Kids Get “PHIT” and Obesity Takes a Hit
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Early results of a program aimed at combating childhood obesity show promise and the program is being well received by the children and their families.
Those are among the conclusions of research from Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, where PHIT Kids offers a comprehensive clinical and educational program for overweight children and their families.
Migraines During Pregnancy Linked to Stroke and Other Vascular Diseases
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Migraines during pregnancy are strongly linked to vascular diseases, such as stroke and heart disease, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 – May 5, 2007.
Researchers looked at a national database of nearly 17 million women discharged for pregnancy deliveries from 2000-2003. A total of 33,956 of the women were treated for migraines.
Assessment Model Based on Medical History Gauges Lung Cancer Risk
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Clinicians may be one step closer to having a critical tool in identifying which smokers are at higher risk for developing lung cancer, the deadliest of all cancers, thanks to an assessment model generated by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The prediction tool detailed in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is the first designed to assign a score assessing a person’s risk for the disease. It is also the first to use standard clinical and epidemiological data easily gathered by healthcare professionals, including: smoking habit; exposure to environmental tobacco smoke; family history of cancer; hay fever; emphysema; and exposure to dust, or asbestos.
Why alcohol boosts breast cancer risk
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A study in mice shows that moderate alcohol consumption stimulates the growth and progression of breast cancer by fueling the development of new blood vessels—a process called “angiogenesis.” It does this by boosting expression of a key growth factor known as vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF.
Drinking alcohol—even moderate amounts - is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer in women. A recent study found that 60 percent of breast cancer cases in women worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption. But the mechanism(s) of alcohol-induced breast cancer are poorly understood.
Obesity screening for schoolchildren questioned
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Though routinely weighing schoolchildren may seem like a good way to fight childhood obesity, there’s no evidence that it actually works, according to British researchers.
Right now, many children periodically have their weight taken at school. In the UK, 4- to 5-year-olds and 10- to 11-year-olds are routinely weighed so that health officials can keep track of the nation’s obesity problem.
University In Pilot Project To Improve Depression Screening
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Fifteen percent of college students suffered from depression last year, up from 10 percent in 2000, according to The American College Health Association. Mental health professionals on college campuses expect the percentage to rise again this year.
St. Lawrence University (Canton, New York) is addressing the problem on its campus by participating in a national pilot project to improve screening and care for students with depression.
One in Three HIV Positive Gay Men Report Unprotected Sex
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More than one in three HIV positive gay men say they have unprotected sex, reveals a community survey, published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
And almost one in five HIV negative men said that they do the same, the figures show.
The findings are based on a survey of men at gay bars, clubs, and saunas in London, Manchester, and Brighton between 2003 and 2004.
Significant Rise in Proportion of Chronically Ill Children Dying in Intensive Care
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The proportion of chronically ill young children dying in intensive care after being admitted to other hospital wards has steadily risen year on year since the end of the 1990s, reveals a study in the Journal of Medical Ethics .
The researchers analysed the records of one large children’s hospital, to find out where children had died, and of what causes.
Statin treatment improves spatial memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s
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Treatment with Simvastatin, one of the statin drugs widely used for lowering cholesterol in humans, significantly improved spatial memory - how to navigate a water maze - in mice genetically bred to have an Alzheimer’s like disease. Although statin improved memory in both males and females, the results were more pronounced in males.
Dr. H. A. Morcos, chair of Pharmacology at the American University of Antigua, and colleagues at Florida A & M University presented the study April 30 at Experimental Biology 2007 in Washington, DC. His presentation is part of the scientific program of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
