Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Mitt Romney urges Sony to 'fight,' release 'The Interview' free online
Veronica LinaresWASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Mitt Romney weighed in on Sony's decision to cancel the Friday release of "The Interview" Friday and urged the production company not to cave...
Citing Health Risks, Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York State
The governor’s administration concluded that hydraulic fracturing, which was heavily promoted as a source of economic revival for depressed communities, could contaminate the state’s air and water.
Predicting antibiotic resistance
Treating bacterial infections with antibiotics is becoming increasingly difficult as bacteria develop resistance not only to the antibiotics being used against them, but also to ones they have never encountered...
Marijuana research projects getting state funding
DENVER (AP) -- Colorado was poised Wednesday to award more than $8 million for medical marijuana research, a step toward addressing complaints that little is known...
Pakistan reinstates death penalty in wake of deadly school attack
JC FinleyISLAMABAD, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reinstated the death penalty Wednesday, a day after a deadly Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar.
Ebola virus spreads in social clusters
An analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak reveals that transmission of the virus occurs in social clusters, a finding that has ramifications for case reporting and the public health. Prior...
Vivek Murthy, the New Surgeon General, Isn’t Afraid to Take a Stand
Dr. Murthy, who at the age of 37 has become one of the youngest surgeons general of the United States, is a self-described dreamer and grass-roots organizer.
Extra vitamin E protected older mice from getting common type of pneumonia
Extra vitamin E protected older mice from a bacterial infection that commonly causes pneumonia. The study found that extra vitamin E helped regulate the mice’s immune system. The older mice...
Scientist finds genetic wrinkle to block sun-induced skin aging
Scientists have shown that an enzyme is key in the aging of skin, which is caused mostly by sun exposure; mice lacking that enzyme developed fewer wrinkles, they report. The...
GPs should be more open when referring patients for cancer investigations, study says
GPs should consider a more overt discussion with patients when referring them for further investigation of symptoms which may indicate cancer, according to a new paper. The study found that...
High-definition scopes accurately assess polyps, physicians say
It may not be necessary for experienced gastroenterologists to send polyps they remove from a patient's colon to a pathologist for examination, according to a large study conducted by physician...
'Virtual Body Swapping' Could Change People's Biases
A futuristic virtual-reality exercise could bring new meaning to the saying "don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes."
We are in perpetual denial about our food, but meat is bad news
From chickens pumped with antibiotics to the environmental devastation caused by production, we need to realise we are not fed with happy farm animals Continue reading...
Putin’s Russia divides and enrages scientists
Are geopolitical tensions destroying important links with the West, or can Russian research go it alone?Nature 516 298 doi: 10.1038/516298a
Antimicrobial resistance will kill 300 million by 2050 without action
UK report says resistance will cost global economy $100 trillion
Energy Drinks Plus Alcohol May Encourage Drunk Driving
People who mix energy drinks with alcohol may be more likely to drive drunk than those who consume only alcohol, according to a new study.
New technology directly reprograms skin fibroblasts for a new role
As the main component of connective tissue in the body, fibroblasts are the most common type of cell. Taking advantage of that ready availability, scientists from the Perelman School of...
Prescribing ever more pills is bad for the public's health
Doctors should not be judged on the volume of their prescribing but on its quality – ensuring that patients make informed choices about the potential risks and benefits Continue reading...
'Working out' PTSD: Exercise is a Vital Part of Treatment
In 1954, the first director-general of the World Health Organisation, Dr Brock Chisholm, famously stated: “Without mental health there can be no true physical health.”
Primary Care Doctors Shouldn't Be Training in Hospitals (Op-Ed)
U.S. med students train in hospitals, discouraging new doctors from choosing critical, less prestigious, jobs as primary-care physicians.
Death in Bronx Shows Vulnerability of State’s Nursing Home Residents
The death of Frank Mercado, 77, ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, highlights the hazards of nursing homes in New York, where rates of substandard care and abuse are...
With Hospitals Under Stress, Tennessee’s Governor Pursues Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Bill Haslam proposed using federal funds to cover 200,000 low-income residents through their employer’s health insurance plan or the state’s Medicaid program.
The Mumps, a Scourge of Dormitories, Spreads Through the N.H.L.
About 20 players and two on-ice officials have or are suspected of having had mumps, an illness that affects a few hundred people a year, mostly on college campuses.
Paying Till It Hurts: The Odd Math of Medical Tests: One Scan, Two Prices, Both High
Echocardiograms, ultrasound pictures of the heart, are an enticing revenue stream for hospitals and physicians because they are painless and have no side effects.
Donald Metcalf, leading cancer research scientist, dies at 85
‘Father of modern haematology’ performed his last experiment in Melbourne in October, soon after he was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer Continue reading...
Well: Aspirin Risks Outweigh Benefits for Younger Women
For many women the risk of taking a small dose of aspirin a day may outweigh the benefits.
CDC reports blames indoor tanning for thousands of burns
Brooks HaysWASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- In a new report by the CDC, scientists implicated indoor tanning in nearly the 2,000 skin and eye burn incidents that land Americans in...
'Super bacteria' found in Rio's Olympic waters
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- A drug-resistant "super bacteria" that's normally found in hospitals and is notoriously difficult to treat has been discovered in the waters...