Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Striving To Break The Link Between Obesity And Diabetes
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are inextricably linked, but biochemist and geneticist Ling Qi is working to break that connection. Finding just the right gene could do it, says one...
Depression And Diabetes: Fellow Travelers, Researchers Say
Researchers have long known that type 2 diabetes and depression often go hand in hand. However, it's been unclear which condition develops first in patients who end up with both....
Illnesses improve with excess weight loss
NEW YORK, June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say gastric band patients losing less than half of their excess weight within a year of surgery experience dramatically improved...
New Cancer Treatment Targets Both Tumor Cells And Blood Vessels
It takes more than one punch to fight tumors. Often, tumors have more than one way of surviving, and attacking the tumor alone is not enough. Now, in a new...
"Gay Genes" May Be Good for Women
DNA responsible for homosexuality makes straight women more attracted to men, researchers say
Herpes may trigger unusual form of diabetes: study
LONDON (Reuters) - A common herpes virus might trigger an unusual form of type 2 diabetes found in sub-Saharan Africa that is characterized by rapid onset of disease, French researchers...
Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the...
FDA OKs breathing device used by Christopher Reeve
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a medical device tested about five years ago on actor Christopher Reeve to help him breathe without a ventilator....
Effective Health Messages May Yield Vaccine Compliance Among ER Workers
Researchers are looking into the minds of ER workers to see what prevents them from getting vaccinated. Healthy first responders will be crucial to caring for the sick in the...
Infant play drives chimpanzee respiratory disease cycles
The signature boom-bust cycling of childhood respiratory diseases was long attributed to environmental cycling. However, the effect of school holidays on rates of social contact amongst children is increasingly seen...
Mobile heart recovery made possible
Scientists have combined a mobile phone, a miniature heart monitor, and a GPS device in a system to help the many heart patients who miss out on rehabilitation.
Docs don't buy 'secret shoppers'
CHICAGO, June 17 (UPI) -- Doctors on an American Medical Association panel in Chicago said they oppose the use of 'secret shoppers' to evaluate medical services.
Serum Sodium Predicts Mortality 10 Times Higher In PAH Patients
Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension -- chronically high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs -- whose serum sodium levels are low have a very poor chance of...
'Hazardous Drinking' May Be A New 'Check Stop' On The Way To Alcohol Dependence
Current diagnostic guides divide alcohol-use disorders into two categories: alcohol abuse/harmful use and alcohol dependence. Some researchers and clinicians believe this is insufficient, that there should be a third, preceding...
Anti-inflammatory Effects Of Pomegranate In Rabbits: A Potential Treatment In Humans?
Oral ingestion of pomegranate extract reduces the production of chemicals that cause inflammation. The findings indicate that pomegranate extract may provide humans with relief of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Study indicates grape seed extract may reduce cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease
A compound found in grape seed extract reduces plaque formation and resulting cognitive impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, new research shows. The study appears in the June...
Get A Little Sun This Summer -- It Could Help Save Your Life, Researcher Suggests
As summer comes and people across America get ready to start slathering on the sunscreen, a note of caution is in order -- a little sunshine is good for you....
Gonorrhea, chlamydia increasing among Alberta youth
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among young people in Alberta, according to new figures released by the province's health department Monday.
Flood health risks exist, but common sense rules
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Public health threats rise to the surface during a flood like the one in the Midwest with animal waste runoff from farms and overflowing city sewer lines....
VIDEO: China's "Kingdom of Women"
In the matriarchal Mosuo culture of southwestern China, women own property and determine family relationships. But this so-called free-love society is under threat from modernization.
Miramichi hospital had 'enough significant problems' to warrant changes, inquiry told
How Miramichi Regional Hospital is operated may have contributed to pathology misdiagnoses at the centre of a public inquiry, a former executive for northeastern New Brunswick hospital testified Tuesday.
One-third of people shot by Taser need medical attention: probe
About one in three people shot with a Taser by the RCMP receive injuries that require medical attention, according to a joint investigation by CBC News/Radio-Canada and the Canadian Press.
Edmonton-area dentist tests positive for hepatitis B
Public health officials are contacting 1,400 patients of an Edmonton-area dentist after he tested positive for the hepatitis B virus, Capital Health said Tuesday.
AMA takes no action on tobacco bill challenge
CHICAGO (AP) -- Is menthol a flavor that should be banned from cigarettes? That's a tricky question, according to the American Medical Association whose members on Tuesday found themselves opposing...
Inherited melanoma risk: What you do know does help you
When people know the results of genetic tests confirming they have inherited an increased risk of developing melanoma, they follow skin cancer screening recommendations more proactively—much like those who have...
Syphilis study yields important findings
ATLANTA, June 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists studying syphilis bacteria say they have found genetic variations that could have significant clinical and epidemiological importance.
Eat (Chocolate), Drink (Coffee) and be Merry
Stumped at the café? Go for a mocha. According to new research, the tasty beverage provides a double-whammy of health benefits: chocolate may slow cancer growth, and java could help...
New weight loss diet recommends high-carb and protein big breakfast
Researchers have found a possible way to overcome the common problem of dieters eventually abandoning their diet and regaining the weight they lost. Eat a big breakfast packed with carbohydrates...