Women on breast cancer drugs called aromatase inhibitors may show signs of early blood vessel damage that could lead to heart disease, a small study suggests. Researchers found that compared with healthy women their age, women on aromatase inhibitors were more likely to show signs of "endothelial dysfunction." That refers to problems in how the blood vessel lining responds to blood...

Cats, dogs, birds and other pets can help people manage their mental disorders, a new study says. Researchers from the United Kingdom asked more than 50 adults with long-term mental conditions about the role pets play in their social networks. Sixty percent placed pets in the central and most important circle -- above family, friends and hobbies. Another 20 percent placed pets in the second...

Cancer cases rose 33 percent worldwide in the past 10 years, a new study shows. In 2015, there were 17.5 million diagnoses and 8.7 million deaths in the world from the disease, the researchers found. The rise in cancer cases was mainly due to population aging and growth, along with changes in age-specific cancer rates, according to the Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration...

Some of the liquid flavorings heated in e-cigarettes appear to break down into potentially dangerous compounds, researchers say. It's not yet clear what this might mean for the health of electronic cigarette users. Whatever the case, e-cigarettes are popular. A 2015 federal survey suggested that 4 percent of U.S. adults use the devices on a regular basis. Nearly 13 percent say they've tried...

Eating low-carbohydrate meals may lead to healthy changes in a woman's metabolism that don't occur when consuming higher-carbohydrate meals, a small study suggests. The researchers also found that the timing of exercise may play a role in how beneficial it is for your metabolism. The study's senior author, Katarina Borer, said the study illustrates that small changes can make a difference,...

Research investigating schoolchildren's asthma attacks has pointed to a tiny foe: mice. Allergens from the rodents can infiltrate the air, the study found, and may be a major cause of asthma attacks in the school environment. It's known that many different allergy triggers -- from dust mites to mold to pet dander -- can fuel children's asthma symptoms. But most research has focused on the...

Sleep deprivation while working 24-hour shifts affects heart function, a new German study suggests. "These findings may help us better understand how workload and shift duration affect public health," said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Kuetting, from the department of diagnostic and interventional radiology at the University of Bonn. "For the first time, we have shown that short-term sleep...

Using a new cancer drug with an existing one appears to work against soft tissue sarcoma cancers, a new study indicates. These cancers of soft tissues such as fat, muscles, blood vessels, tendons and ligaments are rare, but difficult to treat if they are advanced and have spread to other parts of the body, the researchers said. "Soft tissue sarcomas represent a rare group of malignant...

Newborns with low levels of vitamin D may have higher odds of developing multiple sclerosis, or MS, later in life, new research suggests. Vitamin D deficiency is common among the general population, including pregnant women. But the researchers said it's too soon to routinely recommend "sunshine vitamin" supplements for mothers-to-be. "The study does not prove that increasing vitamin D...

Mental disorders and physical diseases frequently go hand in hand. For the first time, psychologists at the University of Basel and Ruhr University Bochum have identified temporal patterns in young people: arthritis and diseases of the digestive system are more common after depression, while anxiety disorders tend to be followed by skin diseases. Physical diseases and mental disorders affect a...