Studies and Analyses

First modifiable risk factor for disease advancement identified

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) recently discovered that cigarette smoking may contribute to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that quitting smoking could limit or delay central nervous system deterioration. This is the first time that a modifiable risk factor for MS progression has been identified, providing a new strategy for patients hoping to control neurological dama

Sedentary behaviour – not candy – linked with being overweight, says Queen’s researcher

Canadian youth rank fourth-highest on the obesity scale in a new international study of adolescents from 34 countries, says co-author Dr. Ian Janssen, a professor in Queen’s University’s School of Physical & Health Education and Department of Community Health & Epidemiology.

And sedentary behaviour – like watching television – was strongly correlated with being overweight, he adds.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have shown that babies can be taught to distinguish between different monkey faces in the same way that they distinguish individual human faces. The team had previously demonstrated that babies begin life with a general ability to distinguish faces, regardless of species, but that this ability becomes more specialised around the age of 9 months. However, this new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that chil

Analysis of data from FDA, manufacturer prompts call for new nesiritide study

A drug that helps heart failure patients survive a crisis may actually increase their risk of dying in the first month after they leave the hospital, according to a new study that will be published April 20 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In fact, the analysis shows, patients treated with the intravenous drug nesiritide were 80 percent more likely to die in the next month than patients

Although the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are well known for their health benefits, many fish are also the primary source of mercury in the general population. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently completed the first study of mercury and cognitive function in urban, U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 70 years. They found that blood mercury levels were not consistently associated with adverse performance on a broad range of tests of cognitive fun

When children have their tonsils removed, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be used for pain relief with no significant increase in bleeding and with less nausea and vomiting, according to a systematic review of current evidence.

NSAIDs include analgesics such as ibuprofen (Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Although these drugs are proven painkillers they also interfere with blood clotting, so there has been concern about excessive bleeding during or after surgery. Such problem