Category Archives: Health

Public Health Sites Rank Among the Most Visited U.S. Federal Government Sites

NIH.gov Leads as Top Site in the Government Category Attracting More than 10 Million Visitors in September

Nearly 18% of All Clicks from Flu Searches in September Drive Traffic to CDC.gov

RESTON, VA, November 1, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study of audience visitation to public health sites in the U.S. The study found that health-focused sites represented 3 out of the top 10 federal Government sites in September, indicating a high level of public interest in health information. NIH.gov, the flagship property of the National Institutes of Health, drew 10.6 million Americans in September 2011, making it the most popular site in the Government category. (more…)

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More Power to the Cranberry: Study Shows the Juice is Better than Extracts at Fighting Bacterial Infections

With scientific evidence now supporting the age-old wisdom that cranberries, whether in sauce or as juice, prevent urinary tract infections, people have wondered if there was an element of the berry that, if extracted and condensed, perhaps in pill form, would be as effective as drinking the juice or eating cranberry sauce. A new study from researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute helps to answer that question. (more…)

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You Are What You Eat: Low-Fat Diet with Fish Oil Slows Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells

Men who ate a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements for four to six weeks before having their prostate removed had slower cancer-cell growth in their prostate tissue than men who ate a traditional, high-fat Western diet, according to a study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The researchers also found a change in the composition of cell membranes in both healthy cells and cancer cells in the prostates of men on the low-fat, fish oil–supplement diet. The membranes had heightened levels of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and decreased levels of omega-6 fatty acids from corn oil, which may directly affect the biology of the cells, though further studies are needed, said Dr. William Aronson, the study’s first author and a researcher with the Jonsson Cancer Center. (more…)

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Preschoolers Understand Threats in Households with Violence

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Preschoolersers are aware and understand threats when they see their mother harmed by violent conflicts at home, a new University of Michigan study finds.

The study explored what factors influence children’s comprehension and response when violence occurs.

Researchers evaluated intimate partner violence—conflicts that can be physical or sexual—in the past year for 116 mother-child groups with known violence in the homes. The children were 4 to 6 years old.

Few studies have looked at children’s observations of violence as young as age 5, and the new U-M findings are one of the first to assess outcomes for kids as young as age 4, said Laura Miller, a psychology graduate student and study’s lead author. (more…)

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Religious, Spiritual Support Benefits Men and Women Facing Chronic Illness, MU Study Finds

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Individuals who practice religion and spirituality report better physical and mental health than those who do not. To better understand this relationship and how spirituality/religion can be used for coping with significant health issues, University of Missouri researchers are examining what aspects of religion are most beneficial and for what populations. Now, MU health psychology researchers have found that religious and spiritual support improves health outcomes for both men and women who face chronic health conditions. (more…)

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Geoscientists Find Key to Why Some Patients Get Infections from Cardiac Implants

*Bacterial cells have gene mutations that allow them to ‘stick’ to the devices*

New research suggests that some patients develop a potentially deadly blood infection from their implanted cardiac devices because bacterial cells in their bodies have gene mutations that allow them to stick to the devices.

Geoscientists were the major contributors to the finding.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the study results online this week. (more…)

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