Laughter helps blood vessels function better
Using laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase bl...Prestigious 2004 AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize honors Maxine Singer
17 FEBRUARY-For her countless roles in service to science and its potential for improving human welfare, AAAS, the world's largest general scientific society, today named Maxine Frank Singer, President Emeritus of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, to receive the prestigious 2004 AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize....... Established in 1985, the Abelson Prize is awarded annually to a public ser...New bedside tool gauges mortality risk in heart failure patients
For the first time, UCLA researchers have developed a new evaluation tool that can predict mortality risk in patients hospitalized with heart failure. The new tool -- used right at the bedside -- will help clinicians quickly decide upon hospital admission which patients are at a greater mortality risk that may require higher monitoring and earlier, more intensive intervention....... , the new to...Four teams awarded inaugural translational cancer research grants
PHILADELPHIA The American Association for Cancer Research, in alliance with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, has announced the first-ever recipients of The V Foundation-AACR Grants in Translational Cancer Research....... Four teams of cancer researchers two from Virginia and one each from Ohio and Massachusetts are receiving combined support from both organizations and their funding partn...Tumor size alone not always best for gauging treatment response
Not only can positron emission tomography (PET) help evaluate treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) by revealing biologic changes such as how the tumor processes the fuel that makes it grow, but CT can indirectly reveal biologic changes as well by analyzing the tumor's density, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston....... For the study...Laughter helps patients communicate emotion in therapy sessions
Laughter may be the best medicine, but the role laughter plays in psychotherapy has been disputed since the days of Freud. Some early therapists believed that laughter could have a harmful effect, while more recent thinking has held that, if used non-judgmentally, laughter can help support the therapeutic partnership. But none of those theories have been based on objective data. ... ...In the...Philadelphia hosts health fair Aug. 25 for women and children
is the theme of an interactive health awareness fair for women and children on Wednesday, Aug. 25, noon to 4 p.m., at Philadelphia's Gallery at Market East.... ...The free event is sponsored by the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society and will be held in conjunction with the Society's 228 National Meeting, Aug. 22-26. The American Chemical Society is the world's largest scient...Physics World Digest August 2004: Eye surgery sharpens up
... ...Physicists have devised a new way to map the cornea that could improve the accuracy of laser eye surgery. The shape and thickness of the cornea are vital pieces of information for surgeons, who need to alter permanently this transparent membrane to ensure that light is sharply focused on the retina. The information is currently obtained by reflecting a narrow strip of light that is shone...July/August 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...Counter to the prevailing perception that adverse drug events and surgical mishaps are the primary causes of medical errors, this qualitative study of 38 patients suggests that breakdowns in the clinician-patient relationship (37 percent) and access to clinicians (29 percent) may be more prominent. When asked about problems they experienced in the primary care office setting, patients were m...Childbirth and disasters discussed in July/Aug issue of Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health
Silver Spring, MD In the aftermath of a disaster or other mass tragedy, life cycle events such as childbirth will continue regardless of the chaos and women and newborns deserve the surety of safe, effective care in disaster situations, according to a special supplement this month of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. Titled 'Low Tech, High Effect: Caring for Women and Infants During Di...The NYU Child Study Center presents the inaugural State of the Science lecture
On Monday, April 26, 2004, the NYU Child Study Center (CSC) will host the Inaugural CSC State of the Science Lecture. Professor Sir Michael Rutter of the Institute of Psychiatry, London, has been selected to receive the first New York University Child Study Center Mental Health Award and his lecture, "Autism Research: Lessons from the Past and Prospects for the Future" will follow a short award...Breast augmentation may interfere with mammography interpretation
Breast augmentation may interfere with the interpretation of mammography examinations for asymptomatic women, however, there is no evidence that women are diagnosed with more advanced cancers compared with women without augmentation, according to a study in the January 28 issue of (JAMA). ...... Breast augmentation (implants) is the third most common type of plastic surgery performed for cosme...Sound helps augment poor vision for some tasks
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. If you're helpless without your glasses, try using your ears. ...For some tasks, hearing can augment poor eyesight, according to research reported by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center today at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans. ... "It has been long known that blind people often develop more acute hearing," said Mark Wallace, Ph.D....Study shows that forgiveness can be taught
By using certain forgiving methods, people can be taught how to forgive. Four projects involving actual cases of unresolved hurt were tested to measure their effectiveness in forgiving. The studies found that forgiveness increases mental and physical health and vitality. In study one, the largest study to date measuring the effects of forgiving, people experienced decreases in hurt feelings, s...Evaluation needed to gauge silent threat lurking within stroke patients
DALLAS, Sept. 9 Up to 40 percent of patients with "mini strokes" and ischemic strokes have silent heart disease, so doctors need to evaluate their heart risk even if patients don't have symptoms, according to an American Heart Association/American Stroke Association scientific statement published in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. ... Stroke survivors found to b...Tip sheet for August 26 Neurology and more news
... ...In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of two doses of donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, the drug improved the cognitive function of VaD patients, with the greatest improvement shown among those taking the lower dose of the medication. Vascular dementia trails only behind Alzheimer's disease (AD) in prevalence. It differentiates from AD in that decline is generally rapid and ma...Other highlights in the August 20 issue of JNCI
...Obesity has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women, but the mechanism for this association has not been established. A new study suggests that the risk increase may result from an associated increase in the production of estrogens. Timothy J. Key, D.Phil., of the University of Oxford, and his colleagues from the Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer...Annals of Internal Medicine, tip sheet, August 19, 2003
... Obese men developed symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) more often and had lower blood oxygen levels at night than normal-weight men in a study that simulated a rapid ascent to an altitude of 12,000 feet (Article, p. 253). Nine obese men and 10 non-obese men spent 24 hours in a hypobaric chamber. Obese men had worse symptoms of AMS and much lower blood oxygen levels during sleep at si...American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for August 2003 (second issue)
HABITUAL SNORING IN CHILDREN ASSOCIATED...WITH POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ... ...Habitual snoring in third-grade children was associated with poor academic performance on mathematics, science, and spelling in a large study of 1,129 German primary students. According to investigators, the research was the first to show a clear biological relationship between snoring frequency and the risk of poor...Other highlights in the August 6 issue of JNCI
...Some phytoestrogens--estrogens found in plant foods--consumed at the levels in the typical American-style diet are associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, a new study has found.... ...The development of endometrial cancer is related to prolonged exposure to estrogens without cyclic exposure to progesterone. Phytoestrogens may have antiestrogenic effects. Phytoestrogens are found...Annals of Internal Medicine, tip sheet, August 5, 2003
... A study of 41 workers in a Hong Kong community hospital who were infected with SARS over a period of six weeks in 2003 found that 32 had direct contact with SARS patients (either known or unsuspected); two had contact with co-workers who subsequently developed SARS; three had contact with both patients and co-workers with SARS, and three maintenance workers had no direct patient contact. Hea...JCI table of contents, 1 August 2003
...... Alzhemier disease (AD) is characterized by the progressive accumulation of amyloid beta protein (Abeta) in areas of the brain serving cognitive functions such as memory and language. In 2001, Todd Golde and colleagues demonstrated that three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were capable of selectively lowering the levels of Abeta42 (an isoform of the Abeta prote...American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for August 2003 (first issue)
... ...Criticism of obese individuals is the last socially acceptable form of prejudice in the United States, according to an article in the American Thoracic Society journal on the management of obesity. One study showed that 63 percent of family practice physicians attributed obesity to a lack of will power, and more than one-third described their obese patients as "lazy." Overweight and obe...July/August 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
... ...The July/August 2003 issue of Annals takes an up-close look at solutions for eliminating health care inequalities in the United States, a central goal of the Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 initiative. A cluster of articles examines health care disparities on many levels from the conceptual framework to that of the individual patient experience. Collectively,...Rheumatoid arthritis patients caught in middle of doctors' disagreement over hand surgery
ANN ARBOR, MI More than two million Americans with rheumatoid arthritis are caught in the middle of a debate among physicians over which treatment medications or hand surgery will help their ravaged fingers and wrists most. ......And a new University of Michigan Health System study finds that entrenched attitudes and lack of communication among rheumatologists and hand surgeons, and a dearth o...Study gauges patient opinions in L.A. County
A new UCLA study -- designed to help guide publicly funded health care in Los Angeles County -- revealed high patient satisfaction ratings among Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) patients in a wide range of categories, including ease of accessing care. The report also tracked access to prescription medications and access to preventive health-care services for specific conditi...How should medical care that emphasizes human relationships be taught to future doctors?
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute Inc. are collaborating with the Fetzer Institute on a project of nearly $2 million to study how to better educate future doctors to include human relations as they dispense health care. ...... The nation's second largest medical school, which this year will graduate its first class trained to link competency, pro...Surgeon General, columnist George F. Will, and McLaughlin Group Take on nations health care issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 3, 2003 -- At the 15th Annual National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC), March 10-12, over 5,000 health care professionals will hear from an all-star line-up of keynote presenters featuring US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, Pulitizer-Prize-winning Columnist George F. Will, and The McLaughlin Group, the highest rated public affairs program on television. The NMHCC...Expecting a laugh boosts stress-busting hormones
Irvine, Calif. -- Go ahead, laugh. In fact, look forward to the upcoming positive event. It does the body good....... Yes, even looking forward to a happy, funny event increases endorphins and other relaxation-inducing hormones as well as decreases other detrimental stress hormones, a UC Irvine College of Medicine-led study has found....... In previous studies, the scientists found that anticip...Food irradiation is focus of two-day symposium, Aug. 19-20
EMBARGO NOTE FOR REPORTERS: ALL PAPERS IN THIS SYMPOSIUM ARE EMBARGOED FOR...1:00 P.M., AUG. 19. ... ...BOSTON, Aug. 19 The vast majority of the scientific and medical community, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, agree that irradiation of food is a safe way to re...Annals of Internal Medicine Aug. 20 tip sheet
...... A new study finds that all adults not just those over 50 or with chronic illnesses can benefit from a flu shot (Article, p. 225). Analyzing previously published data using a statistical decision model, researchers found that the costs of giving flu vaccine to healthy, working adults, aged 18 to 50, appear worth the benefits in terms of avoiding lost work time and cost of treatment. Rese...American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for August (second issue)
ADVERSE EFFECTS OF FETAL EXPOSURE TO MATERNAL SMOKING UNCOVERED IN GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE CHILDREN... ...In a study of 2,950 Southern California 4th, 7th, and 10th grade children, researchers found that the adverse effects of in utero exposure to maternal smoking were associated with asthma and wheezing in a number of young persons, almost exclusively affecting those who had a genetic...suscepti...Easier monitoring of diabetes is focus of symposium, Aug. 18
...... ...BOSTON, Aug. 18 -- For years, needles have been associated with the pain and hassle of monitoring blood sugar levels for diabetes, which is on the rise in this country. New devices are now being developed that may make the needles obsolete. These innovations promise to make monitoring easier and thus reduce such side effects as blindness, kidney disease and circulatory problems. The la...Other highlights in the August 7 issue of JNCI
... Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been associated with metastasis and invasion of human ovarian cancer cells. This enzyme is also expressed in the underlying stromal (nontumor) cells. ...... , Isaiah J. Fidler, D.V.M., Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found that stromal MMP-9 expression contributes to an...Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet, Aug. 6, 2002
Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM), an organization of more than 115,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. The following highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. For an embargoed fax of an article, call 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2656 or 215-351-2656. .....American Thoracic Society journal news tips for August (first issue)
Smoking cessation associated with ...significantly reduced heart disease ......Smoking cessation was associated with significant reductions in fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease among participants in the 5-year Lung Health Study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers revealed that smoking among the 5,887 participants, as shown at their annual...Self-taught stress management techniques most effective in relieving stress of chemotherapy
Patients undergoing chemotherapy who utilize self-guided stress management techniques have significantly greater vitality, fewer emotional problems, better mental health, and fewer physical problems, according to a study conducted at the H Lee Moffitt Center and Research Institute. According to Paul Jacobsen, PhD, Program Leader of the Psychosocial and Palliative Care Program at Moffitt and lead...Scientific symposium focuses on nutritional beverages, August 26-28
CHICAGO, August 26 Researchers report increasing insight into the potential health benefits of beverages ranging from tropical fruit juices to soy-based drinks. More than refreshing, such nutritional beverages often deliver antioxidants and other compounds that fight cancer, lower cholesterol and help keep heart disease at bay. ...... While some scientists uncover health-boosting compounds in f...Science, engineering and technology news tips -- August 2001
MODEL SUGGESTS TREATMENT FOR MAD COW DISEASE... ...Diseases such as mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE), which are caused by faulty proteins called prions, could be treated by adding closely related, noninfectious prions from other species. This sort of therapy could increase the incubation period of the disease well past a human lifetime, according to a theoretical study by...MADISON -- About 3,000 scientists are expected to attend the Ecological Society of America's 2001 annual in Madison Aug. 6-10, focused on the theme "Keeping All the Parts: Sustaining and Restoring Complex Ecosystems." ... ... The current ESA president is Stephen Carpenter, professor of limnology and zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The four-and-a-half day program will include a fu...