Health | Page 23 of 1374 | SpiritIndia.com

Emotional Intelligence :: Emotional Intelligence and the use of tobacco and cannabis

The term Emotional Intelligence could be defined as the capacity to perceive, comprehend and regulate one’s own emotions and those of others so as to be able to distinguish between emotions and use this information as a guide for one’s thoughts and actions. One of the important benefits of developing this type of intelligence is the ability to learn how to interact with others and to face an ever changing social and cultural world more effectively.

Autism :: Adolescence and autism – a difficult, but not hopeless, combination according to a new MUHC study

The challenges that autistic patients face become more pronounced during adolescence, a crucial period when many kinds of social behaviours are developed and when these individuals can become more keenly aware of their relationship difficulties. A paper by Dr. Eric Fombonne, Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders describes the effectiveness of social skills training groups for autistic adolescents.

Liver :: Endosonography-guided biliary drainage is useful in cases with failed endoscopic biliary stenting

The role of endosonography (ES) in digestive diseases is expanding gradually from diagnostic applications to therapeutic ones. The feasibility of ES-guided cholangiopancreatography was first reported by Harada et al. (pancreatography) and Wiersema et al. (cholangiography) in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Several reports on the application of ESBD for a therapeutic purpose have been published since 2001. However, there have been no reports as to the influence of this technique on the gut wall, the bile duct, and the intervening tissues.

Liver :: Plasma serotonin levels can correlate with degree of liver insufficiency

Liver cirrhosis is a worldwide disease with an incidence of 5 – 10% and represents a major health problem everywhere. Prognosis depends on the degree of liver damage and etiology of cirrhosis. Treatment is complex and often very expensive. Due to this, the attempts of researchers are focused on finding the most optimal therapeutic modalities, which depend mostly on the stage of cirrhosis.

Folic Acid :: Folic acid linked to increased cancer rate

Two recent commentaries appearing in the November issue of Nutrition Reviews find that the introduction of flour fortified with folic acid into common foods was followed by an increase in colon cancer diagnoses in the U.S. and Canada. The two new review articles address these recent findings and provide an overview of the existing evidence on folic acid fortification and the associated policy issues.

Pancreatitis :: Large dose dexamethasone plays important roles in severe acute pancreatitis

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a fatal systemic disease featuring acute onset, serious conditions, high incidence of complications and 20 – 30% mortality, mainly due to multiple organ failure at its early stage. The pathogenesis of SAP is closely related to factors such as activation of pancreatin, release of inflammatory mediators, microcirculation disturbance and apoptosis.

Colorectal Cancer :: Does neural cell adhesion molecule-180 predict survival in colorectal cancer?

When a person learns they are suffering from cancer, the first question in their mind is always: “How much time do I have?” Unfortunately, this is a question to which the researchers have long been seeking an absolute answer. Tumor progression to local invasion and metastasis are the most relevant processes for prognosis, and predictive factors for survival are sometimes the only hope for cancer patients. Tumor suppressors and adhesion molecules represent one of the primary challenges in cancer therapy.

Hepatitis C :: 24-week course of interferon-alpha therapy prolongs survival in patients hepatitis C virus

Patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have a risk of frequent recurrence and deterioration of liver function, even after curative treatment for the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This unfavorable prognosis is associated with a sustained HCV infection. Thus, both the prevention of HCC recurrence and the preservation of liver function are high priorities when trying to improve the prognosis of patients with HCV-related HCC. Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C (HCV) after treatment for primary HCC is the essential factor required for an improved prognosis.

Prostate Cancer :: Men, don’t skip your prostate cancer treatment appointments!

Men with “low risk” prostate cancer who miss more than two radiation treatments in an eight week treatment face an increased chance of their cancer recurring. That is the conclusion of a new study examining more than 15 years of data and nearly 1,800 patients treated at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The results were presented today at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

Heart Disease :: Link between pre-eclampsia and heart disease

Two studies, published together on bmj.com, add further weight to the theory that pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular diseases may share common causes or mechanisms.