A new "telerehabilitation" approach lets physical therapists assess patients with low back pain (LBP) over the Internet, with good accuracy compared with face-to-face examinations, reports a study in the May 15 issue of Spine. Taking advantage of Skype and other widely-used services may make telerehabilitation a more feasible alternative to in-person clinic visits.

Two proteins released from fat in the knee joints of mice have been linked to arthritis in a University of Colorado study. A protein released from fat cells could be linked to rheumatoid arthritis, but that might not mean being thin lowers your risk for RA, according to a mouse study from the Journal of Immunology. For the new study, researchers examined fat cells in mice to determine how arthritis was triggered.
 

Exercise may lower a woman’s risk for breast cancer and researchers are finding out why. Scientists conducted a study of 391 inactive, healthy, premenopausal women whom they split into two groups. They found that the 179 women in the intervention group showed changes in their estrogen metabolism that could explain the anti-cancer benefits of working out.

Regular exercise is touted as an antidote for many ills, including stress, depression and obesity. Physical activity also may help decrease violent behavior among adolescent girls. Researchers analyzed results of a 2008 survey completed by 1,312 students at four inner-city high schools in New York to determine if there was an association between regular exercise and violence-related behaviors.
 

The recommendations are meant to cut down on the anxiety many fibromyalgia patients experience while navigating the medical system, and serve as a resource for doctors hesitant to diagnose fibromyalgia. Primary care physicians should take responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia, according to new guidelines published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Women have another reason to exercise: It may help prevent kidney stones. You don't have to break a sweat or be a super athlete, either. Even walking for a couple hours a week can cut the risk of developing this painful and common problem by about one-third, a large study found. Every little bit makes a difference" and the intensity doesn't matter - just getting a minimum amount of exercise does.

Double-amputee Jason Koger used to fly hundreds of miles to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands. Now, he's got an app. Koger came to Philadelphia this week to demonstrate the i-limb ultra revolution, a prosthetic developed by the British firm Touch Bionics. Using a stylus and an iPhone, Koger can choose any of 24 grip patterns that best suit his needs.

Slouching may be fashionable for some red carpet regulars, but it's one of several reasons why about 80% of us will have spinal problems in our lifetime. And yet, most of us can cure or even avoid back pain and surgery by taking a few daily preventive steps. Spinal problems can start as early as age 29, so it's never too early or too late to start.

German software company SAP is looking to recruit people with autism as programmers and product testers, drawing on skills that can include a close attention to detail and an ability to solve complex problems. SAP has asked start-up Danish recruitment company Specialisterne to help it find, train and manage employees diagnosed with the disability.

ADHD has been linked to struggles with drugs and alcohol, less schooling and more arrests, but the latest study shows it may also contribute to problems with weight as well. In the study published in Pediatrics, researchers connected the impulsive behavior that can characterize attention deficit-hyerpeactivity disorder (ADHD) with the over-eating that contributes to calorie-overload.

Up to 20 percent of children in the United States suffer from a mental disorder, and the number of kids diagnosed with one has been rising for more than a decade. In the agency's first-ever study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17, researchers found childhood mental illnesses affect up to one in five kids and cost $247 billion per year in medical bills, special education and juvenile justice.

Scientists' picture of how a gene strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease harms the brain may have to be revised, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. People with harmful forms of the APOE gene have up to 12 times the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with those who have other variations of the gene.

The sons and daughters of people who live very long lives tend to get the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease later than others. Based on comparisons of people in their 90s, their spouses, siblings, children and their children's spouses, the offspring of people with exceptional longevity were about 40 percent less likely than peers to be cognitively impaired between ages 65 and 79.

More than 90% of pediatric specialists who diagnose and manage ADHD in preschoolers do not follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical treatment guidelines. That’s the conclusion of researchers from who sent a Preschool ADHD Treatment Questionnaire (PATQ) to a random sample of 3,000 physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating neurobehavioral conditions nationwide.

Autism scientists are seeking more brain samples for research. They say the more they get, the better the chances of finding better ways to treat the developmental disorder. So far the network has four sites: Mount Sinai medical school in New York, the University of California in Davis, the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, and McLean Hospital near Boston.

A British police force is hoping to save time and money by giving a few dementia patients GPS tracking devices, a move condemned by some campaigners as "barbaric." Last week, Sussex police announced a plan to buy GPS devices for 15 people with dementia who are at high risk of getting lost. The device can be worn around the neck or attached to a keychain.

A promising new drug for treating asthma could not only reduce asthma symptoms but also improve lung function in patients. The results of the trial involving dupilumab, showed the drug reduced asthma attacks by 87% in patients compared to those taking a placebo.

Screening for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography (CT scans) rather than chest X-rays may be a more effective way of detecting the disease, Medscape Today reported. Researchers hope that these results, collected as part of the National Lung Screening Trial, will provide more detailed information about the benefits of various types of lung cancer screening available to patients and physicians.

Sneezing and wheezing can make children feel miserable, and that discomfort can hamper how well they do in school. About 7.1 million children in the U.S. live with asthma, and it’s health consequences are well known; inflamed lung tissue can contribute to lasting lung damage, as well as make breathing difficult. Enduring these symptoms can take a toll on other aspects of children’s lives as well.

A common antibiotic may be the newest weapon against COPD. Researchers analyzed several previous studies and found that azithromycin, better known as Zithromax, can help reduce the severity of COPD symptoms. And while researchers stressed that it is not a cure, it can prolong the time between hospitalizations — a cornerstone of COPD treatment, according to the research.

A newer version of the whooping cough vaccine doesn't protect kids as well as the original. During a 2010-2011 outbreak of whooping cough in California, researchers found that youth who had been vaccinated with the newer, so called acellular vaccine were six times more likely to catch whooping cough than those who had received a series of the older whole-cell vaccine.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals said it reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the design of a late-stage trial for its experimental lung cancer drug. The late-stage trial will compare a combination of chemotherapy and the drug, bavituximab, with chemotherapy alone. The main goal of the trial would be to show an improvement in overall survival of patients.

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study, in which both factors were considered simultaneously. Many studies have looked at air pollution, while others have looked at noise pollution.

People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke.

A new study presented today at the 48th Annual American Neurotology Society spring meeting is challenging a long held belief among speech therapists and audiologists that bad behavior in young children with hearing implants is an indicator of device failure and a predictor of poor language development.