Category: children

Obese male mice produce more disease-promoting immune cells than females

  • May 26, 2015
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Obesity may be tougher on male immune systems than females, a new study in mice suggests. With the risk for obesity-associated diseases significantly higher for men than women, researchers compared how mice from each sex reacted to high-fat diets. They found that the difference may lie in the tendency of males to produce higher levels of white blood cells that encourage inflammation, which contributes to the negative health consequences of obesity such as insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

Addiction’s Received Wisdom is Challenged

  • May 26, 2015
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Lance Dodes, M.D., whose latest book is The Heart of Addiction, seems to have rethought the field from the ground up and arrived at some conclusions that can only be described as heretical. For instance, when a person seeks a rehab facility, scenery should be the last priority. He elucidates: If living for a month with a view of the mountains or the beach treated addiction, there would be no addiction in lovely areas of the country. A previous book, The Sober Truth, was subtitled “Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry.” One problem is that nobody ever seems to do follow-up studies of the clients or patients who have graduated from these programs. In the instances where outcomes are

Earthquakes prove to be an unexpected help in interpreting brain activity of very premature babies

  • May 25, 2015
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Researchers have created a “brainstorm barometer” that allows computers to calculate the brain functions of very premature babies during their first hours of life. The new research method is based on the hypothesis that the brainstorms generated by the billions of neurons inside a baby’s head are governed by the same rules as other massive natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, forest fires or snow avalanches.

36-percent increase in pediatric patients treated with proton therapy, new survey shows

  • May 23, 2015
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Results from an American survey indicate a steady increase in the number of pediatric patients who are being treated with proton radiation therapy for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. Based on a survey of all proton therapy centers in the United States, the number of pediatric patients treated with proton therapy grew to 722 in 2013, a 36-percent increase from the 465 patients treated in 2010.

Obesity, mood disorders increase peripartum cardiomyopathy risk

  • May 23, 2015
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Anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder doubles the risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy during childbirth, while obesity leads to a 1.7-fold increase, researchers report. Women with common pregnancy-related symptoms such as shortness of breath and leg swelling plus five PPCM risk factors could benefit from screening, the experts say.