Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Cause of cerebral malaria growth found
BALTIMORE, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have discovered what drives the development of cerebral malaria -- a fatal form of the disease that occurs mostly...
Robot-assisted surgery repairs fistulas
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. urologic surgeons say they have successfully used robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery to repair abnormal openings between the bladder and vagina.
'Chilling' Hardship Rates Among Families Raising Disabled Children
Families with disabled children are struggling to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads, and to pay for needed health and dental care. But according to a...
Bacterial Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths In 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The majority of deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers. Instead, most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza...
Stronger Label Sought for Diabetes Drug Byetta
Federal regulators are working on a stronger label for a widely used diabetes drug, Byetta, after deaths continue to be reported despite earlier government warnings.
Switching It Up: How Memory Deals with a Chamge in Plans
How do our brains switch so elegantly and quickly from one well-entrenched plan to a newer one in reaction to a sudden change in circumstances?
Newly Discovered Air Pollutants May Cause Lung Problems
Cancer, cardiopulmonary diseases might be tied to persistent free radicals, study says
Cells in eye could help control sleep
(PhysOrg.com) -- A set of nerve cells in the eye control our levels of sleepiness according to the brightness of our surroundings, Oxford University researchers have discovered. The cells directly...
Leroy Sievers, 53; journalist blogged for NPR about his battle with cancer
Leroy Sievers, a broadcast journalist who candidly and poignantly commented on the disease that would take his life in My Cancer, a popular National Public Radio blog, has...
Combined treatment helps hyper kids
Medication combined with low intensity therapy is the most effective method of treating kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a study has found.
Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow
Cocoa flavanols, the unique compounds found naturally in cocoa, may increase blood flow to the brain, according to new research published in the Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment journal. The researchers...
Bipolar illness linked with abnormal genes
BOSTON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A team of U.S.-led scientists says it has found genetic abnormalities that balance sodium and calcium in brain cells linked with bipolar disease.
New immunization strategy could halve the doses for stopping computer virus spreading
Researchers have developed a new immunization strategy that requires up to 50% fewer immunization doses compared with the current most efficient strategy. The new strategy could be used to prevent...
Potential Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Cure Found In Century-old Drug
A century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Used at a very low concentration -- about the equivalent of a few...
When the patient can't decide
Family members are often called upon to make medical choices for patients who are unable to do so themselves. Researchers led by Alexia Torke, M.D., of the Indiana University School...
'CSI effect' draws more women to forensics
An Associated Press review of accredited forensic science programs in the United States found about 75 percent of graduates are women, an increase from about 64 percent in 2000.
Targeted Drug Therapy Found Effective In Patients With Common Form Of Immune-mediated Kidney Disease
The drug rituximab causes considerable kidney injury healing in patients with membranous nephropathy, a common form of kidney disease, according to a new study. The results suggest that this condition,...
Blood protects against long-gone killer 1918 flu
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly a century after history's most lethal flu faded away, survivors' bloodstreams still carry super-potent protection against the 1918 virus, demonstrating the remarkable...
TV remains top source of news even as online grows
(AP) -- Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey...
Bird flu hopes from 1918 victims
Scientists say victims of the 1918 flu virus that killed 50m still have protection, which may help in new bird flu treatments.
Stigma of mental illness common among Canadians: report
Canadian attitudes toward mental illness are a cause for concern, the Canadian Medical Association said Monday in releasing its annual report card on health care.
Patients Reluctant To Change Surgeons Despite Lure Of Shorter Wait Times
A new study in CMAJ has found that, despite the possibility of shorter waiting times for surgery, a majority of patients were unlikely to consider changing surgeons.
Massaging Muscles Facilitates Recovery After Exercise
Researchers testing the long-held theory that therapeutic massage can speed recovery after a sports injury have found early scientific evidence of the healing effects of massage. The scientists have determined...
Synthetic Molecules Could Add Spice to Fight Against Cancer
Researchers are combining organic chemistry, computer-aided design and molecular biology techniques in developing and testing pharmaceutical compounds that can fight breast and prostate cancer cells. The synthetic molecules are derived...
Future remains uncertain for Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital
A year after the hospital ended emergency and inpatient care, the University of California is still trying to decide if it wants to take over. ...
Mexico drug war's costs, risks exported to U.S.
Officers and others wounded across the border are increasingly being transferred to an El Paso hospital. ...
City of Angels' admissions issues cited four years ago, L.A. County report says
In 2004, state and county inspectors noted inappropriate practices at the medical center that is now being sued for providing unnecessary services to patients recruited on skid row. ...
Chemists move closer toward developing safer, fully-synthetic form of heparin
Chemists are reporting a major advance toward developing a safer, fully-synthetic version of heparin, the widely used blood thinner now produced from pig intestines. The U. S. Food and Drug...