Health News

Health News for 10/28/10

October 28, 2010

Artificial Turf Helps Football Players With Agility Drills

College football players' times on a standard agility drill were 3 percent faster on artificial field turf than on natural grass, but there was little difference in their times for the 40-yard dash, a new study has found.

Health Tip: Overexposed to the Sun

Too much exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet rays can lead to skin cancer, eye damage and other health problems.

Health Tip: How Caregivers Can Help

Caregivers can offer help and support to people who are no longer completely independent.

H1N1 Flu Linked to Surge in Pneumonia Complication

The H1N1 flu pandemic was associated with a sharp rise in the number of children with a serious bacterial infection called empyema, a new study shows.

Scientists Raise Concerns About Flame Retardants

Flame retardants used in a wide range of consumer products pose a threat to human health and may not even be all that effective, according to a statement signed by nearly 150 scientists from 22 countries.

PTSD Linked to 'Hyperactivity' in Right Brain

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) The flashbacks experienced by people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with heightened activity on the right side of the brain, a new study finds.

Kidney Transplants for Elderly Double Over Decade

Elderly kidney failure patients in the United States are twice as likely to get a kidney transplant as they were in the mid-1990s, although the likelihood is still low, a new studyfinds.

U.S. Preschoolers Getting Too Much Screen Time: Study

Two-thirds of preschoolers in the United States are exposed to more than the maximum two hours per day of screen time from television, computers, video games and DVDs recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a new study has found.

Early Humans More Advanced Than Thought

THURSDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) Early humans were using a highly skilled stone tool sharpening method 75,000 years ago in Africa, more than 50,000 years earlier than previously believed, a new study indicates.

Moms' Literacy Pivotal to Kids' Academic Success

Improving mothers' literacy skills may boost the success of low-income children in schools, says a new study.

Younger Men Not Going to the Doctor Enough, Survey Shows

Less than 63 percent of American men under the age of 30 have visited a primary-care physician in the past year, compared with more than 85 percent of men 60 or older, a new men's health survey shows.

Teens Should Get Meningitis Booster Shot: CDC Panel

Teenagers should get a booster shot of the vaccine that protects against bacterial meningitis, a U.S. health advisory panel recommended Wednesday.

Study Finds Green Tea Offers No Protection From Breast Cancer

Although some research has suggested that drinking green tea might help protect women from breast cancer, a new, large Japanese study comes to a different conclusion.

Concerns Grow Over Dangers of Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks

The debate over the dangers of alcoholic energy drinks, popular among the young because they are inexpensive and carry the added punch of caffeine, has intensified after students at colleges in New Jersey and Washington state became so intoxicated they wound up in the hospital.

More Older Americans Living With HIV

Better treatments are extending the lives of people with HIV, but aging with the AIDS-causing virus takes a toll that will challenge the health care system, a new report says.

Brain's Error-Detection System Demystified

A new study provides insight into the brain's ability to detect and correct errors, such as typos, even when someone is working on "autopilot."

Health Highlights: Oct. 28, 2010

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

Drop Seen in Rate of End-Stage Kidney Disease in Diabetics

The rate of new cases of end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis among Americans diagnosed with diabetes fell 35 percent between 1996 and 2007, a new study has found.

Clinical Trials Update: Oct. 28, 2010

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

Plastics Chemical BPA Tied to Poor Sperm Quality

Men with high amounts of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in their urine also tend to have impaired semen quality, a new study of factory workers in China reveals.

Noninvasive Test for Colon Cancer Shows Promise in Early Trial

A new noninvasive test to detect pre-cancerous polyps and colon tumors appears to be more accurate than current noninvasive tests such as the fecal occult blood test, Mayo clinic researchers say.

Sprycel Approval Expanded to Include Rare Leukemia

Sprycel (dasatinib) has received an additional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare form of blood cancer called Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CP -CML), the agency said Thursday in a news release.

Latuda Approved for Adult Schizophrenia

Lurasidone HCI (Latuda) tablets have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult schizophrenia, which affects about 1 percent of the nation's adult population in a given year, the agency said Thursday in a news release.