Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Britain's First Swine-flu Trials Under Way
Britain’s first swine flu vaccine trials are taking place at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Warning Over Codeine Use After Tonsillectomy
A report warns the use of codeine to treat pain following a tonsillectomy could prove fatal for some children. A Canadian doctor zeroed in on the danger after investigating the...
Study: Vaccinating school kids best to stop flu
WASHINGTON (AP) -- New research says the best way to protect society's most vulnerable from the flu: Vaccinate school-age children and their parents....
2nd lead poisoning case hits China, 1,300 sick
(AP) -- China detained two factory officials after 1,300 children were poisoned by pollution from a manganese processing plant, state media said Thursday, days after emissions from a lead...
Zombie attack would be the death of us: study
Board up the windows of that abandoned hospital is you must, but if zombies begin infecting the population, Canadian researchers don't hold out much hope for our survival.
New study finds links between video-game playing and health risks in adults
While video gaming is generally perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, research shows that the average age of players in the United States is 35. Investigators from...
Folic Acid: Mandatory Fortification May Be Unnecessary
Persistently present levels of unmetabolized folic acid found in the population indicate that introducing mandatory food fortification may result in an "overdosing" effect. A study of blood donors, new mothers...
Researchers find labour induction need not increase caesarean risk
Contrary to a belief widely held by obstetricians, inducing labour need not increase a woman's risk for caesarean section delivery in childbirth, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco...
Getting It Straight on Gay Mental Health
Homosexuals are twice as likely as heterosexuals to seek help from mental health professionals.
Cellular crosstalk linked to lung disease
Crosstalk between cells lining the lung (epithelial cells) and airway smooth muscle cells is important in lung development. However, it has also been shown to contribute to several lung diseases,...
Mexican health care reform has been convoluted and ineffective
A Policy Forum published in this week's open access journal PLoS Medicine argues that twenty-five years of health care reforms in Mexico have increased insurance coverage but have not resulted...
To contract or not to contract: Decision controlled by 2 microRNAs
The walls of blood vessels contain muscle cells known as vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). These cells contract and relax to modulate blood pressure and distribute blood to the areas...
Officials And Public Urged To Use Latest Evidence As Guide In H1N1 Prevention And Protection Procedures
As flu season draws nearer along with the potential for resurgence in H1N1, leading infectious diseases doctors, hospital epidemiologists, and infection preventionists urge officials to base recommendations for the public...
Novel Treatment Reduces Swollen Livers
A novel treatment strategy for patients with many cysts in their liver led to a surprising result. A six month treatment with a synthetic gastrointestinal hormone lanreotide significantly decreased swollen...
Public Overestimates Benefits Of Cancer Screening, Survey Finds
A public survey conducted in Europe found that the vast majority of people overestimate the life-saving benefits of breast and prostate cancer screening, according to a new study.
Study: Ibuprofen is best for kids with broken arms
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Kids with a broken arm do better on a simple over-the-counter painkiller than on a more powerful prescription combination that includes a narcotic,...
Europe Offers Vaccinations to Contain Swine Flu
European governments are preparing for a large-scale vaccination effort aimed at keeping a second, and possibly deadlier, wave of infections at bay.
Diabetes Case Shows Pitfalls of Treatment Rules
A guideline calling for aggressive control of blood sugar was withdrawn after a study suggested that such action could harm or even kill some patients.
Research points to new target for stopping colon cancer
New research led by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have found a drug target that suggests a potent way to kill colon...
Rainmakers get budget ax in Nevada
Nevada will lose enough water to supply 130,000 households annually because the state's cloud-seeding program is being closed due to budget cuts.
Survey Reveals Binge Drinking Among Older Adults
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the largest surveys of substance use has found a remarkable amount of binge-drinking among older Americans. The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, were...
P.E.I. sand safe: health officials
P.E.l. health officials say beaches are safe, as long as people wash their hands after playing in the sand.
Alberta health officials ready for swine-flu outbreak
Alberta would be ready to postpone elective surgeries and call on retired doctors and nurses if the swine flu pandemic hits the province hard this fall.
Vital Signs: Patterns: Do Real Men Go to the Doctor?
Men who endorsed old-school notions of masculinity were far less likely to seek preventive health services than other men.
Vital Signs: Early Cancers Increase Diabetes Risk
Children who received radiation treatments for cancer were at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes as adults.
Global Update: Romania: Supply of AIDS Drugs Running Low Where Epidemic Had Been Controlled
Romania, which has been lauded for tackling its AIDS epidemic, is facing shortages of antiretroviral drugs because of the global recession.
A Book Doctors Can’t Close
Thirty years after its initial publication, “The House of God,” a raunchy, troubling and hilarious novel that turned into a cult phenomenon, is still part of the medical conversation.
India upgrades its disease surveillance network
Microbiologist Udaiveer Rana talks about the country's revamped disease institute.