Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Little Known Type Of Cholesterol -- Oxycholesterol -- May Pose The Greatest Heart Disease Risk
Researchers are reporting that a little known type of cholesterol, oxycholesterol, may be a bigger heart disease threat than other forms of cholesterol. The study could lead to new targets...
Why Sleep? Snoozing May Be Strategy To Increase Efficiency, Minimize Risk
A sleep researcher argues that sleep's primary function is to increase the efficiency of behavior when animals are awake by regulating behavior's timing and duration.
FDA approves first drug for infantile spasms
(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat infantile spasms, a rare disorder that can cause hundreds of seizures per day in children...
Increase in visceral fat during menopause linked with testosterone
In middle-aged women, visceral fat, more commonly called belly fat, is known to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but what causes visceral fat to accumulate?...
Unlocking the secret of the bladder's bouncers
Researchers at Duke University Medical Centre may have a new way to stop and even prevent the urinary tract infections (UTIs) that plague more than a third of all adults,...
Moms-to-be warned over use of foetal heart rate monitors
Mums-to-be are being advised not to use personal monitors (Doppler devices) to listen to their baby's heartbeat at home over fears that they may lead to delays in seeking help...
Increasing the number of kidney transplants
In most transplant centres, the kidneys of very young deceased donors are transplanted together into one patient. According to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal...
Optimal flu vaccine priorities developed at Clemson University
Optimal control of the spread of the seasonal flu and H1N1 is achieved by prioritising vaccinations for schoolchildren and for adults aged 30 to 39 in the United States. Those...
Aphids saved from gruesome death by virus-infected bacteria
The term 'beneficial virus' sounds like an oxymoron. But for pea aphids under attack by parasitic wasps, carrying infected bacteria is the difference between life and a slow death, according...
Disrupting a destructive duo: Researchers inhibit cancer proteins
A research team led by U of T Mississauga scientists has developed a new way to split up a dangerous pair of cancer proteins, a finding that could ultimately lead...
Blood test can detect brain damage in amateur boxers
A blood test can now be used to detect brain damage in amateur boxers. Deterioration of nerve cells seems to occur even after a two-month break from boxing. This is...
Acupuncture may bring relief for a common condition in women
Polycystic ovary syndrome, a common condition among women, can be relieved by the use of acupuncture and exercise. This has been shown by a recent study at the Sahlgrenska Academy,...
Study finds low risk in treating previously coiled aneurysm
CINCINNATI -- The risks associated with treating a recurrent or residual brain aneurysm that was initially treated by endovascular coiling are low, according to a multicenter study led by researchers...
Universal influenza vaccination may reduce antibiotic use
We all know that influenza vaccination helps prevent disease, but a new study from Canada suggests it may also prevent another public health problem: inappropriate antibiotic use. The findings come...
Why Some Antibiotic Drugs Pack Such A Punch
By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, scientists have discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one...
"Helioculture" to Produce Transportation Fuels and Biochemicals
If you’re feeling ill trying to keep up with all the strange biofuel news these days, you might want to have some lab tests run. You could have a form...
Did sleepwalking once serve as an adaptive function?
I readily admit that I use to sleepwalk as a kid. My dad once found me laid out at the foot of our considerably large staircase completely unharmed!
Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums projected to double by 2020
August 20, 2009, New York, NY -- Nationally, family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance increased 119 percent between 1999 and 2008, and could increase another 94 percent to an...
Surgery simulator a boon to Halifax doctors
Neurosurgeons in Halifax teamed up to successfully remove a patient's brain tumour after practicing the surgery using a virtual reality technology developed by scientists from across the country.
Reliability and benefit of diagnostic procedure for asthma in young children is unclear
The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has investigated the reliability of diagnosing bronchial asthma in children aged between 2 and 5 years, and the benefit that...
Type 1 diabetes linked to immune response to wheat
Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Fraser Scott...
Doctor and Patient: Talking Often, and Calmly, About Dying
End-of-life-care discussions enter the health care debate, but the truth is most doctors and patients aren’t having these conversations.
The ends of mRNAs may prevent the beginnings of cancer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 20, 2009) -- The tail ends of cellular protein templates, regions often thought relatively inconsequential, may actually play a role in preventing normal cells from becoming...
Targeting the androgen receptor
Computer-aided design finds proteins that bind receptor linked to prostate cancer
Swine flu fears at kids' hospital spur communal toy ban
The largest children's hospital in the Atlantic region will remove all magazines, books and toys from patient waiting areas to reduce the potential spread of swine flu, the IWK Health...
New study reveals taxing job-based health benefits would hit working families hardest
As the debate over health care reform continues to unfold in town hall meetings and on Capitol Hill, a new study by two Harvard researchers has found that taxing job-based...
Mind Control Can Make You A Better Surgeon
Researchers have found that trainee eye surgeons can significantly improve their surgical skills by regulating their own brainwave activity, using a process called neurofeedback.