Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Private room intensive care units associated with lower infection rates
Converting hospital intensive care units to private rooms is associated with a reduction in the rate at which patients acquire infections, according to a new study.
Assange Vows to Step Up WikiLeaks Work
Controversial Website's Founder Appears for Procedural Hearing in U.K. in Fight to Avoid Sex Charge Extradition
Delivering a potent cancer drug with nanoparticles can lessen side effects
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have shown that they can deliver the cancer drug cisplatin much more effectively and safely in a form that has been encapsulated...
Implant appears effective for treating inflammatory disease within the eye
An implant that releases the medication dexamethasone within the eye appears safe and effective for the treatment of some types of uveitis (swelling and inflammation in the eye's middle layer),...
Anti-epileptic drugs associated with increased risk of fracture in older adults
Most anti-epileptic drugs are associated with an increased risk of non-traumatic fracture in individuals 50 years of age and older, according to a new study.
Stem cell therapy for macular degeneration
The FDA has approved a new study aimed at fighting dry age-related macular degeneration.About 10 million Americans suffer some degree of vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration, and that...
Exercise Can't Undo the Damage of Too Much Screen Time
Spending more than four hours a day sitting in front of a television or computer more than doubles your risk of dying from or being hospitalized for heart disease
No decline in US abortion rate
The number of abortions in the United States stayed at about the same level in 2008 as three years earlier, leveling off after a long period of decline, a survey...
Many recommendations within practice guidelines not supported by high-quality evidence
More than half of the recommendations in current practice guidelines for infectious disease specialists are based on opinions from experts rather than on evidence from clinical trials, according to a...
Nursing home closures clustered in poor, minority areas
Nursing home closures eliminated about 5 percent of available beds between 1998 and 2008, with closures concentrated in minority and poor communities, according to a report posted online today that...
Statin risks may outweigh benefits for patients with a history of brain haemorrhage
A computer decision model suggests that for patients with a history of bleeding within the brain, the risk of recurrence associated with statin treatment may outweigh the benefit of the...
Victims of moose crashes sue N.L. government
A St. John's lawyer has filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the provincial government is responsible for injuries and deaths cause by road collisions with moose.
Vanderbilt physicians urge caution as children go sledding
(PhysOrg.com) -- As schools throughout the area remain closed today, Vanderbilt physicians urge caution as children go sledding.
Nationwide Children's Hospital Awarded $11.5 Million Contract Extension for Biospecimen Banking
Nationwide Children's Hospital was awarded $11.5 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) late last year to continue its role as one of two Biospecimen Core Resources (BCR) for The...
Swine flu offers 'super immunity'
People who recover from swine flu may be left with an extraordinary natural ability to fight off flu viruses, scientists say
Recipes for Health: Farro and Vegetable Soup
Parmesan rinds substitute for ham bones in this version of a Provençal staple.
New medical research body urged to speed up drug trial approvals
Health Research Agency will be one-stop-shop for researchers who have long complained about bureaucracyAndrew Lansley, the health secretary, today welcomes proposals for a new body that will speed up applications by scientists to...
Steering cancer inflammation to inhibit tumor growth and spread
Most cancer tissues are invaded by inflammatory cells that either stimulate or inhibit the growth of the tumor, depending on what immune cells are involved. Now a Swedish-Belgian research team...
Viral evasion gene reveals new targets for eliminating chronic infections
Researchers in Australia have discovered how a key viral gene helps viruses evade early detection by the immune system. Their finding is providing new insights into how viruses are able...
Doubt on Anti-Aging Molecule as Drug Trial Stops
There is a divergence of views on resveratrol, the minor ingredient of red wine that some researchers see as a drug that can extend life.
Are FDA Scientists Ready for Food Safety Law?
An ambitious new food-safety law aims to shift the focus of the U.S. Food...
Heart group: Require students to get CPR training
DALLAS (AP) -- Learning CPR at school has given 14-year-old Olivia Frierson more confidence when she babysits or helps out at a church nursery....
Britain boosts funds for hepatitis C-infected patients
The British government said Monday it was providing up to 130 million pounds in extra funds for people infected with hepatitis C through blood supplied by the state-run health service.
Preventing Heart Risks at the Root: Childhood
Two studies suggest that the road to hypertension and heart disease starts in childhood and that prevention should start there, too.
Aggressive care raises Medicare costs in end-stage dementia
A large proportion of Medicare expenditures for nursing home residents with advanced dementia, a terminal illness, is spent on aggressive treatments that may be avoidable and of limited clinical benefit,...
Why do preterm deliveries pose cardiovascular risks for moms?
As the rate of preterm delivery rises accounting for 12.5 percent of all U.S. births a Michigan State University epidemiologist is using a $3.7 million federal grant to...
Online drug buyers targeted in extortion scam
Some people who have purchased drugs from online pharmacies are now finding themselves victims of extortion, warns the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.
Watch humidifier use with babies: MDs
Babies' lungs may not be handle the particles released by some humidifiers that parents use to try to ease the misery of a child's cold or flu, pediatricians say.