Latest science news in Health & Medicine
White House Team Joins Talks on Health Care Bill
Senior White House officials met with senators to help combine two health care measures into one.
Study Finds 52 Percent Lower Chance Of Dying At Top-rated Hospitals
The largest annual study of patient outcomes at each of the nation's 5,000 nonfederal hospitals found a wide gap in quality between the nation's best hospitals and all others. According...
Technique tracks eye tumors without biopsy
SHANGHAI, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Chinese ophthalmologists say they've found non-invasive bioluminescence imaging can reveal eye tumors sooner and without having to resort to biopsy.
Study: Cancer may pass from mother to unborn child
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has provided genetic evidence for the first time that it is possible for a mother to transmit cancer to her unborn child via the placenta.
Study questions need for routine intervention in patients with renovascular disease
Some invasive procedures that are becoming increasingly common as a first line of treatment for patients diagnosed with narrowed arteries in and around the kidneys may not be necessary, according...
Loss of tumour supressor gene essential to transforming benign nerve tumours into cancers
Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre showed for the first time that the loss or decreased expression of the tumour suppressor gene PTEN plays a central role in the...
Canadian blood supply future uncertain as population ages: Study
The Canadian blood supply relies heavily on a small number of donors - with young adults donating at higher rates - which may prove problematic as the population ages, according...
Study identifies significant savings on venous leg ulcer dressings
The UK National Health Service could save millions of pounds a year by routinely using inexpensive dressings to treat venous leg ulcers, after a study published in the October issue...
Pitt researchers find candidates for new HIV drugs
While studying an HIV protein that plays an essential role in AIDS progression, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered compounds that show promise as novel...
New Old Drug Fights Colon Cancer
Scientists have shown that a common antibiotic can suppress the growth of colon cancer polyps in mice.
No such thing as 'junk RNA,' say Pitt researchers
Tiny strands of RNA previously dismissed as cellular junk are actually very stable molecules that may play significant roles in cellular processes, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh...
Researchers Recommend Using Jails to Help, Not Punish, the Homeless
(PhysOrg.com) -- Jails could be a point of strategic intervention in helping homeless people access treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems, according to a study at the University...
Intensive care procedure saves lives: Swine flu study
A research team has warned medical experts in the Northern Hemisphere not to underestimate the serious impact of the H1N1 (Swine flu) virus with a new report showing that many...
Horse racers diet too far
A recent thesis has found that many jockeys struggle to become thinner and lighter, harming their physical and mental health.
Company drug plan cuts put squeeze on family
A call centre in Port Hawkesbury, N.S., is chopping health benefits as a cost-cutting move, forcing one family to handle a $30,000 bill for cancer drugs on its own.
Herbs delay diabetes onset
A recent review found that herbal medicine can help people who have high blood sugar to delay or prevent diabetes.
Nurses safely and effectively prescribe antiretroviral drugs in pilot program
Given sufficient training and support, nurses can safely and effectively prescribe antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV, according to a Rwandan study published in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Packages of care for epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries
In the second in a six part series on treating mental health problems in resource-poor settings, Caroline Mbuba and Charles Newton (Centre for Geographic Medicine Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute,...
Should noninvasive ventilation be considered a high-risk procedure during an epidemic?
Contrary to current policies recommending that non-invasive ventilation be avoided during an infectious outbreak, the author of a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) argues that it should be...
Medical documentation of injuries is associated with more convictions in adult rapes in South Africa
A study examining how the South African criminal justice system handles cases of rape shows an association between the medical documentation of ano-genital injuries, the commencement of trials, and convictions...
Give Olympic athletes flu shot priority: official
Canada's Olympic team should receive the swine flu vaccine on a priority basis to prevent an outbreak at the Winter Games, according to the team's top medical officer.
Door Opens to Health Claims Tied to Agent Orange
The government is making it easier for veterans to file claims for more diseases associated with Agent Orange.
Public Attitudes To New Technology: Lessons For Regulators
New technologies may change our lives for the better, but sometimes they have risks. Communicating those benefits and risks to the public, and developing regulations to deal with them, can...
Image-guided Treatment For Deep Venous Thrombosis Could Improve Patients' Long-term Outcomes
Deep venous thrombosis is a serious condition that involves the formation of a blood clot inside of a deep vein usually in the legs. A patient with DVT is typically...
Live Recordings Of Cell Communication
A new advanced method for nano-scale imaging of vesicle-fusion could add to our understanding of diseases of the nervous system and viral infections. In the long term, this could be...
Important Defence Against Stomach Ulcer Bacterium Identified
A special protein in the lining of the stomach has been shown to be an important part of the body’s defence against the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori in a...
Overfishing: Are there really plenty of fish in the sea?
Years before an economic crisis taught everyone the risks of runaway growth, marine fishermen and fishery managers were already getting a crash course.
What's in store for the centenarians of the next millennium?
Today's babies will be tomorrow's centenarians. A new report says that reaching the age of 100 may become ordinary for most American babies born since 2000. How will living for...