Obesity :: Weight loss surgeries effective for some
A review of weight loss surgeries on more than 22,000 extremely obese patients found the procedures helped many lose more than 100 pounds and combat related health problems.
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Heart Disease :: alcohol consumption linked with irregular heart beat
Alcohol consumption may slightly increase the risk for developing a certain type of irregular heart beat, known as atrial fibrillation, or atrial flutter.
Asthma :: Home environment changes may relieve asthma
Inner-city families can help relieve children’s asthma symptoms by making simple changes in their homes. Such steps include using pillow covers that are impermeable to dust mites, and air purifiers to get rid of tobacco smoke, mold and cat or dog allergens.
ADHD :: Doctors seeing more behavioral problems
A U.S. study shows pediatricians are diagnosing and treating more children with behavioral health problems, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Epilepsy :: Older epilepsy drugs have birth defect risk
Pregnant women suffering from epilepsy need to better informed about the risks of birth defects from treatments used to control their seizures.
Apnea :: Breathing problems during sleep affect development in infants, young
Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence than do other children their age, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both studies appear in the October issue of “Journal of Pediatrics”.
Cerebral palsy :: Botox helps children with drooling in cerebral palsy
Children with cerebral palsy often suffer from uncontrolled drooling, but this can be reduced with an injection of Botox, researchers report. They also found that a scopolamine patch – sometimes used for controlling motion sickness – helps reduce drooling, too, but the Botox treatments were associated with fewer and less serious side effects.
New way to control drug-resistant bacteria
Based on an improved understanding of bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – scientists reporting in the Sept. 23 issue of the journal “Nature” believe they have discovered a potential new way to control drug-resistant bacteria, an increasingly worrisome public health problem.
Leukemia :: Link between maternal diet and childhood leukemia
A new study suggests that eating more vegetables, fruit and protein before pregnancy may lower the risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.
Asthma :: Program reduces asthma-related illness in inner-city children
A program that reduces allergens and tobacco smoke in the home resulted in fewer asthma-related illnesses in children participating in the intervention than in those who were not, according to a new study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Children taking part in the intervention had 21 fewer days of asthma-related symptoms over the 1-year course of intervention.