Some obese individuals appear healthy without heart risk

Some obese individuals do not appear to have an increased risk for heart disease, while some normal-weight individuals experience a cluster of heart risks. – Some obese individuals do not appear to have an increased risk for heart disease, while some normal-weight individuals experience a cluster of heart risks, according to two reports in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

PET scans useful to assess Alzheimer’s disease

Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease?related plaques in the brain. – A type of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease?related plaques in the brain, according to small study posted online today that will appear in the October 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Olympic athletes show pride and shame expressions

The victory stance of a gold medalist and the slumped shoulders of a non-finalist are innate and biological rather than learned responses to success and failure. – The victory stance of a gold medalist and the slumped shoulders of a non-finalist are innate and biological rather than learned responses to success and failure, according to a University of British Columbia study using cross-cultural data gathered at the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Health of never-married people is improving

A study led by Hui Liu, assistant professor of sociology, finds that the health of never-married people is improving, particularly among men. – The health of people who never marry is improving, narrowing the gap with their wedded counterparts, according to new research that suggests the practice of encouraging marriage to promote health may be misguided.

BIO welcomes advances in stem cell research

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) welcomes advances in stem cell research, and stresses continued importance of pursuing all promising areas of research. – Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement regarding the news that researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute created 20 disease-specific stem cell lines thru the new induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technique:

Gene found responsible for smoking habit

If your first cigarette gave you a buzz and you now smoke, a gene may be to blame; Link between initial smoking pleasure, lifetime smoking habits and variation in nicotine receptor gene found by U-M-led team. – Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly. For some, it brought a wave of nausea or a nasty coughing fit. For others, those first puffs also came with a rush of pleasure or “buzz.”

PSA screening awareness needed among high-risk groups

One-fifth of men under age 50 reported undergoing a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer in the previous year, yet only one in three young black men reported ever having a PSA test in the previous year. – In one of the first examinations of PSA screening in younger men, a study published by researchers at Duke Medicine’s Prostate Center finds that one-fifth of men under age 50 reported undergoing a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer in the previous year, yet only one in three young black men reported ever having a PSA test in the previous year.

Eating fish may prevent memory loss and stroke in old age

Eating fish may prevent memory loss and stroke in old age

Older adults who regularly eat fish may have a lower risk of subtle brain damage that contributes to stroke and dementia. – Eating tuna and other types of fish may help lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke in healthy older adults, according to a study published in the August 5, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Lower cholesterol early in life

UC San Diego researchers are proposing that aggressive intervention to lower cholesterol levels as early as childhood is the best approach. – With heart disease maintaining top billing as the leading cause of death in the United States, a team of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine physician-researchers is proposing that aggressive intervention to lower cholesterol levels as early as childhood is the best approach available today to reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease.

Broccoli may help heart in diabetes patients

Eating brocolli may reverse the damage done to heart blood vessels by diabetes because the brocolli vegetable contains a compound called sulforaphane that increases enzymes that protect heart blood vessels and reduced the molecules that damage them. – Researchers claim that a compound found in brassica vegetables such as broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels.

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