News by Subject Medicine & Health

Healthcare in low- and middle-income countries is poorly prepared for the increasing number of high blood pressure (ie hypertension) disorders. More than two-thirds of all people affected go without treatment. Researchers led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Göttingen and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg have discovered this. The study appeared in The Lancet.

Hearing loss has a profound impact on older people, as it can lead to anxiety, restricted activity, and perhaps even cognitive decline and dementia. Research in Japan led by the University of Tsukuba examined associations of hearing loss with outdoor activity limitations, psychological distress, and memory loss in people aged 65 and over. All three conditions were significantly worse when there was hearing loss. The findings support early interventions such as use of hearing aids.

Learning several new things at once increases cognitive abilities in older adults, according to new research from UC Riverside. After just 1.5 months learning multiple tasks in a UCR study, participants increased their cognitive abilities to levels similar to those of middle-aged adults, 30 years younger. Control group members, who did not take classes, showed no change in their performance.

The abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain is a biological marker for Alzheimer's disease, but the ways in which these proteins spread may help explain why the prevalence of Alzheimer's is higher in women than in men.

Findings released today by a commission into health inequities experienced by people with mental illness lays bare their drastic physical health challenges, and recommends changes to health policy and treatment innovations to tackle what is regarded as a 'human rights scandal.' Today's publication -- The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: A blueprint for protecting physical health in people with mental illness -- is the culmination of over 12 months of research conducted by a task force of more than 30 international experts.

Researchers have shown that among users of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent against AIDS that includes tenofovir (Truvada), those with daily use -- very high adherence -- had only about a 1% average decrease in bone mineral density in the spine and a 0.5% decline in the hip.

It's marathon season, and every so often a news report will focus on an athlete who has collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Although uncommon, these events get attention. A new review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) looks at recent evidence to help physicians prevent and manage the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in competitive athletes.

Most non-traumatic fatalities among high school and college football athletes do not occur while playing the game of football, but rather during conditioning sessions which are often associated with overexertion or punishment drills required by coaches and team staff, according to research presented today at the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. The research was presented by Dr. Barry P. Boden of The Orthopaedic Center, Rockville, Md.

Researchers found that long-term exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, as well as proximity to vehicular traffic, were associated with severity of coronary artery calcium, or the buildup of plaque in the artery walls. The study was conducted on 8,867 Chinese adults aged 25 to 92.