Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Genes And The Environment Contribute Differently To Drinking Among Young Adolescents
A 2001/2002 report by the World Health Organization found that, among young people in western countries who began drinking before 16 years of age, the average age of initiation was...
Teens Think They Have Asthma Under Control, But Benefit From New Approach To Treatment
Two studies that offer new insights to help adolescents and younger children improve their asthma control were recently conducted. One study found that teens with asthma dramatically overestimate their ability...
Protein 'Nixes' Mitochrondria, Prompts Maturation Of Red Blood Cells
A process of self-digestion called autophagy prompts the maturation of red blood cells. Without a protein called Nix, the cells would not effectively rid themselves of organelles called mitochondria and...
Mutation makes bubonic plague more lethal
CHICAGO, May 5 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say bubonic plague bacteria might be more virulent than other illness-causing bacteria because of a genetic mutation.
Mothers Less Likely To Pursue HPV Vaccination For Youngest Daughters
Because the first national study of its kind has found that US mothers report they are less likely to vaccinate daughters under age 13 against human papillomavirus virus, even though...
Bacterial slime helps cause serious disease
Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Now research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology shows for the first time...
Step closer to safer cancer treatment
The discovery of a protein, which can be targeted by cancer drugs, could lead to treatments that only kill tumour cells and leave healthy ones intact.
Getting wise to the influenza virus' tricks
Influenza is currently a grave concern for governments and health organisations around the world. The worry is the potential for highly virulent bird flu strains, such as H5N1, to develop...
Scientists identify genomic 'fingerprint' for alcohol-induced heart failure
A person with dilated cardiomyopathy has an enlarged and stretched heart cavity, usually too weak to pump normally; most people will go on to develop heart failure. While clinicians...
Young Children Hospitalized For Flu Associated With Higher Costs And Higher Risk Illness
The high costs of hospitalizing young children for influenza creates a significant economic burden in the United States, underscoring the importance of preventive flu shots for children and the people...
Alcoholism Is Not Just A 'Man's Disease' Anymore
A new examination of data on similarly aged groups, compared across decades, has found substantial increases in drinking and alcohol dependence among women. Increases were particularly notable among white and...
24 Chinese children die of virus; other countries affected
(AP) -- A common illness that typically causes little more than a fever and rash has killed 24 children in China, and health officials fear the worst may be yet...
Part II: Straining to progress, as family challenges mount
(AP) -- Day 1 at Project Walk fell on their 13th wedding anniversary. In years past, John and Marci Pou might have gone to dinner. Instead, in a strange place...
Treatment Advances For Fibroids, Menopause
Women with fibroids and endometriosis facing the possibility of hysterectomy may now choose less invasive treatment options to preserve fertility, according to a Yale professor presenting at the American College...
Vitamin D eased his chronic pain
I've had chronic pain in my lower back, pelvis, hips and legs for nearly four years. Lying flat was agony, so I slept propped up in a love seat.
Engineer Develops Thermosuit For Rapid Cooling Of Critically Ill Patients
A biomedical engineering professor has launched a company to market a unique system he co-invented that rapidly reduces one's body temperature in emergency situations to aid in recovering from heart...
Hospital data left open online
SAN FRANCISCO, May 3 (UPI) -- A security breach may have exposed patients at a California university hospital to medical identity theft, an expert on privacy issues says.
Part I: Hunting for a miracle, grasping at a chance
(AP) -- It was only a chair, but it had become his purgatory. Each day that John Pou spent in the wheelchair, his spirit seemed to die a little more....
Poor sanitation 'increases risk' of bacterial disease
Lack of sanitation increase the risk of the bacterial infection Leptospirosis, a Brazilian study has found.
Study identifies rapid obesity increase in Jamaica
A study has identified rapid increases in obesity in Jamaica, compared with Nigeria and the United States.
Fixing Up 'This Old House' May Increase Exposure To Lead In Young
Ripping out and tearing down to create a divinely designed home, a la HGTV, is all the rage today -- and the economic downturn may be leading more families to...
Free Radical Link Suggested Between Pollution And Asthma
Free radical pollution in the air could be a cause of asthma. Chemists have discovered that the atmospheric nitrate radical irreversibly damages amino acids, which are the building blocks for...
Uninsured Kids In Middle Class Have Same Unmet Needs As Poor
Nationwide, uninsured children in families earning between $38,000 and $77,000 annually are nearly as likely to forgo health care as uninsured children in poorer families. More than 40 percent of...
Arch supports may not always protect against knee problems
A study tracks runners and walkers and finds that over-the-counter orthotics can place more force on knee joints, contributing to osteoarthritis in that area. ...
No lack of physician treatment guidelines
Doctors looking for advice on treating patients can go to such sites as those offered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Guideline Clearinghouse. ...
Diabetes' effects on pregnancy and babies
Women who have diabetes before pregnancy may have problems with their blood-sugar control throughout the pregnancy, says Jean Lawrence, the lead author of the recent study and a research scientist...
Costs of overtreating patients
Doctors aiming to be more 'safe than sorry' with unwarranted tests and treatments can increase costs and worry. ...
FDA approves HeartMate II mechanical heart pump for heart-failure patients
Heart failure patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center were among the first to be implanted with the HeartMate® II LVAS (Left Ventricular Assist System) -- a miniature mechanical pump...