University of Pittsburgh researchers, in the first study of its kind, found that the working memory of young, healthy adults between 18 and 25 years of age could be improved further through raising the intake of their Omega-3 through supplements. The lead investigator of the study, Rajesh Narendarn is a professor of radiology at the University. He and his fellow researchers recruited healthy males and females from random ethnicities. Participants increased their Omega-3 intake for six months. At... 

Nearly a quarter of Americans currently feel under “extreme stress,” according to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association.  The most common reasons claimed for the constant stress were money, work, and the economy.  Stress has been found to play a role in many diseases, including asthma, depression, migraine flares, heart attacks, cancer, and diabetes. Short periods of tension can actually be beneficial to people.  Small amounts of stress sharpens thinking and heightens physical... 

Scientists have found strong evidence that replacing sugared drinks with sugar-free substitutes or water can slow weight gain in children.  Two new randomized clinical trials lend credence to the idea that limiting access to sugary sodas and fruit drinks may help reduce obesity.  The studies were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. One-third of children and two-thirds of all adults in the United States are overweight or obese.  Amid fervid criticism that risks becoming a nanny state,... 

The governance committee that oversees kidney transplants in the United States proposed several changes that are aimed at improving the use of the country’s supply of deceased-donor organs.  There are more than 93,000 people currently waiting for a kidney transplant.  Many people waiting for a kidney transplant must have dialysis three times a week.  More than 14,000 kidneys are recovered from dead donors each year.  16,813 patients received transplants last year while 4,720 patients on the... 

A new study says that patients with prostate cancer, who are given Viagra before radiation therapy and following the therapy, had better sexual function. A common side effect to prostate cancer is sexual woes, which include erectile dysfunction. A recently concluded study consisted of patients who had prostate cancer, which had not yet spread and who underwent a radiation therapy known as external beam and/or the implanting of radioactive seeds on a permanent basis. Each participant was assigned... 

British scientists said they developed a test that is super sensitive using nano-particles that can spot markers for AIDS or cancer in human blood serum by just using the naked eye. Because the test does not need to use sophisticated equipment, the new test-tube technique could be simple and cheap, making is great for detection of disease in countries that are poor, wrote the team from Nature Nanotechnology. Imperial College of London researchers used the new technology to look for molecules of a... 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found blackish green foreign matter in what were supposed to be sterile drug vials. They found germs growing in vials of steroids that had been supposedly tested for their sterility. They found mold growing in a “clean room,” which is where vials are to be filled. Those are only a few of the many observations the FDA made during its inspection of the NECC – New England Compounding Center. The products of the Massachusetts company are alleged to be the source... 

A recent UK study that had more than one million women indicated that women who smoke into their middle age have death rates three times higher compared to non smokers and risk dying a decade earlier. Data from the recent study also contained positive news. The data showed that if a woman stopped smoking prior to 40, it reduced the risk of her dying from a tobacco related death by 90% and if she quit prior to reaching 35, that risk was reduced by over 97%. Just one day after the study was published... 

Both Switzerland and Italy have stopped sales of flu vaccines by Novartis after the company had informed authorities in Italy of a particle buildup in its shots. Novartis claims the products are still safe. The Italian Health Ministry announced on Friday through a statement that Novartis had not provided them with sufficient information to know the makeup of different proteins found in Fluad and Agrippal shots or what impact they might have on the safety and quality of the shots. Officials were quick... 

Aspirin is one of the cheapest and oldest drugs in the world and has shown great promise in the treatment of colon cancer for people who have mutations in a gene thought to play a big role in the deadly disease. Amongst patients that have mutations, those who took Aspirin regularly lived longer as opposed to those who did not take Aspirin, a new study has determined. Five years following the diagnosis of the cancers, 97% of Aspirin users were still living versus just 74% of those who did not take...