Health Library

Brain Anatomy in Dyslexics Varies By Gender, Study Finds MONDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of males and females with dyslexia differ significantly, which suggests the learning disability needs to be treated separately in each gender, a new study has found. Researchers used MRIs to scan the brains of 118 men, women, boys and girls with and without dyslexia, which impairs a person's ability to read. Compared to people without dyslexia, males with dyslexia had less gray matter in areas of the b...

Breo Ellipta Approved for COPD FRIDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have new help in their quest to breathe better, with the approval of Breo Ellipta on Friday. This combination drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis or emphysema. COPD is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer, with typical symptoms including chronic cough, chest tightne...

Birth Rates Good After Implanting 1 Embryo, Study Finds WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Among women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to become pregnant, there is no difference in delivery rates among those implanted with one prescreened embryo compared to those implanted with two unscreened embryos, new study findings reveal. Although transferring two unscreened embryos is currently a more standard procedure, transferring a single chromosomally normal embryo results in fewer twins and bette...

Bacteria in Baby's Belly May Influence Growth, Study Says THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Infants' early growth is influenced by the types of bacteria in their digestive system, a new study says. A variety of bacteria quickly populate the sterile digestive tract of a newborn. Norwegian researchers identified connections between specific types of bacteria and infant growth rates. For their study, published May 9 in the journal PLoS Computational Biology , the researchers examined stool samples from 2...

Buying Testosterone Supplements Online Can Be Risky TUESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- If you're a man suffering from low energy or libido, the drug industry is eager to help. So-called "Low T" -- low testosterone -- has become a common catch phrase in TV commercials, and sales of testosterone supplements are on the rise in the United States. But a new study suggests that many clinics aren't disclosing the risks of testosterone treatment on their websites. Researchers found that fewer than a third of 70...

Blacks May Face Higher Risk of MS Than Whites MONDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans may be at higher risk for multiple sclerosis than whites, according to study findings that contradict a widely held belief that blacks are less likely to develop the neurological disease. The theory that blacks are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than whites was based on faulty evidence, the study authors said. For the new study, the researchers examined three years of data from more than 3.5 m...

Brain Differences Seen in Kids With Conduct Problems THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of children with conduct problems don't react in a normal way when they see images of other people in pain, a new study finds. Conduct problems include antisocial behaviors such as cruelty to others, physical aggression and a lack of empathy (callousness). In this study, U.K. researchers used functional MRI to scan the brains of children with conduct problems and a control group of normally behaved childr...

Brain Wiring May Explain Unhealthy Obsession With Looks THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Abnormal brain wiring may explain why some people become so fixated on their appearance that their obsession makes it hard for them to function, a new study suggests. The study included people with body dysmorphic disorder, a mental illness that causes people to believe they are disfigured and ugly, even though they look normal. These patients have abnormal network-wiring patterns across the brain, the University...

Blind Cords Pose Danger to Toddlers, Doctors Warn TUESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Young children are at high risk for accidentally strangling themselves with window blind cords and parents need to be aware of this threat, doctors report. Children aged 16 to 36 months seem particularly vulnerable to this danger, because they have relatively large heads compared with the rest of their bodies as well as softer windpipes, the doctors noted. They also have less muscle control than adults, which makes i...

Bipolar Disorder Drugs May 'Tweak' Genes Affecting Brain THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Medications taken by people with bipolar disorder may actually be nudging hundreds of genes that direct the brain to behave more normally, according to new research. The study suggests that antipsychotic drugs activate a wide range of genes, changing their function, said lead author Dr. Melvin McInnis. "A gene's activity in any given cell will vary depending on what it's exposed to," said McInnis, a professor...