Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Study: PCs being infected before delivery
REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Cybercriminals have gone further than ever -- even to the delivery chain -- to infect computers with malware, a U.S. study by Microsoft...
Rural Americans Face Greater Obesity Risk Than City-Dwellers
American adults living in rural areas are more likely to be obese than their urban peers, according to new research.
Exercise Wards Off Anxiety During Stressful Events
Exercise may help keep anxiety levels low, even in the face of stress.
Yosemite visitor recovers from hantavirus
California resident ninth person diagnosed with rodent-borne illness
Parental divorce linked to stroke in males
Men with divorced parents are significantly more likely to suffer a stroke than men from intact families, shows a new study from the University of Toronto.
Chemist develops new synthesis of most useful, yet expensive, antimalarial drug
In 2010 malaria caused an estimated 665,000 deaths, mostly among African children. Now, chemists have developed a new synthesis for the world's most useful antimalarial drug, artemisinin, giving hope that...
Increased dietary fructose linked to elevated uric acid levels and lower liver energy stores
Obese patients with type 2 diabetes who consume higher amounts of fructose display reduced levels of liver adenosine triphosphate (ATP) -- a compound involved in the energy transfer between cells....
Analysis estimates effective PrEP dosing
Several large clinical trials have demonstrated that a daily oral dose of one or two antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection can prevent infection in an approach known as...
Natural killer T-cells in fat tissue guard against obesity, study finds
Invariant natural killer T-cells (iNKT) are a unique subset of immune cells that are known to influence inflammatory responses. Now, a scientific team has found that iNKT cells play a...
Daily disinfection of isolation rooms reduces contamination of healthcare workers' hands
New research demonstrates that daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces in isolation rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus significantly reduces the rate of the pathogens on the...
Missing pieces of DNA structure is a red flag for deadly skin cancer
Researchers have discovered a new biomarker for melanoma. The findings offer novel opportunities for skin cancer diagnostics, treatment and prevention.
Geneticists verify cholesterol-cancer link
Scientists have discovered new genetic evidence linking cholesterol and cancer, raising the possibility that cholesterol medications could be useful in the future for cancer prevention or to augment existing cancer...
Immune system compensates for 'leaky gut' in inflammatory bowel disease susceptibility
New research could clarify how inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), conditions that include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are triggered and develop. Scientists have shown how the immune system can compensate...
Lack of oxygen in cancer cells leads to growth and metastasis
The proteins HIF-1a and CD24 have both been implicated in the aggressive characteristics of hypoxic cancers. A new study shows that HIF-1a drives CD24 overexpression, and that CD24 then drives...
Mutation breaks HIV's resistance to drugs
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can contain dozens of different mutations, called polymorphisms. In a recent study an international team of researchers found that one of those mutations, called 172K,...
Laser-powered ‘needle’ promises pain-free injections
From annual flu shots to childhood immunizations, needle injections are among the least popular staples of medical care. Though various [...]
Under-twisted DNA origami delivers cancer drugs to tumors
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden describe in a new study how so-called DNA origami can enhance the effect of certain cytostatics used in the treatment of cancer. With the...
Light-activated reversal of anesthesia
In a new study, a light-sensitive moiety has been added to propofol, a commonly used anesthetic, allowing its narcotic effect to be controlled by light. The compound also offers a...
Read Food Labels, Lose Weight
Here is a diet plan that requires no special meal purchases or even exercise, it just requires a willingness to believe that correlation-causation arrows fly backwards. People, especially women, who...
Scientists use levitation to create better pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects
(Phys.org)—It's not a magic trick and it's not sleight of hand – scientists really are using levitation to improve the drug development process, eventually yielding more effective pharmaceuticals with fewer...
Popularity versus Similarity: A Balance that Predicts Network Growth
Do you know who Michael Jackson or George Washington was? You most likely do: they are what we call "household names" because these individuals were so ubiquitous. But what about...
Guidelines help family physicians evaluate, manage urinary incontinence for women
Simple interventions at a primary care visit can alleviate the embarrassment and quality-of-life issues caused by urinary leakage.
New World's Hottest Temperature Declared
El Azizia, Libya, loses a claim to fame as Death Valley takes over.
Low ghrelin – Reducing appetite at the cost of increased stress?
Ghrelin is a hormone released by the lining of the stomach that promotes feeding behavior. Decreasing ghrelin levels could potentially [...]
Severance pay for Alberta Health VP angers lobby group
The severance package an Alberta Health Services executive received has upset a health care lobby group that says the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Colonoscopy warning from Lakeshore General
Nearly 700 people who had colonoscopies at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire, Que., are being asked to undergo new tests because the old results may be incomplete.
Well: The Widow's Doctor Visit
The patient had died months before. Now his widow, along with the children, wanted to meet with me, the doctor who had treated him.
World Briefing | United Nations: Young Children’s Deaths Said to Drop Again in 2011
Fewer than seven million children around the world died before their fifth birthday from disease and birth complications in 2011 — a new low, several agencies announced Wednesday.