Health News

1 baby in every 46 born with a congenital anomaly says new report

Date: Sep-10-2013
The report [1] by researchers at Queen Mary University of London collates data from six regional registers [2], a national coverage of 36 per cent of the births in England and Wales. Examples of congenital anomalies include heart and lung defects, Down syndrome, neural tube defects such as spina bifida, and limb malformations such as club foot. Funded by Public Health England (PHE), the study is the most up-to-date and comprehensive of its kind, bringing together existing data in England and Wales from 2007 to 2011...

Pornography reinforces sexist attitudes among a subgroup of heterosexuals

Date: Sep-10-2013
Pornography has long held a controversial place in society, and its relationship with a number of behaviors and attitudes has been highly debated. But the concern remains: How does viewing pornography affect our attitudes towards women? A recent paper published in the Journal of Communication found that exposure to pornography was related to and increased sexist attitudes, but only among a subgroup of users...

Education protects women from the obesity associated with urban living

Date: Sep-10-2013
Research into the rise in obesity associated with the burgeoning industrial and service sectors in low- and middle-income countries found that education is a key factor in reducing the negative impact on women's health. The study, conducted by researchers at UCL and published in the journal BMC Public Health, found that women with no formal education who were working in sedentary occupations were twice as likely to be 'centrally obese' - defined by measuring waist circumference - compared to women with no education working in agriculture...

Potential for new handle on treating cancer by harnessing Natural Killer cells

Date: Sep-10-2013
Mammals contain cells whose primary function is to kill other cells in the body. The so-called Natural Killer (NK) cells are highly important in defending our bodies against viruses or even cancer. Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) provide evidence that NK cell activity can be influenced by phosphorylating a protein (STAT1) in NK cells. The results, which could be of immediate therapeutic relevance, are published in the journal Cell Reports...

A new approach to early diagnosis of influenza

Date: Sep-10-2013
A new technology is showing promise as the basis for a much-needed home test to diagnose influenza quickly, before the window for taking antiviral drugs slams shut and sick people spread the virus to others, scientists reported here today. In a presentation at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they described how it also could determine the specific strain of flu virus and help select the most effective drug for treatment...

Water-purification plant the size of a fast-food ketchup packet saves lives

Date: Sep-10-2013
An ambitious partnership among more than 100 organizations and governments led by Procter & Gamble's (P&G's) nonprofit program, Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW), has helped provide more than 6 billion quarts of clean drinking water to families in developing countries, saving an estimated 32,000 lives. And they're just getting started. CSDW Manager Allison Tummon Kamphuis, R.N., M.B.A., today described the organization's latest accomplishments and future goals at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society...

Better tests for liver toxicity would mean more medicines - and safer medicines - for patients

Date: Sep-10-2013
How many breakthrough new drugs never reach patients because tests in clinical trials suggested a high risk of liver damage when the drug actually was quite safe? That question underpins major international research efforts to modernize tests for drug-induced liver injury, mentioned at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The meeting, which features almost 7,000 reports on new discoveries in science and other topics, continues through Thursday in the Indiana Convention Center and downtown hotels. Paul B...

Toward understanding the health effects of waterpipe or 'hookah' smoking

Date: Sep-10-2013
With water pipes or hookahs gaining popularity in the United States and other countries, scientists have described a step toward establishing the health risks of what has been termed "the first new tobacco trend of the 21st century." In a study that they said provides no support for the popular notion that hookahs are safer than cigarettes, they reported that hookah tobacco and smoke contain lower levels of four toxic metals than cigarette tobacco and smoke...

Road traffic pollution increases risk of death for bronchiectasis patients

Date: Sep-10-2013
Living close to a busy road is associated with a higher risk of death in people with bronchiectasis. A new study, presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress in Barcelona on 8 September 2013, has added to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the damaging effects of road-side pollution. Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus. It can be caused by cystic fibrosis (CF), and experts usually categorise the condition as cases either due to CF or not...

Early dementia screening 'may do more harm than good'

Date: Sep-10-2013
Political efforts from the UK and US to screen older people for early signs of dementia could lead to unnecessary investigation and potentially harmful treatment for an "inevitable consequence of aging," according to an analysis published in BMJ. Recent government policy directives have called for regular screening of older people to test for mild cognitive impairment, also known as pre-dementia...