Health News

Health News for 10/19/10

October 19, 2010

Pediatricians Issue New Iron Guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a report that outlines new guidelines concerning the iron needs of infants and children.

Health Tip: Feeling Sleepy at College?

Between studying and socializing at all hours, college students often struggle with a lack of sleep and fatigue.

Health Tip: Is Your Sadness Related to Seasonal Change?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) refers to bouts of depression that usually occur during the fall and winter, and tend to improve in summer and spring.

Study Confirms It: Booze Impairs Decision-Making

A new study confirms what many people may know first- or secondhand: Too much alcohol slows reaction time and increases errors during decision-making.

Lower Income, Education Can Hamper Skin Cancer Care

Skin cancer patients who are poor, uninsured and/or less well-educated appear to be less able to correctly identify the kind of malignancy they have, new U.S. research suggests.

Online Gambling Rises Among College Males, High School Girls

Monthly use of online gambling sites among college-aged males in the United States jumped from 4.4 percent in 2008 to 16 percent this year, a rise of nearly 12 percent, according to a new survey.

Web Site for Hospital Comparisons Is Faulty: Study

Although designed to highlight high-quality hospitals, the U.S. Medicare Hospital Compare Web site doesn't help patients select the best facility in which to have high-risk surgery, a new study contends.

Depression, Anxiety May Raise Surgery Risks

People with depression and anxiety have a slightly increased risk of death after undergoing surgery, a new study suggests.

Newborn Hearing Tests More Effective Than Later Screening

Newborn hearing screening leads to better outcomes than later screening for children with permanent hearing problems, new European research finds.

Study Shows HRT Even Riskier Than Thought

Not only does prolonged use of hormone replacement therapy raise the risk of breast cancer, new research finds, but it also ups the risk for more severe forms of the disease and increases a woman's chances of dying.

Aspirin, Statins May Reduce Problems After Heart Surgery

Patients who took aspirin before heart surgery suffered fewer heart attacks, stroke and other problems after their operations, and those given statins had better survival rates, two new studies find.

Low Testosterone May Raise Risk of Early Death: Study

Men with low testosterone levels may be at increased risk for premature death from heart disease and all causes, a finding that challenges the current belief that testosterone is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

Binge Drinking, Pot Could Put Teens' Intellect at Risk: Study

Heavy alcohol and marijuana use puts teenagers at risk for mental deficits that could persist into adulthood, according to a new study.

FDA Advisers Back Anemia Drugs for Kidney Patients

Kidney-failure patients can continue taking a group of widely used anemia drugs, even though a recent study showed they can increase the risk of stroke, U.S. health advisers said Monday.

Health Highlights: Oct. 19, 2010

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Violent Media Can Desensitize the Minds of Young Males

The more adolescent boys absorb violence in media such as movies, television shows and video games, the less sensitive certain areas of their brains become to these images, researchers report.

Clinical Trials Update: Oct. 19, 2010

Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Fish Oil Pills Don't Affect Postpartum Depression: Study

Although some studies have shown a benefit to mothers and their infants from taking supplemental fish oil in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a new Australian study finds no such benefit.

Lessons From Flight Crews Can Help Surgical Teams Work Better

Surgical death rates might be reduced if operating room staff borrowed team-building procedures used by the airline industry, a new study suggests.

Some With Once-Deadly Leukemia Can Take a Break From Gleevec

A small group of people with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who decided to stop taking the cancer drug Gleevec (imatinib) have remained cancer-free two years later, French researchers report.