Causes of weight loss

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Will 'Dude Lit' Finally Entice Men to Read Fiction?

Snoring Linked to Cancer?More Health HeadlinesNo Benefits for Twins Born to Dead DadSmart Decisions? Don't Think in EnglishStem Cells Curb Chronic Pain in MiceWhy 'Miracle Diet' Controls EpilepsyPom Juice Claims 'Deceptive,' Says JudgeIn The NewsArthritisAllergiesDr. Richard BesserCold & Flu Watch Live:President Obama Delivers Commencement at the US Air Force Academy Home> HealthEsquire Bets New 'Dude Lit' Will Entice Men to Read FictionBy SUSAN DONALDSON JAMESMay 23, 2012

View the Original article

Task Force Calls Routine Prostate Cancer Tests Unnecessary

This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

When it comes to middle age, routine prostate cancer screening tests are to men what mammograms are to women. However, a federal task force believes administering the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test on a routine basis to healthy middle-aged men is a waste of time.

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the PSA test might cause more harm than good. The task force is an independent group authorized by Congress in 1984 and supported by the U.S. Department of Human Services. Its 16 volunteer members represent various medical fields. Its job: improving the health of Americans by making recommendations about clinical preventive services like screenings, medications, and counseling.

The task force says that prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in U.S. men. The lifetime risk of a diagnosis is an estimated 15.9 percent. The likelihood of actually dying of this type of cancer is less than 3 percent, and the disease is rare before age 50. Around 70 percent of the deaths attributed to it occur in men older than 75.

The USPSTF findings suggest that routine PSA testing would help save the life of just one man out of 1,000. According to the Washington Post, the recommendation concludes that for every patient saved by a PSA test, one will develop a serious blood clot, and two will experience heart attacks. Another 40 will experience impotence or incontinence after unnecessary treatment. However, patients with urinary symptoms such as pain or trouble urinating might benefit from the screening, the USPSTF concluded. Urologists expressed a very negative reaction to the recommendations.

A PSA test doesn't actually detect cancer. It finds a protein manufactured by the prostate. A number of benign prostate problems can cause elevated numbers of protein. This might mean a false positive leading to biopsies and other testing.

Most doctors don't rely solely on a PSA test when a patient has symptoms that might point to prostate cancer. A man who has reached his forties might also experience a digital rectal exam, ultrasound, and/or a transrectal biopsy of the prostate, says the Mayo Clinic.

Results of a PSA test with elevated numbers struck home last year. A family member with a history of low numbers went in for another routine screening. The PSA numbers had increased significantly but were still within normal range. Told to return in six months, he showed up, non-symptomatic, for the second blood test on schedule. The numbers were a bit higher but still within normal range.

Two weeks later, he underwent outpatient biopsies. He likened the procedure to a dozen cookie cutters powered by a pneumatic drill. He bled for days and experienced pain for weeks. There was no cancer. He has no plans to undergo additional routine prostate cancer screening.

Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online articles. She specializes in health and medical topics, with a particular interest in diseases and other conditions that affect quality of life.

View the Original article

Miracle sweetener stevia may have a sour note

"background-image:url('http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/4PTibOTukzoKXOK4YqG6Og--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MzE5O2NyPTE7Y3c9NDUwO2R4PTA7ZHk9MDtmaT11bGNyb3A7aD0xMzU7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-05-23T153603Z_1_CBRE84M17CE00_RTROPTP_2_PARAGUAY.JPG');" width

View the Original article

Germs Lurk in Office Kitchens, Break Rooms

HealthDay – 32 mins ago WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Office kitchens and break rooms are germ "hotspots," and sink and microwave handles in these areas are the dirtiest surfaces touched by office workers on a daily basis, according to a new study.

Researchers collected nearly 5,000 individual swabs over six months from office buildings with more than 3,000 employees. The offices included law firms, call centers and manufacturing, health care and insurance companies.

High levels of germ contamination were found on 75 percent of break-room faucet handles, 48 percent of microwave handles, 27 percent of keyboards, 26 percent of refrigerator handles, 23 percent of water fountain buttons and 21 percent of vending machine buttons.

The Kimberly-Clark study was conducted in consultation with Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kimberly-Clark makes cleaning products.

"A lot of people are aware of the risk of germs in the restroom, but areas like break rooms have not received the same degree of attention," Gerba said in a Kimberly-Clark news release. "This study demonstrates that contamination can be spread throughout the workplace when office workers heat up lunch, make coffee or simply type on their keyboards."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how to stop the spread of germs at home, school and work.

View the Original article

Health Tip: Avoiding Gluten

"background-image:url('http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/bkpT2byV4N7ZX0VwNATWlA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTcwO3B5b2ZmPTA7cT04NTt3PTcw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-05-23T153033Z_240355609_LM1E85N170501_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN.JPG');" width

View the Original article

Mouse Study Sheds Light on How Diet May Affect Epilepsy

HealthDay – 32 mins ago WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- It's long been known that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can reduce epileptic seizures that resist drug therapy, and now researchers studying mice say they think they know why.

The results of their research in mice suggest that resistance to seizures among people who eat what's called a ketogenic diet is linked to a protein that modifies cellular metabolism in the brain.

The findings, reported in the May 24 issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to the development of new treatments for epilepsy, according to the researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

"The connection between metabolism and epilepsy has been such a puzzle," study co-leader Gary Yellen, a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, said in a Harvard news release. "I've met a lot of kids whose lives are completely changed by this diet. It's amazingly effective, and it works for many kids for whom drugs don't work."

In tests with mice, the researchers found that modifying the BCL-2-associated agonist of cell death protein led to altered brain metabolism and protected against seizures.

"Diet sounds like this wholesome way to treat seizures, but it's very hard. I mean, diets in general are hard, and this diet is really hard," Yellen said. "So finding a pharmacological substitute for this would make lots of people really happy."

While the findings hold promise, experts note that research involving animals frequently fails to lead to benefits for humans.

More information

The Epilepsy Foundation has more about the ketogenic diet.

View the Original article

Regional Systems to Treat Severe Heart Attack Increasing

HealthDay – 32 mins ago WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- The number of regional care systems able to quickly identify, transfer if necessary, and treat patients experiencing the most severe form of heart attack is increasing, new research finds.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, is a deadly form of heart attack that affects nearly 300,000 people in the United States per year. It occurs when a blood clot completely blocks an artery to the heart. Quickly restoring blood flow is needed in order to prevent death.

In a regional STEMI-care system, emergency medical services have the equipment on their ambulances to diagnose the heart attack on the way to the hospital, and hospitals cooperate to make sure that patients are delivered to a facility that can quickly activate a team able to treat the heart attack. That treatment is often the artery-opening procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly known as angioplasty.

Between April 2008 and January 2010, the American Heart Association conducted a survey of 381 regional STEMI-care systems that included nearly 900 hospitals in 47 states. Each system included at least one hospital that performs angioplasty, and one emergency medical service provider.

The survey found that 67 percent of the systems were in urban areas and most followed standard procedures and policies, such as:

Admitting STEMI patients even when a hospital bed was not readily available (97 percent).Requiring a single phone call to activate the catheterization lab for angioplasty (92 percent).Permitting emergency department doctors to activate the catheterization lab without consulting a cardiologist (87 percent) and allowing the lab to be activated without a cardiology consultation before the patient arrives at the hospital (78 percent).Being part of a data collection registry (84 percent).

Competition among hospitals and cardiology groups was the most common barrier to implementing STEMI care systems. The researchers also found that about one-quarter of the systems have difficulties with emergency medical services' transport and finances.

The study appears in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

"It's essential to get competing hospitals and separate

View the Original article

Study Offers Ways to Decrease Use of Restraints at Nursing Homes

background:url(http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/a/5b/a5ba32682eb601fb573b57542c19b9c1.png);width:115px;height:25px;margin-left:50px;margin-top:7px

View the Original article

Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When Patients Die

background:url(http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/a/5b/a5ba32682eb601fb573b57542c19b9c1.png);width:115px;height:25px;margin-left:50px;margin-top:7px

View the Original article

Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Cardiac Cells to Help Failing Hearts

background:url(http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/a/5b/a5ba32682eb601fb573b57542c19b9c1.png);width:115px;height:25px;margin-left:50px;margin-top:7px

View the Original article

Health Tip: What Triggers Your Migraines?

HealthDay – 31 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- The exact cause of migraines isn't fully understood, but experts have identified certain "triggers" that seem to bring on these headaches in many people.

The Womenshealth.gov website says common migraine triggers include:

Too much or too little sleep.Missing meals.Changes in weather.Exposure to loud noise, strong smells or bright light.Menstruation-related hormonal changes.Anxiety and/or stress.Certain foods or ingredients, such as caffeine, alcohol, nitrates, MSG, tyramine or artificial sweeteners.

View the Original article