The number of deaths in the United States probably wouldn?t change a lot if everybody gets health insurance. – A new analysis suggests that universal health insurance might not save many adult lives – or any – if the United States actually puts it into place.
Where you live may affect your state of mind. Stress and depression vary by region, according to new study. – Frequent Mental Distress (FMD), defined as having 14 or more days in the previous month when stress, depression and emotional problems were not good, is not evenly distributed across the United States.
Home pregnancy tests can lead to better prenatal care, revealed by researchers. – The simple intervention of providing women who are having unprotected sex with a home pregnancy test could have a substantial impact on the health of potential newborns, according to a Michigan State University study.
New study evaluates role of clinic environment in health-care disparities – A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine may shed new light on why minority Americans have poorer health outcomes from chronic conditions such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.
OHSU researchers find regular MRI, CT, radiography scans unnecessary unless a significant underlying condition is first identified. – Physicians should not immediately order routine scans for low-back pain unless they observe features of a serious underlying condition, researchers in the Oregon Evidence-Based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University report.
Non-dieting approach reaps health and well-being benefits in obese to improve overweight. – University of Otago researchers have found that non-dieting interventions to improve overweight and obese women’s health and well-being have a longer-lasting effect if they include relaxation training.
University of Maryland researchers identify common gene variant linked to high blood pressure. STK39 gene produces protein involved in regulating how kidneys process salt. – Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people’s risk of developing high blood pressure, according to the results of a study being published online Dec. 29, 2008 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
High anthocyanins content tomatoes, produced by European researchers, may be able to extend lifespan in cancer-prone mice; the finding by the FLORA European Project published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. – Scientists have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins.
New study from Canadian researchers published in Addictive Behaviors has warned parents that second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids. – Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware ? second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions.
Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage. – Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
Kaiser Permanente study suggests that the dieters who write down what they eat every day can shed twice as much weight as those who don’t. – Keeping a food diary can double a person’s weight loss according to a study from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. The findings, from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep increases as women go through menopause, revealed by researchers. – Sleep difficulties, especially problems staying asleep, are relatively prevalent concerns among women going through the menopausal transition, revealed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
