Help improve a child's life by having your teeth whitened. Sound easy? That's because it is. The 16th annual Smiles For Life Campaign begins March 1, which means dental patients nationwide can brighten a child's future just by visiting their local Crown Council dentist. The campaign runs from March 1 until June 30 and 100% of the proceeds from teeth whitening procedures are donated to worthy children's charities, both locally and around the world. As an additional incentive, each tooth whitening patient enjoys their smile brightening procedure at a discounted rate. Patients ...

48 Hour Books, an independent book printer in Akron, Ohio, is now offering foil-stamped book covers, enabling self-published authors to produce books as beautiful and eye-catching as the commercial publishing houses. The first in the industry to offer this premium, 48 Hour Books is blurring the line between commercial- and self-publishing - and at a price that won't break the bank. There's no doubt about it: self-publishing is on the rise. Today, writers are more empowered than ever before to publish and distribute their work - even without a traditional publishing ...

Free-standing organ recovery centers could markedly improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with deceased organ donation, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation. The study's findings have major implications for cost containment and national policies related to organ transplantation. Transplant surgeons have historically traveled to donor hospitals, where they perform complex, time-sensitive procedures with unfamiliar hospital staff. This often involves air travel and significant delays. In 2001, Mid-America Transplant Services ...

The active ingredient in vinegar, acetic acid, can effectively kill mycobacteria, even highly drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an international team of researchers from Venezuela, France, and the US reports in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Acetic acid might be used as an inexpensive and non-toxic disinfectant against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria as well as other stubborn, disinfectant-resistant mycobacteria. Work with drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria carries serious biohazard risks. Chlorine ...

The coronavirus responsible for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is prevalent in camels throughout Saudi Arabia and has been around for at least 20 years, according to a study to be published on February 25 in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. "Our study shows the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is widespread," says senior study author W. Ian Lipkin of Columbia University, New York. "Adult camels were more likely to have antibodies to the virus while juveniles were more likely to have active virus. This indicates that infection ...

Researchers from LSTM have found that a single genetic mutation causes resistance to DDT and pyrethroids (an insecticide class used in mosquito nets). With the continuing rise of resistance the research, published in the journal Genome Biology, is key as scientists say that this knowledge could help improve malaria control strategies. The researchers, led by Dr Charles Wondji, used a wide range of methods to narrow down how the resistance works, finding a single mutation in the GSTe2 gene, which makes insects break down DDT so it's no longer toxic. They have also shown ...

Retrieving organs from brain-dead donors is logistically challenging and time consuming in hospitals. Multiple surgical teams often fly to a donor's hospital but frequently face delays in retrieving organs due to crowded operating-room schedules. However, a new study shows that moving organ donors from hospitals to a regional stand-alone facility with a designated operating room for retrieving organs is more efficient and lowers costs considerably, according to new research by transplant surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The research ...

New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that diabetes in women is associated with an increased risk of stroke, whereas the data do not show the same association among men. The research is by Dr Wenhui Zhao (the first author), Dr Gang Hu and colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Differences in incidence and mortality between sexes have been reported for various conditions, including stroke. More women than men tend to die from stroke in developed countries. ...

1. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force publishes final recommendation statement on multivitamins to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of beta-carotene or vitamin E supplements for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer, according to a recommendation statement being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers conducted a systematic review of the evidence to assess the benefits and harms of using vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplements for the ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Treatment regimens often evolve without strong scientific evidence of their benefits and drawbacks, particularly in comparison to other drugs or approaches. Now Duke Medicine is participating in a large national initiative aiming to fill in that missing information. In separate articles published Feb. 24, 2014, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, teams led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute detailed the research priorities necessary to address gaps in knowledge about two conditions - bipolar disorder among adolescents and early breast tumors in ...

State regulatory agencies face barriers and often take limited action when confronted with public health concerns resulting from industrial food animal production operations. This is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future who examined agency responses to community health concerns. They found that agencies with jurisdiction over industrial food animal production operations are unable to address concerns primarily due to narrow regulations, a lack of public health expertise, and limited resources. The results are featured ...

INDIANAPOLIS— A theoretical paper with lead author Tamika Zapolski, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), examines a paradox in African American drinking. African Americans report initiation to drinking at an older age, lower rates of use and lower levels of use in nearly all age groups. Nonetheless, the group encounters higher levels of problems related to alcohol when compared to European Americans. The paper is featured this month by the American Psychological Association on the ...

PHILADELPHIA – Firefighters who died of heart attacks and other vascular problems such as stroke while on the job were most often doing vigorous physical activity right before the attack, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. "Knowing that these fatal heart attacks and other vascular events occur relatively frequently, fire departments and other workplaces need to be prepared to recognize these events and screen for those who may be at higher risk," ...

MINNEAPOLIS – An updated guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that people with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat, take oral anticoagulants, a type of blood thinner pill, to prevent stroke. The guideline is published in the February 25, 2014, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The World Stroke Organization has endorsed the updated guideline. Taking anticoagulants is especially important for people who have already had a stroke or a transient ischemic attack, which is a threatened ...

Medications used by many older people to control their blood pressure also increase the risk of serious fall injuries by 30% to 40% — injuries that have a similar effect on mortality and functional loss as the strokes and heart attacks the blood pressure drugs are meant to prevent — according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the Feb. 24 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. Clinicians have long assumed that blood pressure medications are safe and effective in all older adults. That is probably true in healthy older adults, but the same might not be ...

Bottom Line: Children of women who used the pain reliever acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy appear to be at higher risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like behavioral problems and hyperkinetic disorders (HKDs, a severe form of ADHD). Author: Zeyan Liew, M.P.H., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues. Background: Acetaminophen is the most commonly used medication for pain and fever during pregnancy. But some recent studies have suggested that acetaminophen has effects on sex and other hormones, which can in turn affect ...

Eating a vegetarian diet appears to be associated with lower blood pressure (BP), and the diets can also be used to reduce blood pressure. Factors such as diet, body weight, physical activity and alcohol intake play a role in the risk of developing hypertension. Dietary modifications have been shown to be effective for preventing and managing hypertension. The authors analyzed seven clinical trials and 32 studies published from 1900 to 2013 in which participants ate a vegetarian diet. Net differences in BP associated with eating a vegetarian diet were measured. In ...

Medication to treat high blood pressure (BP) in older patients appears to be associated with an increased risk for serious injury from falling such as a hip fracture or head injury, especially in older patients who have been injured in previous falls. Most people older than 70 years have high blood pressure, and blood pressure control is key to reducing risk for myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) and stroke. Previous research has suggested that blood pressure medications may increase risk of falls and fall injuries. Researchers examined the association between ...

The tax status of a hospice (for-profit vs. nonprofit) affects community benefits, the population served and community outreach. The number of for-profit hospices has increased over the past two decades with about 51 percent of hospices being for-profit in 2011 compared with about 5 percent in 1990. But little is known about how for-profit and nonprofit hospices differ in activities beyond service delivery. The authors examined the association between hospice profit status and the provision of community benefits (charity care, research and serving as training sites), ...

The risk of heart attack or stroke is increased in the 30 days after a partner's death. Bereavement is recognized as a risk factor for death and is associated with cardiovascular events. The authors compared the rate of myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) or stroke in older patients (n=30,447, 60 to 89 years of age) whose partner died to that of individuals (n=83,588) whose partners were still alive during the same period. Fifty patients (0.16 percent) experienced MI or stroke within 30 days of their partner's death compared with 67 (0.08 percent) of controls. ...

AUDIO: A panel of experts that includes researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is recommending depression now be officially included as a risk factor for serious heart... Click here for more information. An extensive review of scientific literature indicates that depression should be added to the list of risk factors associated with heart disease. Others include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking. A 12-person panel of experts that ...

VIDEO: "Kiss and run " on the cell surface. This 3-D movie shows actual footage of a virus-like particle (red dot) approaching a cell (green with reddish brown nucleus), as captured by... Click here for more information. Tiny and swift, viruses are hard to capture on video. Now researchers at Princeton University have achieved an unprecedented look at a virus-like particle as it tries to break into and infect a cell. The technique they developed could help scientists ...

TORONTO, ON, February 24, 2014 —Women who carry a BRCA gene mutation and opt for a preventive oophorectomy, or ovary removal surgery, have a 77 per cent lower risk of death than those who do not, according to a new study led by Women's College Hospital's Amy Finch and Dr. Steven Narod. Research has long shown that preventive oophorectomy reduces the risks of ovarian and breast cancers in women with a BRCA gene mutation, but the best age for women to have the surgery and its impact on mortality has not been well studied. The findings by Finch and colleagues, published ...

The findings of a large international prospective study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest for the first time that women with BRCA1 mutations should have preventive ovarian surgery (prophylactic oophorectomy) by age 35, as waiting until a later age appears to increase the risk of ovarian cancer before or at the time of the preventive surgery. Women with a BRCA2 mutation, however, do not appear to be at an increased risk by age 35, suggesting they may delay this procedure until later. Moreover, women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who had this surgery ...

Clinical trial assesses anti-FGF23 for treating X-linked hypophosphatemia X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a heritable form of rickets that results from mutations in the gene encoding the phosphate regulating endopeptidase (PHEX). Unlike diet-associated forms of rickets, XLH cannot be ameliorated by vitamin D ingestion. XLH patients have increased serum levels of FGF23, which decreases both inorganic phosphate (Pi) and the activated form of vitamin D. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Thomas Carpenter and colleagues at Yale University evaluated ...