Latest science news in Health & Medicine
A Simple Therapy For Brain Injury
Severe brain injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by application of a simple polymer, polyethylene glycol or PEG, mixed in sterile water and injected into the blood...
How Effective Are Underage Drinking Prevention Programs?
Underage drinking is a national concern that led the US surgeon general to issue a "Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking" last year. Now, a new report...
Disclosure Of Organ Transplant Risks: A Question Of When, Not If
Physicians and bioethicists are calling for a new, more standardized way for patients in need of organ transplants to be informed of the risks they face. If adopted, their policy...
Drug Treatment For Marfan Syndrome Looks Promising
A small study in 18 patients assessing the effectiveness of the drug losartan for treating Marfan syndrome in children has yielded encouraging results. Reporting in the New England Journal of...
US advisory panel OK's 2 new combination vaccines
(AP) -- A federal advisory panel on Thursday endorsed two new combination vaccines designed to reduce the number of needle sticks that young children must endure to get the...
Nanotubes could help study retrovirus transmission between human cells
Recent findings by medical researchers indicate that naturally occurring nanotubes may serve as tunnels that protect retroviruses and bacteria in transit from diseased to healthy cells — a fact that...
Morbid Thoughts Whet The Appetite
Can watching TV news or crime shows trigger overeating? According to new research, people who are thinking about their own deaths want to consume more.
Complementary Medicines Can Help Mild Depression And Premenstrual Syndrome, But Report Warns Not All Products Are Harmless
Many people use "alternative" or complementary products because they see them as a more gentle form of medicine. Not all dietary supplements and 'alternative' products are harmless though; a new...
Salutary Pizza Spice: Oregano Helps Against Inflammations
Oregano doesn't only give a pizza its typical taste. Researchers have discovered that this spice also contains a substance which, amongst other qualities, appears to help cure inflammations. The researchers...
The high cost of low status
Feeling powerless can trigger strong desires to purchase products that convey high status, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Safer, more effective gene therapy
Athens, Ga. - The potential of gene therapy has long been hampered by the risks associated with using viruses as vectors to deliver healthy genes, but a new University...
NYC: Many 9/11 injury plaintiffs not seriously ill
(AP) -- Many of the thousands of people who have gone to court claiming ground zero-related illnesses don't have serious health problems, lawyers for the city claim in court...
Hurried Doctor Visits May Leave Patients Feeling Forgetful
Have you ever been whisked through a doctor's visit, and afterward were unable to remember what the doctor said? A University of Rochester Medical Center study disclosed that doctors don't...
New Glaucoma Procedure Aims To Prevent Further Eye Damage
Patients with glaucoma have a new treatment option known as the Trabectome. The minimally invasive procedure, which is available at Mayo Clinic and takes about 20 minutes, is designed to...
Gene test gives early alert for breast cancer
Mouth swab could have huge effect on NHS screening programme
The question: Are obesity pills a good idea?
Sarah Boseley: A pill to shed pounds would be a miracle. Unfortunately, diet drugs have a chequered history
Education, Income Affect Heart Attack Survival Rates
More schooling, more money linked to improved outcomes, study concludes
Diabetes vaccine shows promise in mice: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A novel experimental vaccine targeting key immune system cells prevents and reverses "new-onset" diabetes in a mouse model, researchers report.
Home-based cognitive behavioral therapy relieves IBS symptoms
Persons with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can relieve their symptoms as effectively by following a self-administered, at-home cognitive behavioral program as they can by undergoing a 10-week in-office program administered...
Researchers Invent Helmet that Significantly Reduces Direct Impact to Neck During Head-first Impact
University of British Columbia researchers have invented a sports helmet that reduces direct impact to the neck by up to 56 per cent, according to preliminary tests.
Kinder Lab Tests
Awww, how could anyone test experimental pharmaceuticals on that little face? A few new technologies -- substitute tissues, for instance -- aim to take the rat out of the equation,...
Prescribed Meds is Still Best Path to Alcoholism Recovery
Some drugs can reduce withdrawal symptoms and the urge to drink alcohol, but they will not work if patients stop taking them. A study by Columbia researchers found that while...
Canadians get more careful with their e-mail addresses: survey
Canadians are more likely to give out their e-mail address than their phone number as primary contact information, two separate studies indicated Wednesday.
High levels of urinary albumin in the normal range predict hypertension
Healthy individuals with higher levels of albumin excretion, even levels considered normal, are at increased risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a study appearing in the October...
Test to prevent back breaks
An Australian physiotherapist has developed a test that measures spinal variations in order to identify and help people at risk of breaking their backs.
Hearts fail more in winter
The number of heart failure hospitalisations and deaths increase in winter and are lowest in summer, despite the overwhelming heat, a study has found.
Health insurance lags most in Southwest, CDC says
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Southwest has the lowest health insurance coverage in the country, with 30 percent of non-elderly adults and 18 percent of children uninsured, according to a new...
Immune Cells Cause Inflammation By Destroying An Anti-inflammatory Protein
Among the first cells of the immune system to respond to microorganisms that invade our body are neutrophils. Although neutrophils are considered the "good guys" in such circumstances, they also...