Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Simple method quickly tests hard-to-treat bacteria's susceptibility to different antibiotics
The recent emergence of bacterial infections that are resistant to many existing antibiotics is driving an urgent need for tools to quickly identify the small number of therapies that are...
Tentative agreement between doctors and province 'horrifying,' doctors group says
A physicians' group says the tentative agreement reached between the Ontario Medical Association and the provincial government won't cure what ails the health-care system and maintains Ontario is "purposely underfunding"...
Q&A: Lyme Disease Only Sounds Recent
The tick-borne bacteria that cause the symptoms were identified in 1981, but may have been around for millions of years.
In predicting a stroke's toll, location matters, but so do connections
Each year, roughly 666,000 Americans survive a stroke, and for them, the aftermath can be hard to predict. Some stroke patients have difficulty speaking or grasp for words that do...
Strategies to mimic fasting during chemotherapy enhance anticancer T cell activity in mice
Fasting is known to increase positive outcomes during cancer treatment, and now two independent studies in mice show that fasting, either through diet or drugs, during chemotherapy helps increase the...
Self-prescribing antibiotics is a big problem
Five percent of adults from a cohort of 400 people reported using antibiotics without a prescription during the previous 12 months. Twenty-five percent said they would use antibiotics without contacting...
Physician payment reform has led to decrease in home-based dialysis in United States
The US Medicare program's transition in 2004 to tiered fee-for-service physician reimbursement for dialysis care had the unintended consequence of reducing use of home dialysis, according to a new paper.
Alzheimer's detected before symptoms via new eye technology
Scientists may have overcome a major roadblock in the development of Alzheimer’s therapies by creating a new technology to observe in the back of the eye progression of the disease...
Multivitamin supplements during pregnancy called needless expense
Most moms-to-be likely don’t need prenatal multivitamin supplements, which can be a drain on the wallet, according to a U.K. review.
Will Staying Hydrated Help with Weight Loss?
Drink up? Is water the key to maintaining a healthy weight?
Umbilical cord patch could be method for fetal spina bifida repair
A patch made from cryopreserved human umbilical cord may be a novel method for treating spina bifida in utero, according to researchers at McGovern Medical School at The University of...
Unproved Stem Cell Clinics Proliferate in the U.S.
570 sites advertise therapies for sports injuries, autism and MS via direct-to-consumer marketing -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Nanotech 'tattoo' can map emotions and monitor muscle activity
A nanotech "tattoo " was developed by Tel Aviv University. A new temporary "electronic tattoo" developed by Tel Aviv University that can measure the activity of muscle and...
Magnesium Supplements May Help to Lower Blood Pressure
When it comes to minerals and blood pressure, sodium shouldn't be the only thing on your radar.
Ultrasound device approved to treat essential tremor
HealthDay News The ExAblate Neuro device has been approved by the FDA to deliver ultrasound to destroy small bits of brain tissue thought to be involved in essential tremor.
Famed cancer theorist Dr. Alfred G. Knudson Jr. dies at 93
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A scientist and cancer researcher famed for a groundbreaking theory of how cancer develops has died in Philadelphia after a...
Regrown Brain Cells Give Blind Mice a New View
Mix of gene manipulation and exercise raises hopes in fight against glaucoma, spinal injury and Alzheimer’s -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Doctors laud plan to increase Medicare payments to primary care physicians
Stephen FellerWASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- A new proposal for Medicare payment may help encourage doctors to engage in greater preventive medicine with a team-based approach and increased patient access.
How tumor necrosis factor protects against infection
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a messenger substance in the immune system, plays an important role in triggering chronic inflammatory diseases. For this reason, TNF inhibitors are a standard form of...
Researchers find association between donor age, female sex and transfusion outcomes
A link between blood donor characteristics and transfusion recipients' outcomes has been uncovered by researchers. This is the first study to suggest that red blood cell transfusions from young donors...
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell on schedule for camp
The Sports Xchange Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who had right knee surgery last November, is confident he is on schedule for training camp next month.
Teixobactin and the hope it represents for fighting antibiotic resistance
And then there’s teixobactin, a still-experimental drug that may herald a new era of antibiotic discovery. A team of researchers at Northeastern University’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center reported last year in...
Can the government encourage the development of new antibiotics?
It’s been nearly 30 years since scientists have found a new class of antibiotics. But U.S. lawmakers tried to give the drug industry a boost in 2012. That year, they...
How quickly antibiotic resistance can spread
How quickly can antibiotic resistance spread? Consider the case of a Swedish man who traveled to India in 2009. While in New Delhi, the man became infected by a strain of...
Brexit Could Threaten Neurodegenerative Disease Research in Europe
Neurodegenerative disease researchers in the U.K. fear the Brexit will curtail their access to EU funds and complicate international collaborations. Analysts agree that a U.K. exit is likely to harm...
The New Health Care: Using the Web or an App Instead of Seeing a Doctor? Caution Is Advised
Research shows they can be poor substitutes for consulting a physician in person.
Well: To Stem Obesity, Start Before Birth
Researchers are tracing the origins of obesity to the pre-pregnancy weight of a child’s mother and father.
Neuroscientists Warn Against Unsupervised Direct Brain Stimulation
Health Maybe don’t DIY Electrocute your brain Who could have guessed that that sticking DIY electrodes to your temples and flicking a switch to...