Charcoal may help fight heart disease in kidney patientsNovember 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that charcoal can prove useful in dealing with the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease. It has been observed in the past that patients with advanced kidney disease have high rates of atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries" and death from heart disease.
Brain structures behind emotional balance in threatening situations identifiedOctober 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A primitive region of the brain, which is behind sensorimotor control, also plays an important role in regulating emotional responses to threatening situations, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. This region appears to work in concert with another structure called the amygdala to regulate social and emotional behaviour.
Climate change may trigger health problems among childrenOctober 17th, 2009 SYDNEY - Climate changes could severely upset the mental health of children worldwide, warn medical experts. Extreme weather events, drought, financial strain and changes in work, migration patterns triggered by climate change, will cause people to be increasingly vulnerable to post traumatic stress disorder and depression, said Helen Berry, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH).
Alcohol protects accident victims from distressOctober 14th, 2009 SYDNEY - Moderate alcohol consumption is likely to protect accident victims from post-traumatic psychological distress, says a new study. The study assessed 1,045 patients hospitalised after traumatic injury, for patterns of alcohol consumption before and three months after the accident.
Family-based intervention program can reduce anxiety risk in kidsOctober 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children's Centre have found that a family-based program can reduce symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among children. The study suggests that as few as eight weekly family sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy would go a long way to prevent or minimize the psychological damage of childhood anxiety.
Computer model of brain can help victims of anxiety disorderOctober 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The brain is a complex system made of billions of neurons (nerve cells) and thousands of connections that relate to every human feeling, including one of the strongest emotions, fear. Researchers have started using computer models of the brain to study the connections.
Computational models can help study exactly how brain reacts to fearSeptember 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Using computational models of the brain, University of Missouri researchers have found new evidence on how the brain reacts to fear, including important findings that could help victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). "Computational models make it much easier to study the brain because they can effectively integrate different types of information related to a problem into a computational framework and analyse possible neural mechanisms from a systems perspective.
Young adults likely to outgrow bipolar disorder in later lifeSeptember 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study from University of Missouri has shown that nearly half of the people diagnosed with bipolar disorder between the ages of 18 and 25 are likely to outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30. With the symptoms often starting in early adulthood, bipolar disorder has been thought of traditionally as a lifelong disorder.
NYC report says thousands of patients have sought treatment for 9/11-related health problemsSeptember 24th, 2009 Thousands seek help for 9/11-related health issuesNEW YORK — A city task force on medical problems linked to the collapse of the World Trade Center says tens of thousands of New Yorkers have sought treatment or enrolled in a health monitoring program. The annual report by the World Trade Center Medical Working Group was released Thursday.
Antioxidant in melon relieves stressSeptember 19th, 2009 LONDON - A dietary ingredient derived from a melon, rich in an antioxidant, has been shown to relieve stress. Researchers found that the supplement cut down the signs and symptoms of perceived stress and fatigue in healthy volunteers.
Iraq troops' posttraumatic stress disorder rate as high as 35pctSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A high volume of military personnel serving in Iraq are expected to seek treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because the rate among armed forces may be as high as 35 per cent, according a research article. Published in Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the write-up points out that the tempo of deployment cycles in the Iraq War is higher than for any war since World War II, and that military survey data suggest that PTSD is common among service members.
Drugs may halt stress signals from travelling to the heartSeptember 6th, 2009 SYDNEY - Researchers have discovered a new way to halt the brain from sending stress signals that raise the heart rate. Researchers led by Eugene Nalivaiko from the University of Newcastle, have used a specific class of drugs called serotonin-1A agonists to suppress stress signals, which travel from the brain to the spinal cord and then to the heart.
Sickle cell anaemia grips 18 percent of Chhattisgarh's peopleSeptember 5th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Saturday said his government has planned to pump in massive funds to detect carriers and patients hit by genetic disorder sickle cell anaemia. "Sickle cell anaemia has gripped some 18 percent of the state's 20 million plus population.
Injectable gel helps regenerate brain tissue in traumatic injuriesSeptember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a breakthrough study, a Clemson University bioengineer has successfully regenerated brain at the site of a traumatic brain injury with the help of a novel biomaterial gel. Assistant professor of bioengineering Ning Zhang has shown that the biomaterial gel made up of both synthetic and natural sources has the potential to spur the growth of a patient's own neural stem cells in the body, structurally repairing the brain injury site.
Brain function of earthquake survivors gets acutely affectedSeptember 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The earthquake that jolted Wenchuan, China, in 2008 has had an acute impact on the brain function of physically healthy survivors, and even poses a risk to their mental health, according a new research. Working with collaborators from universities in China, the US and Liverpool, researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry focussed on the survivors of the earthquake that occurred on May 12 last year.
