Health News

What is a vasectomy (male sterilisation)?

Date: Aug-23-2013
A vasectomy (male sterilization) is a form of contraception that involves surgically cutting or blocking the tubes that transport sperm from the testicles to the penis. When men undergo a vasectomy their sperm can no longer reach the semen, as a result any semen that is ejaculated during sex does not contain sperm - which is needed to fertilize a woman's egg. A vasectomy is a very effective and permanent means of preventing pregnancy. It is estimated that only one out of every 2,000 men who receive a vasectomy will impregnate a woman during their lives...

Diet drug controversy as US approves meds rejected by Europe

Date: Aug-23-2013
The decision from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow two anti-obesity drugs to be marketed in the US has been called into question by a senior doctor publishing in the BMJ. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, founder of the health research group at Public Citizen, says that the fact these drugs have been banned by the European regulator "puts the FDA to shame." Belviq (lorcaserin) and Qsymia (phentermine plus topiramate) are available as anti-obesity drugs in the US...

'Diabetes dogs' can alert owners to sugar levels

Date: Aug-23-2013
People with diabetes may have a new way to indicate their blood sugar level is too high or too low, by turning to our trusty canine friends, after researchers have found that dogs can help with hypoglycemia monitoring. The study, published in PLOS ONE, is the first of its kind to analyze whether trained dogs can accurately and consistently serve as an "early-warning system" to monitor blood sugar levels for their owners and notify them when the levels are too high or low...

Red hair and melanoma may have genetic link

Date: Aug-23-2013
A mutation in a gene called MC1R gives redheads their hair color and fair skin. Now a new US study suggests this same mutation triggers a cancer-causing signalling pathway when redheads are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This may explain, the researchers say, why redheaded people have a higher risk for melanoma, the rarest but deadliest form of skin cancer. The study authors, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), report their findings in an August 22nd online issue of Molecular Cell...

Phase II clinical study with melflufen in the treatment of multiple myeloma patients initiated

Date: Aug-23-2013
Oncopeptides AB, a company working to enhance oncology therapies, today announced that the first patient has been dosed as part of a Phase II study in multiple myeloma patients with its drug candidate melflufen (previously called J1). The trial is an open-label Phase II study designed to determine the level of efficacy of melflufen in combination with dexamethasone, for late stage, relapsing or relapsing/refractory patients. The primary end point is, best response in accordance with the International Myeloma Working Group criteria during up to eight cycles of treatment...

Leukaemia drug could help treat breast cancer

Date: Aug-23-2013
A drug currently used to treat leukaemia might also help prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of the body, suggests an animal study in the open-access journal Breast Cancer Research. The discovery could also pave the way for improved early diagnostics. Peter Storz and colleagues tested the drug, decitabine, in a mouse model of breast cancer where it shrank the primary breast tumour and minimised metastasis to the animals' lungs...

Despite Olympics, half of UK kids 'not exercising enough'

Date: Aug-23-2013
A new study finds half of UK's seven-year-olds are not getting the recommended minimum level of 60 minutes vigorous daily exercise, in stark contrast to the "legacy" vision inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games. The findings, from a representative sample of 6,500 primary schoolchildren aged from seven to eight taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study, also show girls rather than boys, children of Indian descent and those living in Northern Ireland are the least active. The study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL), has just been published online in BMJ Open...

Fecal transplants are lifesaving option when antibiotics destroy colon bacteria

Date: Aug-23-2013
Georgia Regents Health System is now offering fecal transplants to rapidly restore the healthy flora to these patients.                                                                                                                                                                                     "For a select number of patients, there is no question that this is the best therapy available today," said Dr...

Go on, volunteer - it could be good for you!

Date: Aug-23-2013
Volunteering may be good for your health, reveals a large systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. Volunteering can improve mental health and help you live longer, suggests the paper, which pools and compares data from multiple experimental trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Combining some observational evidence from cohort studies suggests that people who volunteer reduced their risk of death over 4-7 years by, on average, a fifth relative to people who do not volunteer...

Acid, not bubbles, responsible for distinctive 'bite' of carbonated beverages

Date: Aug-23-2013
New research from the Monell Center reveals that bubbles are not necessary to experience the unique 'bite' of carbonated beverages. Bubbles do, however, enhance carbonation's bite through the light feel of the bubbles picked up by our sense of touch. The refreshing bite of carbonation is an integral part of beverages consumed around the globe. Carbonated beverages are produced when carbon dioxide is dissolved in a liquid, typically under high pressure. This can happen naturally in certain spring waters or in fermented beverages like beer...