that psychological abnormalities might predispose one to the occurrence of lower urinary tract dysfunction,” he commented.
Lin noted that the stressful environment of modern society might be a contributing factor for the increased incidence of dysfunctional voiding.
Prior assault boosts PTSD risk after combat
Men and women who were assaulted before entering military service are more than twice as likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after combat deployment, Navy researchers report.
It’s estimated that as many as 1 in 10 veterans returning from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have symptoms of PTSD. Some investigators have suggested that past stressful events can protect people from developing PTSD via “stress inoculation,” while others argue that such stresses actually make people more vulnerable.
To investigate the effect of having been assaulted before combat exposure on the likelihood of developing PTSD, Dr. Tyler C. Smith of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego and colleagues looked at 5,324 men and women participating in the Millennium Cohort study. All were in military service as of October 1, 2000, were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and were free from PTSD when they entered the study.
Prostate cancer deaths fall after screening program
Prostate cancer deaths fell substantially in the decade after one Austrian state began free PSA screening tests for all men ages 45 to 75, according to a new study.
Researchers found that after the state of Tyrol began a program of free PSA screening and prostate cancer treatment in 1993, the expected death rate from prostate cancer dropped by 54 percent. That compared with a decline of 29 percent in the rest of Austria, where free screening was not available.
The findings, reported in the journal BJU International, suggest that routine PSA testing can save men’s lives—something that has long been an open question.
Bee Prepared for Summer Allergies
Itchy, watery eyes. Stuffy nose. Sneezing. Sound familiar? As much as we love it, warm weather can spell misery for the 20 million to 30 million Americans who suffer from allergies. According to Dr. Leslie Miller, director of the Emergency Department, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion, the majority of spring respiratory problems come from inhaling such allergens as trees or grass pollen and mold spores. Exposure to dust, pet dander, and other indoor pollutants can worsen the severity of spring and summer allergies, essentially adding fuel to the fire.
In addition, Dr. William Reisacher, an otorhinolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says allergies can trigger or worsen asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Drs. Miller and Reisacher suggest the following tips to help allergy sufferers’ weather through the season:
After-school Activity Reduces Excess Weight Gain in Adolescent Girls
The middle school years is the time when time kids spend begin to spend less time in physical activity, a growing concern as youth obesity rates rise. A new study of middle school girls shows that after-school programs, in addition to school physical education classes, may be one answer to reducing obesity in teens. The just-released results of the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) showed that moderate to vigorous after-school physical activity, in programs that can range from hip hop dancing to surfing, can modestly increase the amount of physical activity for young teenage girls, to the point that it could prevent excess weight gain of about two pounds per year. If sustained, that extra activity could prevent a girl from becoming overweight as a teenager or adult. Results are published in the article, “Promoting Physical Activity in Middle School Girls,” in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Deborah Young, professor and interim chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of Maryland, College Park, School of Public Health, was a researcher on the TAAG study. Below she answers questions about the study and increasing physical activity in adolescent girls.
