Health Library

Vaccine to Fight Heroin Addiction Shows Promise in Rats FRIDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine that could help fight heroin addiction shows promise in early tests in rats, researchers report. The vaccine targets heroin and its psychoactive breakdown products in the bloodstream, preventing them from reaching the brain, explained the scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. "Heroin-addicted rats deprived of the drug will normally resume using it compulsively if they regain ...

Video Game May Help Keep Aging Brains Sharp WEDNESDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Keeping the brain nimble in older adulthood may be as simple as playing a video game, according to researchers who compared the thought-process benefits of crossword puzzles with a computer program that increased users' mental speed and agility. Analyzing 681 healthy people aged 50 and up, scientists found that those who played a "Road Tour" video game for at least 10 hours -- which required them to identify "vehicles" amon...

Vitamin D May Help Prevent Uterine Fibroids WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Women with adequate levels of vitamin D are less likely to develop uterine fibroids than those with insufficient levels, a new study finds. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors of the uterus that often cause pain and bleeding in premenopausal women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. The study, by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), included more...

Valley Fever Fungal Infection on Rise in Southwest THURSDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of a fungal lung infection called Valley Fever increased sharply in several southwestern states since the late 1990s, according to a report released Thursday. In Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, the number of cases climbed from less than 2,300 in 1998 to more than 22,000 in 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. During that time, Arizona and California had the larges...

Vitamin D Important During Pregnancy, Study Suggests TUESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of complications in mothers-to-be and low birth weight in their newborns, a new study finds. The research shows an association but doesn't prove that insufficient vitamin D causes complications. Still, taking vitamin D supplements may help reduce these risks, the researchers noted. Researchers examined data from 31 studies published bet...

Vitamin D Levels in Pregnancy May Not Affect Kids' Future Bone Health TUESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Women's vitamin D levels during pregnancy do not affect their children's bone health later in life, a new study shows. British researchers measured vitamin D levels in nearly 4,000 women during pregnancy and assessed the bone mineral density of their children when they were about 12. Bone mineral density is a measure of bone health. A lower mineral content is associated with poorer bone health and...

Vitamin D Supplements Tied to Lower Blood Pressure in Blacks FRIDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans who take vitamin D supplements may significantly lower their blood pressure, a new study suggests. "Compared with other races, blacks in the United States are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and more likely to have high blood pressure," said lead researcher Dr. John Forman, an assistant professor of medicine at the renal division of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. But among ...

Viagra, Aliskiren Not Helpful for Heart Failure After All: Studies MONDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- Although small studies have suggested Viagra and the blood pressure medication aliskiren could be wonder drugs against heart failure, neither drug produced any beneficial effects against this condition in recent multicenter trials. Viagra (sildenafil) is used to treat erectile dysfunction and some forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension, and scientists hoped it would help patients with so-called dias...

Vision Loss, Depression May Be Linked, Study Finds THURSDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- People with depression are more likely to have self-reported vision loss, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults aged 20 and older who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2008. The rate of depression was about 11 percent among people with self-reported vision loss and about 5 percent among those who did not report vision lo...

Volunteering May Boost Teen Heart Health FRIDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- Helping others is good for teens' hearts, a new study suggests. Canadian researchers looked at 106 students at a Vancouver high school who either volunteered regularly for 10 weeks or remained on a wait-list for volunteering. The 10th graders in the volunteer group spent one hour per week working with elementary school children in after-school programs in their neighborhood. The body fat, inflammation and cholesterol levels of ...