Health Problems News

(HealthDay)—Outcomes-based pricing does not reduce the costs of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, according to a research letter published online April 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Dhruv S. Kazi, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues examined the effect of outcomes-based pricing on the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9

Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers have shown that mifepristone, a drug currently FDA-approved for chemical abortion, prevents the growth of vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma) cells. This sometimes-lethal intracranial tumor typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus. The findings, published online today in Scientific Reports, suggest that mifepristone is a promising drug candidate to

Spinal cord injuries impact more than 17,000 Americans each year, and although those with incomplete injuries may regain control of their limbs, overall muscle strength and mobility is weakened. Neurorehabilitation using robotic exoskeletons or electrical stimulation devices can help a person regain movement through repeated exercise. The amount of assistance through these devices during neurorehabilitation

When people hear that their memory will worsen as they age, the question on their minds becomes: what can we do to remember better? A recently published Baycrest study suggests that training programs can help, but only if they are tailored towards an individual’s specific memory difficulty, such as trouble remembering faces, voices or recent

A jolt of the unexpected can have far-reaching effects, according to new research from a University of Illinois expert who studies leadership and creativity. Surprises are memorable, able to garner attention and arouse emotion, but a less heralded effect is that they can serve to shift attitudes and provide an avenue to influence people, said

(HealthDay)—A 40-hour work week may sound like a vacation to those burning the midnight oil. But a study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine shows that consistently surpassing this standard can be detrimental to your health. Researchers said they found that working 61 to 70 hours a week increased the risk of coronary heart

Thanks to Selena Gomez and Dr. House, most of us have heard of lupus. But most of us don’t know what it is, and until recently, none of us were sure whether stress could be a risk factor. The simplest way to understand lupus is “your immune system gone wrong”. We have evolved powerful immune

Boys with autism are more prone to develop physical complaints, depression and aggressive behaviour. Psychologists at Leiden University have discovered that this is mainly related to rumination. Publication in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Research has shown that autisme not only leads to social problems. Young people with autism also suffer anxiety, depression

Infection specialists at hospitals are introducing so-called antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes to use antimicrobial drug therapies more responsibly. Such programmes include a coherent set of actions which promote using antimicrobials in ways that ensure sustainable access to effective therapy for all who need them. A group of international experts, led by researchers from the Center

Long lasting gentle touch decreases stress hormones and decelerate heart beat frequency. It also activates brain areas commonly linked to reward. These research results are presented in a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg. Findings that can be useful in designing therapies to help people relax. A gentle touch is comforting for most people,

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) for infants and children over six months of age in typhoid-endemic countries. This new policy will help ensure access to typhoid vaccination in communities most impacted by the disease, which is responsible for nearly 12 million infections and between 128,000 and 161,000

If you want to be told a secret you’re better off being assertive and compassionate rather than enthusiastic and polite, according to University of Queensland researchers. Dr. James Kirby of the UQ School of Psychology, in collaboration with Assistant Professor Michael Slepian of Columbia University, an expert in the psychology of secrets, examined who we

Differences between signed and spoken languages are significant, yet the underlying neural processes we use to create complex expressions are quite similar for both, a team of researchers has found. “This research shows for the first time that despite obvious physical differences in how signed and spoken languages are produced and comprehended, the neural timing

A smartphone application using the phone’s camera function performed better than traditional physical examination to assess blood flow in a wrist artery for patients undergoing coronary angiography, according to a randomized trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). These findings highlight the potential of smartphone applications to help physicians make decisions at the bedside.

An experiment in Maryland designed to save health care dollars by shifting services away from expensive hospital-based care and toward less costly primary, preventive and outpatient services has yielded disappointing results. These are the findings of two separate studies led by investigators from Harvard Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh. One study will be

(HealthDay)—For children with retinitis pigmentosa, vitamin A supplementation is associated with slower loss of cone electroretinogram amplitude, according to a study published online March 29 in JAMA Ophthalmology. Eliot L. Berson, M.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a nonrandomized comparison study involving children with retinitis pigmentosa taking or not taking vitamin

The ability to use statistics to guide decision-making may be collateral damage of Hurricane Maria’s devastating blow to Puerto Rico, according to a Penn State demographer. In an article published today (April 2) in Health Affairs, Alexis Raúl Santos, the director of the graduate program in applied demography, said that a failure to properly account

Researchers of Hokkaido University, the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), and Tohoku University demonstrated that a physiologically active substance called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) impairs the immune response by upregulating the expression of an immunoinhibitory molecule, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), in cattle affected with Johne’s disease. The discovery is expected to help develop a

A team of researchers led by Brown University infectious disease experts and engineers has identified a new class of antibiotics that could one day help combat the alarming emergence of drug-resistant “superbugs.” Eleftherios Mylonakis, a professor of infectious diseases at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and chief of infectious diseases at Rhode Island Hospital and

Scientists have long known that restricting calories can fend off physiological signs of aging, with studies in fruit flies, roundworms, rodents and even people showing that chronically slashing intake by about a third can reap myriad health benefits and, in some cases, extend lifespan. From a public health perspective, that advice would be impractical for