Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Polio campaign at turning point, after Pakistan killings
Vaccination will go on despite setback, say eradication campaigners.Nature News doi: 10.1038/nature.2012.12127
Twin towers dust tied to some cancers, not others
Medical registry data shows 9/11 rescue and recovery workers have higher rates of three types of malignancies
Feds won't cover cancer care for Albertan seeking refugee status
Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says Ottawa is not required to pay for the cancer treatment a failed refugee claimant is receiving in Alberta.
Unproven Stem-Cell Cosmetic Treatments Can Grow Bones In Your Eyes
Osteocyte Visual HistologyNew cosmetic creams and therapies that make use of stem cells carry bizarre, gruesome risks. A woman in Los Angeles went to her doctor with pain and clicking in her eyelid,...
Regular aspirin use 10 or more years ago associated with increased risk of type of age-related macular degeneration
Among nearly 5,000 study participants, regular aspirin use reported ten years prior was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Intensive weight-loss intervention linked with increased chance of partial remission from diabetes
Among overweight adults, participation in an intensive lifestyle intervention (that included counseling sessions and targets to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity) was associated with a greater likelihood of...
Administration of clopidogrel prior to PCI associated with reduction in major cardiac events
Among patients scheduled for a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), pretreatment with the antiplatelet agent clopidogrel was...
Critical need for iodine supplements during pregnancy and while nursing
A new article discusses the issue of iodine deficiency in pregnant women in the U.S. and the potential negative health implications for both mothers and their children from this deficiency.
Scientists discover how HIV virus gains access to carrier immune cells to spread infection
Scientists have identified how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, enters the cells of the immune system enabling it to be dispersed throughout an organism.
Blood test accurately detects lymphedema, study shows
Scientists have identified a set of proteins circulating in blood whose levels accurately flag the presence of lymphedema. The findings spur optimism that this common but relatively neglected condition, which...
Cancer cells co-opt immune response to escape destruction
Researchers report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.
Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past 2 decades
In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to...
H5N1 Research Moratorium Could Be Over Soon
After 2 days of U.S. meetings, researchers say they are ready to lift self-imposed ban on controversial studies
Antibiotics little help for easing cough
Adults are commonly prescribed an antibiotic when they have a persistent cough, but it is unlikely to help and could even be harmful, a large new study suggests.
Long-term survival rates after less-invasive repair of abdominal aneurysm the same as with 'open' procedure
Despite earlier signs that a less-invasive surgery is safer and better than “open” operations to repair potentially lethal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a new study shows survival rates after four years...
More children surviving in-hospital cardiac arrest
Three times as many children survived in-hospital cardiac arrest in 2009 vs. 2000, according to a new study. The risk of impaired brain function in surviving children has not increased....
MRIs reveal signs of brain injuries not seen in CT scans
Hospital MRIs may be better at predicting long-term outcomes for people with mild traumatic brain injuries than CT scans, the standard technique for evaluating such injuries in the emergency room,...
Hurricane Sandy doubled Internet outages
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Hurricane Sandy doubled the average level of Internet outages in the United States and it took four days to bring it back to...
Cancer patients may not be getting adequate care for debilitating fatigue
Many people who have been through cancer and its treatment have trouble with their recovery because of severe, debilitating fatigue that can last for months or even years. But even...
Evidence insufficient to recommend routine antibiotics for joint replacement patients, experts say
Medical researchers have found that there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of antibiotics for joint replacement patients.
Long-terms benefits follow brain surgery for certain forms of epilepsy
Brain surgery for certain difficult forms of epilepsy often reduces or eliminates seizures for more than 15 years after the procedure, according to new research by neurologists.
Host cholesterol secretion likely to influence gut microbiota
For more than half a century, researchers have known that the bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract of mammals influence their host's cholesterol metabolism. Now, researchers show that changes in...
Cancer study overturns current thinking about gene activation
A new Australian study shows that large regions of the genome -- amounting to roughly 2 percent -- are epigenetically activated in prostate cancer. Regions activated contain many prostate cancer-specific...
Curbing car travel could be as effective as cutting calories
Those considering how to maintain a healthy weight during holiday festivities, or looking ahead to New Year's resolutions, may want to think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies...
Suicide Attempts Linked to Inflammatory Chemical
Patients with higher levels felt a stronger desire to kill themselves.
Digested formula, but not breast milk, is toxic to cells
Free fatty acids created during the digestion of infant formula cause cellular death that may contribute to necrotizing enterocolitis, a [...]
Rapid spread of livestock virus
A disease that can lead to lambs and calves being born dead or deformed has spread to every county in England and Wales.
Hypnosis should be offered to patients with IBS, Swedish research suggests
Hypnotherapy helps fight IBS symptoms, according to research from Sweden which proposes implementing this treatment method into the care of severe sufferers of this common disease.