UIC professor receives international humanitarian award
Dr. Samuel Epstein, professor emeritus of environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, has received the Albert Schweitzer Golden Grand Medal for Humanitarianism.... ...The award, given by the Albert Schweitzer World Academy of Medicine, honors Epstein for his "longstanding and pioneering international contributions to cancer prevention....Abuse and HIV status linked to suicide risk
Women who are HIV-positive or are abused are more likely to think about or attempt suicide, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, George Washington University and St. Michael's Hospital, in Toronto, Canada. The Hopkins study, consistent with previous research, sheds new light on the extent to which being in an abusive relationship compou...Current daily smoking may be associated with increased risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts
CHICAGO Suicidal thoughts or attempts are associated with daily smoking in current smokers, but not former smokers, according to an article in Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ... ..."A link between cigarette smoking and suicide has been reported in epidemiological investigations since the 1970s," according to background information in the article. However, the...New laparoscopic hysterectomy offers quicker recovery time than traditional surgery
DALLAS March 1, 2005 More than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed every year in the United States at a cost of $5 billion, which doesn't take into account the 144 million work hours lost to the average six-week recovery time. Billie Williams of Grapevine had been considering having one for years, but major surgery and a long convalescence didn't fit with her plans. ... ... She eventually opte...CK2 protein sustains colon cancer cells by sabotaging ability to commit suicide
A protein called CK2 plays a deadly role in colorectal carcinoma by blocking the ability of these tumors to activate a natural self-destruct mechanism that would clear this cancer from the body. This finding, by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is currently published in the online edition of Oncogene. ...The renegade CK2 protein keeps the tumor alive and growing by desensiti...UIC offers new weight loss surgery for obese teens
Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago now offer laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, or LAP-BAND, for weight loss in severely obese teens.... ...The minimally invasive procedure is the only adjustable and reversible surgical weight-loss option available in the United States.... ...UIC is the only medical center in the United States currently involved in a Food and D...Women suffering from anorexia are 50 times more likely to commit suicide
BOSTON, Mass. - In a study of suicidal behavior of 246 women with eating disorders over a span of 8.6 years, Debra L. Franko, an associate professor of counseling psychology at Northeastern University's Bouv College of Health Sciences, and her colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), found that women with anorexia nervosa are 57 times more likely to commit suicide than the expected ra...Hungry children: more depression, suicide, low grades
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Hunger and poverty in the United States are severe enough to significantly impair the academic and psychosocial development of school-age children and adolescents, according to two studies at Cornell University.... "The level of food deprivation in this wealthy nation puts millions of children at risk for multiple developmental problems," says Katherine Alaimo, who obtained her P...Rats Receiving Ginkgo Biloba Learn Quicker, Live 20 Percent Longer Than Controls, UB Study Finds
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ginkgo biloba, prescribed widely in Europe to improve brain function, appears to improve learning and memory in rats and prolongs their life, a study at the University at Buffalo has shown. . The unexpected positive effect on longevity has surfaced in research to determine ginkgo biloba's effect on age-related cognitive deficits, using rats as an animal model. . "At a...Suicidal behaviour caused by antidepressants 'cannot be ruled out'
Antidepressant drugs may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, particularly in the early stages of treatment, shows new evidence in this week's BMJ....... Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant, yet concerns have arisen that these drugs may induce or worsen suicidal feelings in vulnerable patients....... Three...'Broken heart' syndrome: Real, potentially deadly but recovery quick
Shocking news, such as learning of the unexpected death of a loved one, has been known to cause catastrophic events, such as a heart attack. ...... Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack. Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known co...Certain gun storage practices can reduce risk of youth firearm injuries, suicide
Keeping a gun locked, unloaded, and storing ammunition in a locked and separate location can lower the risk of unintentional injuries and suicide among youth, according to a study in the February 9 issue of JAMA. ......According to background information in the article, the presence of a household firearm is associated with an increased risk of suicide among adults and adolescents. In a study of...Intellect linked to risk of suicide in young men
Intellectual capacity in early adulthood is strongly related to subsequent risk of suicide in men, finds a study in this week's BMJ.... ...Few previous studies have assessed the association of measures of intelligence with suicide, and results have often conflicted.... ...Researchers analysed the results of four intelligence tests, performed at conscription into military service, for 987,308 Swed...Grapefruit juice and medication can be a dangerous mix
Grapefruit juice can be dangerous for people on certain medications, nurse researchers remind doctors, nurses, and everyone who takes medicine and enjoys grapefruit juice, in a paper in the American Journal of Nursing, a journal of the American Nurses Association....... Amy Karch, R.N., M.S., of the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester Medical Center reported on a man from a northern...Young people face increasing risk of suicide in Scotland
Suicide rates for young people have increased dramatically in Scotland's most deprived areas, according to research in this week's BMJ....... During the two decades 1980 2000 young people became more than four times as likely to commit suicide in Scotland's poorest areas than its least deprived sectors....... For young women the gap increased the most. The rate of suicide for young women as a wh...Increased suicide rate is possibly linked to chemicals released from nearby asphalt plants
CHAPEL HILL -- Exposure to low levels of hydrogen sulfide and possibly other airborne chemicals from nearby asphalt plants may have contributed to an increased suicide rate in a North Carolina community, a study suggests for the first time. ...In 2003, the suicide rate in two Salisbury, N.C., neighborhoods was found to be 128 per 100,000 individuals a year, roughly 10 times the statewide average,...Stressed mice quicker to get skin cancer
Does stress speed up the onset of skin cancer? The answer, in mice anyway, appears to be "yes." Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say that chronic stress may speed up the process in those at high-risk for the disease. Their new study, published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, shows that mice exposed to stressful conditions and can...Is the internet encouraging suicide pacts?
A disturbing new trend in suicide pacts involving strangers meeting over the internet (cybersuicide) is emerging, warns a consultant psychiatrist in this week's BMJ....... The deaths of nine people in Japan in October 2004, who met over the internet and planned the tragedy via special suicide websites, have brought the relatively rare phenomenon of suicide pacts into the limelight, writes Sundara...New female sterilization technique not only quicker and easier for patients, but cheaper
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic gynecologists have discovered that hysteroscopic sterilization, a new method of plugging the fallopian tubes to prevent conception, will save patients money compared to laparoscopic tubal ligation, the most commonly used method of sterilization for women. ...... This technique involves inserting a nickel-titanium and stainless steel springlike device into the fall...Drug-eluting stents adopted quickly, with early disparities
DURHAM, N.C. -- In the first comprehensive survey of its kind, Duke Clinical Research Institute researchers have documented that while the adoption of new drug-eluting stents has been rapid, their use has not been universally uniform among patients receiving them....... Furthermore, the researchers said, about one-third of the new stents were placed in patients with clinical characteristics for w...Pitt researchers identify biomarkers of lupus which could lead to quicker and better diagnosis
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4 University of Pittsburgh researchers have identified biomarkers that could result in earlier and more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a devastating disease that affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, and occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently in women.... ...The results are published in the November 2004 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.... ..."Th...New quick test for drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea
Potential antimicrobial resistance in the bacteria that cause gonorrhea can be detected without culturing the organism, thanks to a rapid test developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins. ...... Key to the usefulness of the new test is that it does not require collection, culture or testing of the bacteria themselves - called Neisseria gonorrhea. Instead, the genes linked to resistance can be ident...Selling smaller packs of painkillers slashes suicide risk
Selling paracetamol and other painkillers in smaller pack sizes has slashed rates of suicide and damage to the liver from paracetamol poisoning, concludes a study on this week....... Suicides from overdoses of paracetamol or aspirin dropped nearly a quarter in the three years following new legislation in 1998, which cut pack sizes and limited how many tablets a retailer was allowed to sell........UIC receives $8.1m for public health research, training
The University of Illinois at Chicago has received $8.1 million in grant funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for three innovative public health research and training projects.... ...Three separate grants were funded:... ... ... ...The Illinois Prevention Research Center at UIC received a five-year, $4.1 million grant from the CDC to help eliminate health disparities a...UIC team develops new screening tool for pediatric bipolar disorder
...Dr. Mani Pavuluri of the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues unveil the first parent rating scale to screen for pediatric bipolar disorder during the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's annual meeting. ......"Bipolar disorder is often confused with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," says Dr. Pavuluri, director of the pediatric mood disorders clinic at UI...Eating disorder behaviors linked to suicide risks
A study of Swiss women with eating disorders suggests that those who binge and purge are more likely to have attempted suicide in the past, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia or another eating disorder. ......Women with anorexia, however, are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those with bulimia or other disorders, say Gabriella Milos, M.D., and...Co-occurring disorders increase risk of suicide attempt by adolescents
Research has shown that adolescents with substance use disorders are most likely to attempt suicide when they also have a co-occurring mood disorder. NIDA-funded scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have extended this research and found that generally, both male and female substance abusers who attempt suicide begin taking drugs at an early age and have more symptoms of psychiatric and subs...Cranberry juice may reduce risk of female urinary tract infections
The tangy flavor of cranberries could make life just a little sweeter for some. Drinking cranberry juice on a regular basis may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in some women, according to a review article in the May 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.... ...Cranberries contain two compounds that keep infection-causing bacteria from adhering to the linin...HIV infection progresses to AIDS quicker in developing countries
The progression from HIV infection to AIDS and death from AIDS is more rapid in people living in developing countries than those living in the United States and Europe, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences and Chiang Mai University in Thailand. The researchers tracked the length of time between H...Study reveals high suicide rates among young people in India
Authors of a research letter in this week's issue of THE LANCET highlight how suicide among young people in India--especially among young women--is a major public-health problem requiring urgent intervention. ...... The average suicide rate worldwide is around 14.5 per 100000 population (rates are lower in industrialised countries and higher in less-developed settings). Anuradha Bose from the Chr...Atherosclerosis more common, progresses quicker in HIV patients
DALLAS, March 16 Now that treatments have been successful at helping HIV patients live longer, these patients are facing a new health challenge high rates of rapidly progressive atherosclerosis, researchers report in today's rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.... "Our finding suggests that it would be reasonable to consider HIV infection a cardiac risk...Primary-care based program reduces thoughts of suicide among older depressed patients
An intervention that includes interaction with a depression care manager reduces levels of depression and thoughts of suicide among older patients with depression, according to a study in the March 3 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). ...... Older Americans comprise about 13 percent of the U.S. population, yet account for 18 percent of all suicide deaths, according...'Care managers' help depressed elderly reduce suicidal thoughts
An intervention that includes staffing doctors' offices with depression care managers helps depressed elderly patients reduce suicidal thoughts, a study funded by NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found. Martha Bruce, Ph.D., Cornell University, Charles Reynolds, III, M.D., University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues report on the outcome of the intervention in three major Eastern...Orange juice fortified with plant sterols found to lower 'bad' cholesterol in healthy volunteers
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Plant sterols -- recognized for their cholesterol-lowering power when added to margarines, salad dressings and other fats -- are just as effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol" levels, when added to orange juice, say researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. ...... (available online a...Corkscrew device retrieves clots, quickly reverses stroke damage
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 5 A revolutionary tiny corkscrew that captures blood clots from vessels deep inside the brain can "almost instantly" reverse damage caused by ischemic stroke, according to the first report on the safety and efficacy of the device presented today at the American Stroke Association's 29th International Stroke Conference. ... Ischemic strokes are caused by a blood clot that blocks b...Sandia-developed foam likely would stop SARS virus quickly, Sandia/Kansas State team shows
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Researchers at the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories and Kansas State University have shown that chemical formulations previously developed at Sandia to decontaminate chemical and biological warfare agents are likely effective at killing the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). ......In a series of tests conduct...Friendships play key role in suicidal thoughts of girls, but not boys
COLUMBUS, Ohio Relationships with friends play a significant role in whether teenage girls think about suicide, but have little impact on suicidal thoughts among boys, according to a new nationwide study.... ...The research found that girls were nearly twice as likely to think about suicide if they had only a few friends and felt isolated from their peers. Girls were also more likely to consider...SARS outbreak in Beijing spread rapidly, was controlled fairly quickly
CHICAGO Improving triage in hospitals and dissemination of information to the public helped bring a rapid resolution to the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing in early 2003, according to an article in the December 24/31 issue of (JAMA). ...... Beijing, China, experienced the largest outbreak of SARS in the world with a total of 2,521 reported probable cases, accordin...Concord grape juice improved memory and neuro-motor skills in animal study
VICHY, FRANCE, December 18, 2003-Consuming Concord grape juice significantly improved laboratory animals' short-term memory in a water maze test as well as their neuro-motor skills in certain of the coordination, balance and strength tests, according to preliminary research presented at the 1st International Conference on Polyphenols and Health recently held in Vichy, France. ... ...Low-income black and Latino teens who report suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts also say they have few adults in their lives with whom they can discuss personal problems, according to a new study.... ...Those who attempted suicide were more than twice as likely as non-attempters "to feel that they had no one to count on," say Lydia O'Donnell, Ed.D., and colleagues of the Education Development...