Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Outfoxing Pox: Developing A New Class Of Vaccine Candidates
Scientists have taken a fresh look at cowpox. Their findings demonstrate that this ancient pathogen still has much to teach us, and may hasten development of novel vaccines against smallpox...
Placebo Effect's Neural Activity Photographed for First Time
Researchers used fMRI scans to spot the placebo effect at work in specific spinal cord cells Medicine has increasingly looked to the placebo effect's seemingly mysterious power to make people feel better in...
HPV vaccinations to be completed in some N.B. schools
The Department of Health will complete the human papillomavirus vaccinations already started for young women in Saint John and Fredericton, despite cancelling the program this year.
Research shows treating HIV-AIDS with interleukin-2 is ineffective
An international research team has demonstrated that treating HIV-AIDS with interleukin-2 (IL-2) is ineffective. As a result, the researchers recommend that clinical trials on this compound be stopped. Their finding...
Cost effectiveness of blood pressure device evaluated
A study conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Centre demonstrates that, for certain patient populations, an experimental device that lowers blood pressure may be a cost effective treatment. The...
FDA to study negative effects of Lasik eye surgery
(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration announced plans Thursday to study the scope of problems connected with laser eye-correcting surgery, which include blurred vision and dry eyes.
New research reveals 41 percent increase in children's short stay hospital admissions
The number of children being admitted to hospitals in England for short stays increased by 41 per cent between 1996 and 2006, according to research published in PLoS One today....
Paradigm shift needed to combat drug resistance
When people travel, bacteria and other infectious agents travel with them. As about a billion people cross international borders each year, many more billions of the bugs come along for...
News in red and blue: Messages about social factors and health can backfire
Here's a health idea that Democrats and Republicans agree on: when given information on the genetic factors that cause diabetes, both parties equally supported public health policies to prevent the...
Researchers identify promising therapeutic target for central nervous system injuries
Scars can serve as double-edged swords in spinal cord injuries - saving a victim's life, but sealing his or her fate as a paraplegic or quadriplegic. The scar forms a...
Bans on Smoking Reduce Heart Attacks and Disease
A report issued by the Institute of Medicine concluded that secondhand smoke significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Unusual bacteria help balance the immune system in mice
Medical researchers have long suspected that obscure bacteria living within the intestinal tract may help keep the human immune system in balance. An international collaboration co-led by scientists at NYU...
Loss of Tumor-Suppressor and DNA-Maintenance Proteins Causes Tissue Demise, Penn Study Finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- A study published in the October issue of Nature Genetics demonstrates that loss of the tumor-suppressor protein p53, coupled with elimination of the DNA-maintenance protein ATR, severely disrupts...
Physical therapists play integral role in prevention, risk reduction, and treatment of lymphedema
As breast cancer awareness month is observed during October, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is hoping to shine a spotlight on lymphedema, a chronic, debilitating and often irreversible side...
Mayo Clinic clinicians develop new decision aid tool to help type 2 diabetes patients
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic clinicians and designers, along with colleagues from other institutions, have developed and tested a tool to involve patients more in their diabetes treatment and medication...
Vital Signs: Awareness: Prodding People to Wash Their Hands in Restrooms
Signs with simple reminders seem to induce men and women to clean with soap in water, a British study found.
Another Second Hand Smoke Study
While I can appreciate the usefulness of smoking bans, especially as it relates to non-smokers (or even smokers for that matter). I'm not convinced that the science is establishing a...
The Non-Tragedy of the Commons
The 2009 Nobel Prize for economics is a useful reminder of how easy it is for scientists to go wrong, especially when their mistake jibes with popular beliefs or political...
US Special Forces Field-Testing Plasma Knife
Emergency medical care for soldiers wounded on the battlefield has come a long way since Hawkeye and Hot Lips. But for Special Forces troopers operating deep behind enemy lines, that care often remains...
New Evidence Shakes up Perceptions of Salt
(PhysOrg.com) -- As the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are currently under development and regulations surrounding sodium consumption are being considered, an analysis of evidence to be released online Thursday,...
Instant Expert: the Return of Swine Flu
The Big Question: How many people will it infect this year? Flu season in the Southern Hemisphere is almost over—and now it’s heading back our way. At the time this issue...
Swine Flu in Swine: Flu Could Worsen; Industry at Risk
It's only a matter of time before swine flu jumps to U.S. pigs, experts say. Scientists say H1N1 could strengthen while in the animals, while farmers—already battered by the perception that pork is...
New Mathematical Model More Accurately Diagnoses Acute Heart Failure In Emergency Rooms
Researchers have developed the first mathematical model in cardiology and emergency medicine to more quickly and reliably diagnose acute heart failure in emergency room patients. Research findings have been shown...
South Africa needs an HIV/AIDS truth commission
A truth commission can account for South Africa's past HIV/AIDS denialist policies and rebuild trust, says AIDS expert, Salim S. Abdool Karim.
Treatment not testicular cancer poses greatest risk to survivors' long-term health
Testicular cancer survivors can face an increased risk of long-term illness, not because of the malignancy, but the highly effective treatment they receive, according to a study in the urology...
SAfrica to limit trans fats as heart disease rises
(AP) -- South Africa's health department says it will draft regulations aimed at reducing the trans fats South Africans consume.
Tracking lowers risky dose
Researchers have created a way to easily track how much radiation patients are exposed to in medical scans, preventing ‘dose creep’.
Meat and milk stop anaemia
Recent research has found that changing a toddler’s diet is enough to combat iron deficiency – which can slow brain development.