1 in 4 women have STD linked to cervical cancer

One in four U.S. women ages 14 to 59 is infected with the sexually transmitted virus that in some forms can cause cervical cancer, according to the first broad national estimate.

The figure is mostly in line with previous assessments. The highest prevalence — nearly 45 percent — was found in young women within the age range recommended for a new virus-fighting vaccine, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers have estimated that 20 million Americans have some form of HPV. The study concluded that 26.8 percent of U.S. women are infected, a figure that is comparable to earlier estimates using smaller groups.

Health care errors impact 1 in 10 patients

Errors in medical care affect 10 percent of patients worldwide, according to the United Nations health agency, which issued a checklist on Wednesday to help doctors and nurses avoid common mistakes.

The nine key points listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) include double-checking similar-sounding medication names, ensuring patients are correctly identified and improving hand hygiene to avoid preventable infections.

“Health care errors affect one in every 10 patients around the world,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement. “Implementing these solutions is a way to improve patient safety.”

Yes, coffee really can be good for you-with risk

Cuppa joe can fight diabetes and cancer, but some shouldn’t overdo it

Drinking coffee can help ward off type 2 diabetes and may even help prevent certain cancers, according to panelists discussing the benefits — and risks — of the beverage at a scientific meeting.

Heart attack deaths plummet in just 6 years

Study shows improved treatments, anti-cholesterol drugs are working

In just six years, death rates and heart failure in hospitalized heart attack patients have fallen sharply, most likely because of better treatment, the largest international study of its kind suggests.The promising trend parallels the growing use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, powerful blood thinners, and angioplasty, the procedure that opens clogged arteries, the researchers said.

Reversing Alzheimer’s may be possible

Scientists try different methods to help mice retrieve lost memories

Mental stimulation and drug treatment may help people with brain ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease regain seemingly lost memories, according to research published on Sunday.

Scientists used two methods to reverse memory loss in mice with a condition like Alzheimer’s — placing them in sort of a rodent Disneyland to stimulate their brains, and also using a type of drug that encourages growth of brain nerve cells.Neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said such methods might yield similar benefits in people with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia that rob them of their memory and ability to learn.

Picking healthy restaurant foods not so easy

Poll finds most people can’t identify best choices at chain eateries

Picking the healthiest item on a restaurant menu is not as easy as it seems, according to a new poll that found most respondents were unable to identify the dishes lowest in calories, salt and fat.

In the poll, which was commissioned by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, 523 respondents were given a choice of four menu items from popular restaurant chains and asked to select which were lowest in fat, calories and salt.

The first question asked people to choose which Denny’s dish was lowest in calories: a ham and cheddar omelet, country fried steak and eggs, three slices of French toast with syrup and margarine, or three pancakes with syrup and margarine.

Scientists find why broccoli, soy fight cancer

Compounds slow production of proteins that cause breast, ovarian disease

Eating foods like broccoli and soy has been linked to lower cancer rates, and California researchers said on Sunday that they may have discovered the biological mechanism behind the protective effect.

Using cells in a lab dish, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that diindolymethane (DIM), a compound resulting from digestion of cruciferous vegetables, and genistein, an isoflavone in soy, reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread.

“We think these compounds might slow or prevent the metastasis of breast and ovarian cancer, which would greatly increase the effectiveness of current treatments,” said Erin Hsu, a UCLA graduate student in molecular toxicology.

Does drinking your fruit and veggies count?

Sure, juice is nutritious, but you’re better off sticking with solids

Juice can be good for you, but research shows it isn’t an equal substitute for solid fruits and vegetables.
By Karen Collins, R.D.

The Miracle in Human Brain

Biochemists Develop Diagnostic Tool to ID Strains Faster

Biochemists have developed a new tool that can identify a strain of influenza in hours, instead of the usual days or weeks, potentially speeding up the development of new vaccines. A sample of the infected patient’s nasal or throat culture is deposited on a DNA microarray, where the flu’s RNA binds to human DNA like a lock and a key. The match is then imaged using a fluorescent solution, and the entire procedure lasts less than seven hours.