Latest science news in Health & Medicine
New Clues About How HIV Reservoirs May Form
Much like cities organize contingency plans and supplies for emergencies, chronic infectious diseases like HIV form reservoirs that ensure their survival in adverse conditions. But these...
Cancer gene therapy from camels
Members of the camelid family have particular heavy-chain antibodies in their blood known as nanobodies, that may serve as therapeutic proteins. One of the most powerful advantages of nanobodies is...
Powerful X-rays enable development of successful treatment for melanoma and other life-threatening diseases
Powerful X-ray technology is revealing new insights into diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to the swine flu, and, most recently, enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant...
3 die after rare amoeba infection from U.S. water
Two children and a young man have died this summer from a brain-eating amoeba that lives in water, U.S. health officials say.
Common vein condition increases risk for developing life-threating blood clots
Patients with clinically diagnosed superficial vein thrombosis (SVT), a blood clot in the veins just beneath the skin that commonly resolves on its own without treatment, are four to six...
Milk better than water to rehydrate kids
Active children need to be watered with milk. It’s a more effective way of countering dehydration than a sports drink or water itself, say researchers at McMaster University. That’s...
New potent and broadly effective antibodies against HIV found
A team of researchers at and associated with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), The Scripps Research Institute, the biotechnology company Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences...
Variation in bowel reoperation rates prompts call for better quality measures
There is a large variation in unplanned reoperation rates after colorectal surgery in English NHS hospitals, a new study finds.
Using powder-free latex gloves reduces latex allergy rate in health care workers
Researchers investigating latex allergy in health care workers have demonstrated the most effective public health strategy to prevent allergic sensitization is by stopping the use of powdered latex gloves.
Mayo Clinic receives FDA approval for ovarian and breast cancer vaccines
Mayo Clinic has received investigational new drug approval from the Food and Drug Administration for two new cancer vaccines that mobilize the body's defense mechanisms to destroy malignant cells. The...
Study focuses on relationship between glaucoma and diabetes, hypertension
Many Americans suffer from diabetes and hypertension and, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, these individuals may have an increased risk of...
Blood vessels participate in the eradication of tumors
Breast cancer: For the first time, very specific blood vessels have been discovered in tumors. These vessels facilitate the access of certain white blood cells, known as “killer lymphocytes”, into...
Liberals call for health care leadership from Tories
The Conservative government has abandoned its leadership role in health care and needs to pick it up again in advance of negotiating a new health accord with the provinces, the...
Cancer treatment device to be developed in Alberta
The federal government will spend $2.5 million to support the development in Alberta of a new cancer radiation therapy device that could lead to more precise and life-saving treatment methods.
Kids' obesity rates skewed by parents' estimates
Canadian parents underestimate the heights and weights of their children, which skews estimates of obesity rates, a new report suggests.
Herbal supplements can mess with chemo
Acai berry, cumin, herbal tea, turmeric and long-term use of garlic – all herbal supplements commonly believed to be beneficial to your health – may negatively impact chemotherapy treatment according...
Death of a pathology centre: Shelved
For decades, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has been a leader in disease diagnosis. Now it is closing, and its legacy is in jeopardy.
Patient navigators might reduce disparities in cancer care
Past research shows that minorities suffer higher rates of advanced cancer and deaths from all types of cancer compared to whites. According to an article in the August issue of...
Victorian naval medicine
The British Empire depended on its navy to survive and grow. For its operational success, the Royal Navy in turn depended on the health of its sailors, who were frequently...
Nine years later, twins lead separate but unequal lives
They were called "Las Dos Marias," the two Marias, playful 11-month-old twins from Guatemala who were born joined at the head. Nine years after a 23-hour operation at UCLA freed...
Excess weight in young adulthood predicts shorter lifespan
(Medical Xpress) -- Those 25-year-olds who are overweight now but think they will be fine as long as they lose weight eventually might need to reconsider. A study appearing online...
OPINION: Male infant circumcision: ‘safe, convenient, cheap and fast’
Male circumcision in infancy is safe and has no evidence of adverse effects on sexual function, Brian J. Morris argues.
Plasma treatment to use patient's proteins to improve medical device biocompatibility
Sticking a patient's own proteins onto medical devices should help stop rejection of implants
Time to clear up misconceptions about Alzheimer's
The general perception of Alzheimers disease, including the dominant theory about what causes it, needs to shift, according to an editorial co-written by a Penn State College of Medicine faculty...
Obese Women Can't Avoid Media's Stigma
Cultural hatred of fat trumps supportive friends and family for obese women.
Man wants Alberta to fund U.S. brain surgery
A Fort McMurray man wants the province to pay for brain surgery at an American clinic that he says saved his life.
Newborn died due to staff shortage, anesthesiologist says
A shortage of anesthesiologists at Victoria General Hospital may have contributed to the death of a newborn delivered by caesarean section, a doctor claims.
New asthma risk gene emerges from study of diverse populations
(Medical Xpress) -- Asthma rates in the United States are higher among African Americans and Latinos in comparison to European Americans, but the causes of asthma in all populations still...