Latest science news in Health & Medicine
N.S. to be swine flu ready
Nova Scotia's premier and minister of health vowed Thursday to act quickly to make sure the province is ready to deal with a swine flu pandemic.
NIH study finds low short-term risks after bariatric surgery for extreme obesity
Short-term complications and death rates were low following bariatric surgery to limit the amount of food that can enter the stomach, decrease absorption of food or both, according to the...
Key To Malaria Susceptibility In Children Discovered
Researchers have solved the mystery of why some children are more susceptible to malaria infection and anemia. These novel findings suggest that some children who are exposed to Plasmodium falciparum...
Artificial Intelligence Used To Diagnose Metastatic Cancer
When doctors are managing care for women with breast cancer, the information available to them profoundly influences the type of care they recommend. Knowing whether a woman's cancer has metastasized,...
High Calcium Level In Arteries May Signal Serious Heart Attack Risk
Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease using coronary calcium scoring, according to a new study.
Texas Hospital Flexing Muscle in Health Fight
A major source of campaign contributions for Senate Democrats is a physician-owned hospital that is trying to soften health care legislation.
Cytoplasmic Talk Of Retroviruses, Such As HIV, Helps Them Spread From Cell To Cell
Retroviruses such as HIV that are already within cells are much more easily transmitted when they are next to uninfected cells than if they are floating free in the bloodstream....
Smokeless tobacco safer than smoking
Smokeless tobacco products, as used in Europe and North America, do not appear to increase cancer risk. A large meta-analysis, published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, has shown...
UCSF team focuses on patient safety in ambulatory care system
Health care experts at the University of California, San Francisco highlight in a new report the hidden risks and complexities that compromise patient safety for ambulatory patients with chronic disease...
Give young priority for swine-flu antivirals: researchers
Antiviral drugs for swine flu patients may be wasted on the elderly in some cases, but treating younger people could help save lives, Italian researchers say.
Researchers uncover one force behind the MYC oncogene in many cancers
DLX5, a gene crucial for embryonic development, promotes cancer by activating the expression of the known oncogene, MYC, according to researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center. Since the DLX5 gene...
Stress signals link pre-existing sickness with susceptibility to bacterial infection
Mitochondrial diseases disrupt the power generating machinery within cells and increase a person's susceptibility to bacterial infection, particularly in the lungs or respiratory tract. A new study published in Disease...
U.K. Issues 20-Pg. Paper on How to Tweet
Gov't Releases Guidelines for Civil Servants, Says Twitter Messages Should Be "Human and Credible"
Rush University Medical Center studies program to help older adults transition from hospital to home
In light of health care reform measures, Rush University Medical Center has launched a study of its program to help older adults transition from hospital to home.
Peer review by live blogging
A controversial paper suggesting a strong reducing agent can promote oxidation was rapidly tested in the blogosphere
Sticky nanotubes detect bacteria in seconds
Clever nanotubes promise to make spotting bacterial infections as easy as testing for pH
Rural women battle overwork
A survey has found that country women are the most overworked and stressed Australians, possibly due to long hours and commutes.
Trade liberalisation linked to obesity in Central America
Since trade liberalisation between Central and North America, imports and availability of processed, high-fat and high-sugar foods have increased dramatically. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Globalization and...
Researchers Team Up to Provide New Hope for Childhood Hunger
A St. Louis-based team of plant and physician-scientists with a vision of eradicating malnutrition throughout the developing world today announced the formation of the Global Harvest Alliance (GHA), a humanitarian...
Health Policy Now Carved Out at a More Centrist Table
The health system overhaul largely rests on six senators who have tossed aside core Democratic priorities like a government-run plan.
Vital Signs: Risks: Ovary Removal Linked to Increased Lung Cancer Risk
Women who underwent hysterectomies who had their ovaries removed were at nearly double the risk of developing lung cancer.
Woman was Alberta's 5th swine-flu fatality
A middle-aged woman in the Calgary area who had swine flu and other health issues died earlier this month - the fifth fatality in Alberta linked to the H1N1 virus.
Study ties sunlight to brain function
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 27 (UPI) -- A lack of sunlight can lead to reduced mental performance, not just mood disorders, among depressed people, a U.S. university study said Thursday.
Swine Flu Diary: Caught in a Beijing Dragnet
A daughter is quarantined in China’s “swine flu dragnet” after falling ill.
Personal Health: A Twisted Ankle Isn’t Just a Simple Sprain
Mistreating a sprained ankle could lead to lasting weakness, an unstable joint and repeated sprains.
Global Update: Eye Disease: Three More Countries Reach Goal on Limiting Blinding Trachoma as a Threat
Three nations are the latest to declare that they have eliminated blinding trachoma as a public health problem in their countries.
China Presses Quarantine Against Flu
The Chinese have quarantined flu sufferers even though an international health official said the illness was already so widespread that “containment is not a feasible option.”.
Essay: To Overhaul the System, ‘Health’ Needs Redefining
An important question in efforts to determine the benefit-to-harm ratio of medical tests and procedures.