New research indicates that social media is leading young adolescent girls and boys down a worrying path towards developing body image issues and eating disorder behaviours – even though they are smartphone savvy. The Australian research, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders (Wiley), found platforms with a strong focus on image posting and viewing such...
Health
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E-Cigarette User Found to Have Rare Form of Lung Scarring Typically Found in Metal Workers
Researchers studying a patient with a rare lung disease called hard-metal pneumoconiosis say the disease was probably caused by vaping. The condition creates an unusual and distinctive pattern of damage to the lungs that results in breathing difficulties. It is typically diagnosed in people who work with “hard metals”, such as cobalt or tungsten, in...
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Rural Women at Higher Risk of Life-Threatening Pregnancy Complications
Women in rural communities experience higher rates of life-threatening complications during or after childbirth than mothers in urban cities, a new study finds. Maternal deaths and deliveries requiring emergency, life-saving treatment are increasing among both rural and urban residents, up from 109 to 152 per 10,000 childbirth hospitalizations, the new research finds. But rural residents...
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Controlling Attention with Brain Waves
Having trouble paying attention? MIT neuroscientists may have a solution for you: Turn down your alpha brain waves. In a new study, the researchers found that people can enhance their attention by controlling their own alpha brain waves based on neurofeedback they receive as they perform a particular task. The study found that when subjects...
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Getting to the ‘Art’ of Dementia: Researchers Highlight Benefits of Art Intervention
University of Canberra researchers have shown that art gallery programs can improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia – and they’ve backed it up by testing study participants’ saliva. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the UC study monitored new participants of the National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) Art and Dementia program over six...
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HHS Hands Out Free HIV Prevention Drugs. Do You Qualify?
The Trump administration Tuesday unveiled a plan to distribute HIV prevention medication free to individuals who do not have prescription drug insurance coverage. Called “Ready, Set, PrEP,” the federal program will provide patients at risk of contracting HIV one of the two pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs. Those medications can reduce the chances of getting HIV...
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Fertilization Discovery Could Lead to New Male Contraceptive, Help Infertile Couples
An unexpected discovery about fertilization from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals new insights on how sperm and egg fuse and could have major implications for couples battling infertility – and may lead to a future male contraceptive. The finding has the potential both to boost the success rate of in-vitro fertilization and...
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Majority U.S. Parents Cite Socioeconomic Factors Negatively Impact Their Families’ Health
Nearly two-thirds of American parents of children under 18 (65%) report at least one economic, environmental, or lifestyle factor that limits their family’s ability to live a healthy life, according to a new nationwide survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Nemours Children’s Health System. Eighty percent of parents believe that they have...
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Money Spent on Beer Ads Linked to Underage Drinking
Advertising budgets and strategies used by beer companies appear to influence underage drinking, according to new research from Iowa State University. The findings show that the amount of money spent on advertising strongly predicted the percentage of teens who had heard of, preferred and tried different beer brands. For example, 99% of middle school and...
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Listening to music while driving reduces cardiac stress
Stress while driving is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac complications such as heart attack (myocardial infarction), according to studies published in recent years. Selecting suitable driving music may be one way to mitigate this risk. A study by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Marília, Brazil,...
