Positive Health
A universal mechanism of aging is identifiedResearchers have discovered that DNA damage decreases a cell's ability to regulate which genes are turned on and off in particular settings. This mechanism, which applies both to fungus and to us, might represent a universal culprit for aging.
£15 m for South Africa in new struggle against AIDSSouth Africa's revitalised drive against AIDS today received a £15 million boost which could help save millions of lives and stop the spread of HIV across the country.
Whooping cough booster for parents of newbornsA booster vaccination for parents of new babies and other household members may be the most effective way of preventing the fatal form of whooping cough in young infants, say a group of paediatric intensive care doctors on bmj.com today.
Routine HIV testing fails in USWhile the U.S. AIDS epidemic simmers largely unnoticed by most Americans, a failure to widely implement routine HIV testing continues to fuel its spread, HIV researchers and experts said.
Obese women may have safe pregnancy after weight loss surgeryObese women who have weight loss surgery before becoming pregnant have a lower risk of pregnancy-related health problems and their children are less likely to be born with complications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
US adults skip needed care due to costsCompared to patients in seven other countries, chronically ill adults in the United States are far more likely to forgo care because of costs; they also experience the highest rates of medical errors, coordination problems, and high out-of-pocket costs, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund.
Acomplia rimonabant obesity drug withdrawnSanofi-aventis announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recommended to the European Commission (EC) the temporary suspension of the marketing authorisation of Acomplia(R) (rimonabant) for the approved indication of overweight and obese patients.
A new research on climate change and public health - WHOA meeting of experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Madrid agreed to a research agenda to develop an evidence-based framework for action on the human health implications of climate change.
St. John's Wort helps patients with major depressionThe herbal medicine St. John's wort appears to work just as well as some prescribed antidepressants for treating patients with major depression, a new review finds. However, patients in German-speaking countries might experience the best benefits.
Too much volunteering unhealthyDoing volunteer work is good for your well being, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing – with those volunteering more than 15 hours a week showing a sharp decrease in their satisfaction with life and emotional health, according to an academic from The Australian National University.
Reading can help obese kids lose weightIt's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers at Duke Children's Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.
Free drug samples not safe for childrenFree prescription drug samples distributed to children may be unsafe, according to a study by physicians from Cambridge Health Alliance and Hasbro Children's Hospital.
Indian doctors can't deny HIV+, AIDS patientsIndia's Supreme Court has approved the Indian Govt.'s direction to all States that doctors in government and private hospitals should not refuse treatment to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).
Birth size is a marker of breast cancer susceptibilityBirth size, and in particular birth length, correlates with subsequent risk of breast cancer in adulthood, according to a new study published in PLoS Medicine by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
HIV risk high in indian women abused by husbandsMarried women in India who experience physical and sexual violence from their husbands have an increased risk of HIV infection, compared with women who are not abused by their husbands, according to a study in the August 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
People with sleep apnea have a high mortality riskPeople with severe sleep apnea have a much higher mortality risk than people without sleep apnea, and this risk increases when sleep apnea is untreated.
California Governor Schwarzenegger signed Trans Fat BillCalifornia Governor signed AB 97 by Asm. Mendoza, which will phase out the use of trans fats in all CA restaurants beginning in 2010. Scientific evidence demonstrates a strong association between the consumption of artificial trans fat and the development of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Children's food products provide poor nutritional qualityNine out of ten regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content – because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium - according to a detailed study of 367 products published in the July issue of the UK-based journal Obesity Reviews.
Nut products during pregnancy increases asthma risk in childrenExpectant mothers who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy, according to new research from the Netherlands.
RFID may pose hazards to medical equipmentsThe use of radio frequency identification devices RFID appears to have the potential to cause critical care medical equipment to malfunction. Electromagnetic interference from these identification devices pose hazards to critical care medical equipments in hospitals and nursing homes.
Positive school environments reduce student smokingA survey of high-school children in Scotland has shown that pupils who experience positive and inclusive social environments in schools are less likely to take up smoking. The teachers who succeed in creating a positive environment in school may be responsible for their pupils staying smoke-free.
Decision to quit smoking appears to be contagiousThe decision to quit smoking appears to be taken up almost communally, with whole clusters of spouses, friends, siblings and co-workers giving up the habit at about the same time, revealed by researchers.
MRSA infection risk after facelift surgeryAbout one-half percent of patients undergoing facelift surgery at one outpatient surgical center between 2001 and 2007 developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, according to a report in the March/April issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Protein Robo4 may reverse macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathyTwo major eye diseases and leading causes of blindness-age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy-can be reversed or even prevented by drugs that activate a protein found in blood vessel cells, researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine and several other institutions have announced in a new study.
Overweight, obese women improve life with short exerciseSedentary, overweight or obese women can improve their quality of life by exercising as little as 10 to 30 minutes a day, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.
Lowering cholesterol reduces heart attack and stroke riskNew research by the Nutrition and Lifestyle team at The George Institute has indicated that even small reductions in cholesterol can substantially reduce heart attacks and strokes. This occurs across a broad range of individuals, irrespective of age, sex or initial cholesterol level.
Avian influenza in West Bengal, no humans affectedIndian Department of Animal Husbandry has notified fresh poultry deaths in Jiaganj and Raghunathganj-II blocks of Murshidabad district of West Bengal on 9th_March, 2008 which has been confirmed as H5 infection of bird flu.
Skin prick tests identify asthma risk for toddlers with eczemaToddlers with eczema who have a positive skin prick test for allergy have almost triple the risk of developing asthma than those with a negative test, says an Australian study.
ELISpot-Plus blood test to diagnose tuberculosisA new blood test called ELISpot-Plus could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Aromatherapy makes you feel good onlyAromatherapy failed to show any improvement in either immune status, wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted scents, revealed by researchers in a recent study.
Cholesterol drug statins may reduce heart's atrial fibrillationWhen we're young, a racing heart often means love is in the air. If you're a "baby boomer," it might mean you've just joined the 2.2 million Americans who have atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregularity in the heart's rhythm that grows more common as we age and markedly increases the risk for stroke.
Many maternal deaths worldwide are preventableWomen who die during pregnancy and childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa, more may die from treatable infectious diseases than from conditions directly linked to pregnancy, revealed by researchers.
1 in 20 breast cancer web pages features inaccuraciesIn an extended analysis of Web pages dedicated to disseminating breast cancer information, researchers at two University of Texas institutions in Houston have determined that while most breast cancer data found online was accurate, one in 20 breast cancer Web pages featured inaccuracies and sites displaying complementary and alternative medicine were 15 times more likely to contain false or misleading health information.
HIV can be transmitted through pre-chewed foodHIV can be transmitted to infants through food that is pre-chewed by an HIV-positive parent or caregiver,
CDC researchers said Wednesday at the
15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the
New York Times reports. Specific findings from the study have not been released, the
Times reports.
Breastfeeding safer for infants of HIV mothers with NevirapineAn antiretroviral drug already in widespread use in the developing world to prevent the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborns during childbirth has also been found to substantially cut the risk of subsequent HIV transmission during breast-feeding.
Simple urine test detecting prostate cancer accuratelyAn experimental biomarker test developed by researchers at the University of Michigan more accurately detects prostate cancer than any other screening method currently in use, according to a study published in the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Bird flu in new areas in West Bengal, IndiaBird flu samples collected from the Panchla block of Howrah district, Suri-I, Mayureswar-I and Nanoor blocks of Birbhum district and Kalyani municipality of Nadia district have tested positive for Avian Influenza virus.
Maternity care in UK varies - Healthcare Commission reviewThe Healthcare Commission has ranked one in four NHS maternity services as "best performing" in a national review published today, but the comparative review, the most comprehensive assessment ever of maternity services in England, also found significant variations in the quality of care across the country.
Heart and stroke death rates steadily decline in USIn an appropriate prelude to American Heart Month, which is just ahead in February, new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively.
Bird flu update - over 2.4 lakh birds culled in West Bengal, IndiaAs per latest information received, a total mortality of 1,13,796 poultry birds has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Burdwan & Bankura districts of West Bengal.
Over 85,632 birds culled, bird flu in east IndiaAs per latest information received, a total mortality of 98,254 poultry birds has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 parganas, Burdwan and Bankura districts of West Bengal.
Prodesse's ProFlu+ Test for Respiratory Viruses receives FDA clearanceProdesse, Inc., the leader in multiplex real-time PCR for infectious disease, announced that it received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its ProFlu+™ Assay.
HIV is infecting men, women and children of all agesNot everyone, who becomes infected with HIV, originates from a 'High Risk' group. The common usage of the words 'high risk', in reference to people, who are most likely to become infected with HIV, has led many to believe misguidedly that they are not at risk. Unfortunately, this belief couldn't be further from the truth.
Selective reporting of antidepressant trials may have adverse consequencesSelective publication in reporting results of antidepressant trials exaggerates the effectiveness of the drugs, and may have adverse consequences for researchers, study participants, health care professionals, and patients, revealed in a new study.
Healing Value of Magnets establishedMagnets have been touted for their healing properties since ancient Greece. Magnetic therapy is still widely used today as an alternative method for treating a number of conditions, from arthritis to depression, but there hasn't been scientific proof that magnets can heal.
Religious activities good for mental health in womenFor many, religious activity changes between childhood and adulthood, and a new study finds this could affect one's mental health. According to Temple University's Joanna Maselko, Sc.D., women who had stopped being religiously active were more than three times more likely to have suffered generalized anxiety and alcohol abuse/dependence than women who reported always having been active.
Breast cancer gene mutation common in Hispanic, young black womenA genetic mutation already known to be more common in Ashkenazi Jewish breast cancer patients is also prevalent in Hispanic and young African-American women with breast cancer, according to one of the largest, multiracial studies of the mutation to date.
Potential drugs for mental retardation and autism treatmentResearchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have corrected key symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice. The work, which will be reported in the Dec. 20 issue of Neuron, indicates that a certain class of drugs could have the same effect in humans. These drugs are not yet approved by the FDA, but will soon be entering into clinical trials.
8 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza in Peshawar, PakistanThe Ministry of Health in Pakistan has informed WHO of 8 suspected human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection in the Peshawar area of the country. These cases were detected following a series of culling operations in response to outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry. One of the cases has now recovered and a further two suspected cases have since died.
Gleevec improves special leukemia in childrenGleevec, the targeted cancer pill that has saved more than 100,000 lives, now is saving more children with a dire leukemia, as well as preventing disease progression with long term use in adults with chronic myeloid leukemia.