Health News

Long Work Weeks May Be Depressing, Especially for Women

TUESDAY, Feb. 26, 2019 — Feeling trapped behind a desk, a counter or on the factory floor does no favors for the mind. Now, research helps confirm that women with jobs that demand long hours may be more prone to depression. Researchers found that compared with women who worked a standard 40-hour week, those who […]

Health Problems

New tuberculosis drug may shorten treatment time for patients

A new experimental antibiotic for tuberculosis has been shown to be more effective against TB than isoniazid, a decades-old drug which is currently one of the standard treatments. In mouse studies, the new drug showed a much lower tendency to develop resistance, and it remains in the tissues where the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria reside for […]

Health News

Exercise may fight depression in older adults, study suggests

New research suggests that exercise-induced muscle changes could help boost mood in older adults. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology. Exercise increases the expression of certain proteins (transcription factors) that help regulate gene expression and the processing (metabolism) of tryptophan in the body. Tryptophan is a mood-enhancing […]

Health Problems

Overprescribing of antidepressant medications may be common in elderly patients

In a Pharmacology Research & Perspectives study of individuals living in Olmsted County, Minnesota from 2005-2012, potential overprescribing of antidepressant medications occurred in nearly one-quarter of elderly residents. Potential antidepressant overprescribing was most likely in individuals residing in nursing homes; patients having a higher number of comorbid medical conditions; individuals who were outpatients; those taking […]

Health Problems

Faulty molecular master switch may contribute to AMD

A signaling pathway controlled by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) could be involved in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that interrupting TGF-beta signals to immune cells called microglia causes the cells to enter an activated, inflammatory state. […]