Depressed Seniors in Primary Care Benefit Most From Team Approach
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Depressed older adults being treated in primary care settings do better with psychosocial therapies than with antidepressant medicines, suggests a new review of evidence.
Furthermore, older adults with depression have the best response when these cognitive-behavioral therapies are delivered by interdisciplinary health teams, say reviewers led by psychologist Karyn Skultety.
Teenagers drinking themselves into hospital
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The number of children admitted to hospital because of alcohol abuse has jumped over 20 percent in the last five years, with ambulance crews regularly picking up kids who have drunk themselves senseless.
According to NHS figures, up to 20 youngsters a day are being diagnosed with conditions ranging from alcohol poisoning to excessive drinking that cause behavioural disorders.
The worrying statistics were obtained by the BBC’s Panorama programme which will be broadcast on Sunday.
Heart valve grown from amniotic stem cells
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Stem cells extracted from amniotic fluid can be induced to grow on a polymer scaffold into a fully functional human heart valve that will open and close like a native valve, Swiss researchers report. The process may eventually find application in infants with damaged heart valves.
At the American Heart Association’s 2006 Scientific Sessions, Dr. Simon P. Hoerstrup of University Hospital of Zurich described his group’s findings from experiments with amniotic fluid-derived stem cells seeded onto leaflet-shaped biodegradable scaffolds.
Death risk higher in obese kidney transplant cases
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Obese individuals who undergo kidney transplantation are more likely to die and have a poor outcome than their nonobese counterparts, Dutch researchers report.
“Past studies looking at the effect of obesity on transplantation outcomes have yielded conflicting results,” senior author Dr. Andries Hoitsma, from the University Medical Center St. Radboud in Nijmegen, told Reuters Health. “The strength of our study is the large sample size.”
The study, reported in the November issue of Transplant International, included 196 obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 and 1871 nonobese patients. Obese patients were more likely to be female and were typically older than nonobese patients.
Research suggests beta agonists may alter the immune system
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New research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that certain inhaled asthma medications – as well as similar chemicals our bodies produce during times of high stress – may worsen diseases such as asthma, heart failure and lupus that involve inflammation.
The scientific team led by Raymond Penn, Ph.D., and Matthew Loza, Ph.D, found that beta-agonists, such as those used in the treatment of asthma, increase the accumulation of type 2 T cells, a type of white blood cell that participates in immune system defense mechanisms. In certain diseases such as asthma and lupus, an over-reactive type 2 T cell response occurs and is believed to contribute to the disease.
Mayo study examines link between rheumatoid arthritis and chronic lung diseases
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For decades, researchers have suspected a connection between chronic lung diseases and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous research has yielded widely varying estimates about the strength of this connection, partly because studies have used different diagnosis criteria for these diseases. Addressing this problem, Mayo researchers presented preliminary data at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting on Nov. 11 confirming that patients with rheumatoid arthritis are clearly affected by chronic lung diseases.
The goal of this study is to more precisely measure the cumulative incidence of lung diseases among people with rheumatoid arthritis. Mayo researchers studied a group of 603 people who met strict American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting diagnosis criteria for RA, examining the subjects’ medical records from diagnosis through their death or last follow-up appointment.
New study weighs benefits of exercise, diets
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Those in their 50s and 60s who want to lose weight might consider heading to the cardio workout room instead of counting calories, suggests new research out this month.
Both those who dieted and those who exercised lost a significant amount of weight, according to findings from an NIH-funded study on whether a calorie-restriction diet can extend lifespan. However, while exercisers maintained their strength and muscle mass and increased aerobic capacity, those who dieted lost muscle mass, strength and aerobic capacity.
Religious observance may keep older people healthy
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A new study adds to mounting evidence that older people who regularly attend religious services are healthier than those who don’t.
Among 1,174 highly functioning men and women in their 70s, those who went to a church, synagogue or mosque at least once a week had a significantly slower decline in their lung function over the following years than their peers who didn’t go to services regularly, Dr. Joanna Maselko, now at Temple University in Philadelphia, and her colleagues report.
Americans say smokers should pay more for health cover
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According to a survey in the United States most people believe the health insurance system is in dire need of a fix; it is estimated that as many as 46.6 million Americans are uninsured.
The poll of around 1,500 people has found that about 60 percent are in favour of higher premiums for smokers and 30 percent believe the obese should also pay more.
Doctors say antibiotics pointless for acute bronchitis
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Researchers say they have found no evidence in current literature that antibiotics are effective in treating the vast majority of patients with acute bronchitis and say doctors should stop routinely prescribing them.
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the main airways to the lungs characterised by an irritating cough, and is one of the most common conditions treated by doctors.
Link Between Obesity and Inflammation Could Lead to New Therapies
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Research conducted at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston identifies a molecular link between obesity and inflammation that could lead to new therapies to prevent diabetes and heart disease.
Research presented this week at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions shows that a high fat diet draws inflammatory cells into fat tissue, which prevents the tissue from storing the fats we eat. When the tissue can not store these fats, they end up in the liver and muscle, which in turn causes diabetes and heart disease.
Smoking may boost teens’ asthma risk
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Teenagers who smoke are more likely than their peers to develop asthma, a finding that highlights the immediate danger of the habit, researchers reported Wednesday.
Experts have suspected that smoking is a risk factor for asthma, but studies have been inconclusive.
One of the problems is that most studies have looked at adults. It’s difficult, for instance, to separate asthma symptoms from emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are common in older smokers.
Hormones linked with breast cancer risk in blacks
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Overall breast cancer rates have fallen among US women in recent years, but haven’t significantly changed among young African-American women. The researchers suggest this might be partially explained by cosmetic products containing estrogens and placenta, which are more widely used by African Americans.
Steps must be taken to understand this racial disparity so it can be rectified, co-author Dr. Devra L. Davis, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Epidemiology said in a press release accompanying the study.
Very obese fare worse after colon cancer diagnosis
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Obese patients are more likely to have a recurrence of colon cancer than their normal-weight counterparts and face an increased risk of dying from the disease, a new study shows.
While it’s not clear that losing weight would improve their prognosis, Dr. James J. Dignam of the University of Chicago and colleagues note, healthy lifestyle changes would probably have other beneficial effects for obese colon cancer patients.
There is strong evidence that being obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, both increases the likelihood of developing colon cancer and worsens prognosis for individuals diagnosed with the disease, Dignam and his team report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Stronger Leg Muscles Can Protect Against Knee Osteoarthritis
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Stronger quadriceps muscles in the legs can help protect against cartilage loss behind the kneecap, according to Mayo Clinic researchers presenting preliminary study data at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting on Nov. 15.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the knee joint deteriorates over time. As this cushion wears down, the joint doesn’t function as well and may be painful.
