Health Research: Mindfulness training helps with inflammatory bowel diseases ♦ An easy test for sickle cell disease ♦ Drug protects fertility and may prolong life

Mindfulness training helps patients with inflammatory bowel diseases Training in meditation and other mindfulness-based techniques brings lasting improvements in mental health and quality of life for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

An easy test for sickle cell disease A team of biomedical engineers has developed a simple, inexpensive, and quick technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of sickle cell disease that can be used in regions where advanced medical technology and training are scarce

Study points to more individualized treatment options for youth with onset type 2 diabetes New research examined predictors of the outcomes in youth with onset type 2 diabetes based on early characteristics at diagnosis, and suggests the need for specific criteria for adolescents that are different from those in adults

Drug protects fertility and may prolong life in chemo-treated mice A physician and her research team have shown that a heart medication can prevent ovarian damage and improve survival in adolescent mice after chemotherapy. The treatment also increased the number of their healthy offspring.

Weight Loss Research:Inherent mindfulness linked to lower obesity risk, belly fat ♦ 'Sensor' protein could help fight against obesity, diabetes ♦ Insulin cells determine weight-loss surgery success rate

Inherent mindfulness linked to lower obesity risk, belly fat People with a high degree of attention to their present thoughts and feelings -- 'dispositional mindfulness' -- are less likely to be obese than people with a low degree of dispositional mindfulness, research shows. They also had about a pound less belly fat on average.

Gene therapy could aid weight loss without affecting bone loss, Delivering the hormone leptin directly to the brain through gene therapy aids weight loss without the significant side effect of bone loss

'Sensor' protein could help fight against obesity, diabetes  Aan internal 'sensor' that helps fight obesity by instructing cells to burn their fat stores has been identified by researchers. The finding could play a major role in the fight against obesity and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, they say

Insulin cells determine weight-loss surgery success rate The ability to produce insulin is pivotal to the success of weight-loss surgery in patients with type 2 diabetes, scientists have found. Their study provides a better point of departure for advice and determining which patients will benefit from surgery

Health News: FDA, Tofu and sprout manufacturer to stop selling adulterated food ♦ Team advances therapy preventing addiction relapse by erasing drug-associated memorie

FDA orders tofu and sprout manufacturer to stop selling adulterated food U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn K. Delaney entered a consent decree against Henh Wong Fresh Produce, a tofu and sprout manufacturer and distributor, and its owner, current manager, and former manager after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration documented multiple violations

Gout medications might be useful in treating alcohol-induced liver disease Two commonly used gout medications, which target uric acid and adenosine triphosphate, may offer protection from alcohol-induced liver disease and inflammation. These findings suggest that clinical trials in humans with alcoholic liver disease should be considered.

Team advances therapy preventing addiction relapse by erasing drug-associated memories Scientists have made a discovery that brings them closer to a new therapy based on selectively erasing dangerous and tenacious drug-associated memories. A new study demonstrates the effectiveness of a single injection of an early drug candidate called blebbistatin in preventing relapse in animal models of methamphetamine addiction.

New Medicaid healthcare program for disabled adults improves aspects of patient's' care Care linked to heart attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, among disabled adults covered by Medicaid has improved with the expansion of a new health care program in Texas.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy decreases PTSD symptom severity among veterans In a randomized trial that included veterans with PTSD, those who received mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy showed greater improvement in self-reported PTSD symptom severity, although the average improvement appears to have been modest,

Health News:25 salmonella cases linked to raw tuna sushi ♦ EPA: Testing food for common herbicide(Round Up) ♦ PTSD common in ICU Survivors

EPA: Testing food for common herbicide The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering recommending that the federal government sample food products for glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide in the world and the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. “Given increased public interest in glyphosate, EPA may recommend sampling

25 salmonella cases probably linked to raw tuna sushi There are 18 confirmed cases of Salmonella Paratyphi in Southern California, including seven in Los Angeles County, four in Orange and Ventura counties, two in Riverside County, and one in Santa Barbara County. Seven other people sickened are from other states but had traveled to the area,

Mindfulness-based therapy an alternative to antidepressants for stopping depression relapse The first ever large study to compare mindfulness-based therapy – structured training for the mind and body which aims to change the way people think and feel about their experiences – with maintenance antidepressant medication for reducing relapse in depression,

New technology may improve management of leading causes of blindness New technology can improve the clinical management of the leading causes of blindness. Optical coherence tomography angiography could largely replace current dye-based angiography in the management of these diseases.

PTSD common in ICU Survivors Nearly one-quarter of ICU survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research has found. They also identified possible triggers for PTSD and indicated a potential preventive strategy