Health News for May 13, 2008

Breast saving surgery jeopardising womens chances of cure
A majority of younger women with breast cancer are frequently opting for breast saving surgery in place of a more protective, radical treatment and this choice might just jeopardise their chances of getting cured, revealed the results of a national database in Australia. ANI

Scientists develop anti-scar bandage
Scientists from Stanford University Medical Centre in California have developed a bandage that could prevent formation of scars on skin. ANI

lectrode re-implantation may help Parkinsons patients
Patients with Parkinsons disease, who continue to experience severe symptoms despite electrode implantation to stimulate the brain, may benefit from additional surgery to adjust electrode placement, according to a new study. ANI

Arsenic-based agent may offer potential blood cancer therapy
A team of experts led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have found that an arsenic-based agent used in traditional Chinese medicine may help eliminate leukaemia initiating cells (LICs), which are impervious to conventional chemotherapy and undaunted by targeted cancer therapies. ANI

Pregnancy doesnt stop more than a third Oz women drinking
A new study has found that more than one third of pregnant women in Australia drink despite most of them knowing the harmful effects alcohol can have on their unborn children. ANI

Scientists create 3-D image of Alzheimers amyloids
American and German researchers have created a stunning three-dimensional picture showing how protein clumps found in the brains of Alzheimers patients appear. ANI

Baby-bottle feeding linked to premature puberty, breast cancer risk
A Canterbury toxicologist has warned against the use of plastic bottles for feeding babies, as it may contain potentially harmful chemicals that may lead to premature puberty and breast cancer. ANI

Asthma associated with higher suicidal thoughts with attempts
Suicid al behaviour is a grim personality trait that reflects self-destructive mental condition. According to a report published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), asthma is a respiratory disease that provokes suicidal thoughts to the level where a person breaks free from the thoughts to actually attempt suicide. ANI

Marijuana may boost heart attack, stroke risk
Heavy marijuana use can raise a persons risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, says a new study. ANI

Development of embryonic stem cells into tissue-specific cells demonstrated
It was long known that embryonic stem cells could develop into any kind of tissue-specific cells, but now researchers have also uncovered the yet unknown mechanism behind this process. ANI

Study explores outcomes of sexual harassment on both boys and girls
A new research has shed light on the outcomes of sexual harassment on both boys and girls. ANI

Anti-inflammatory drugs dont prevent memory loss in older adults
A new study has shown that anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen and celecoxib may not improve cognitive function in older adults with a family history of Alzheimers disease. ANI

Study links altered dopamine activity to social phobia
Scientists in The Netherlands have unearthed evidence that altered dopamine activity in the brain may give rise to social phobia. ANI

High blood pressure, high cholesterol may be linked to retinal vascular disease
Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, have found that high blood pressure and high cholesterol may be associated with an increased risk of retinal vein occlusion, a condition that causes vision loss. ANI

Mutant gene causing epilepsy, intellectual disability in women discovered
Making the worlds first discovery, scientists at Adelaides Womens and Childrens Hospital and the University of Adelaide, Australia, have found a mutated gene that causes epilepsy and intellectual disability in women. ANI

Childhood MS affects IQ, thinking skills
Children, who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) at a younger age, are more likely to have low IQ and problems with other thinking skills, than children developing the disease at an older age, says a new study. ANI

Viagra may protect hearts of muscular dystrophy patients
Researchers from University of Montreal and Montreal Heart Institute have suggested that Viagra may protect the hearts of patients with muscular dystrophy. ANI

Desk-bound jobs double Deep Vein Thrombosis risk
And you thought that desk-bound jobs only expanded your waistline. According to a new study, office workers who sit at a desk for eight hours a day and spend more than three hours without stretching double their risk of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). ANI

Physical activity may prevent breast cancer in some women
A new study has found that women who engage in physical activity are 25 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer. ANI

Long-term breastfeeding cuts rheumatoid arthritis risk
Women who breastfeed for more than a year are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study. ANI

Gene that regulates body size may harbour cancer cure
A new study by Sunnybrook researchers has found that a gene called glypican-3 (GPC3) plays a major role in regulating body size - a discovery that may have implications for the development of novel therapies for a number of cancers. ANI