Migraine headaches are a significant health challenge for many teenagers, according to research presented last week at the American Academy of Neurology’s 58th Annual Meeting in San Diego. The study surveyed 18,714 adolescents ages 12 to 19 years. Findings showed that, over a 1-year period, 5% of boys and 7.7% of girls endured frequent migraines. [...]

Common painkillers appear to slow healing from musculoskeletal injury, warn scientists. A new study examined the effects of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) celecoxib (Celebrex®) and indomethacin on healing. As part of the experiment, Yale researchers made rotator cuff repairs in 180 rats. For the next 14 days, 60 of the rats were given celecoxib, [...]

Adults in Japan who consume higher amounts of green tea have a lower risk of death due to all causes, say scientists. However, there is no link between green tea consumption and a reduced risk of death due to specifically to cancer. Shinichi Kuriyama, MD, PhD, and colleagues examined the association between green tea consumption [...]

Antibiotics are often unnecessary for acute otitis media, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Overall, 283 children with AOM aged 6 months to 12 years seen in a hospital emergency department were randomly assigned to receive a “wait-and-see prescription” (WASP) or a “standard prescription” (SP). The WASP involved counseling [...]

Exposure to cigarette smoke alters breast cells, turning them malignant, say scientists at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The investigators exposed healthy human breast epithelial cells to cigarette smoke condensate. The experiment caused DNA damage in the cells, preventing them from repairing themselves before dividing. This led to mutations characteristic of cancer. Source: Oncogene [...]