Health News

Algorithm predicts toxicity of chemicals without the need for animal testing

Date: Jul-22-2013
A new computational method for working out in advance whether a chemical will be toxic will be reported in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics. There is increasing pressure on the chemical and related industries to ensure that their products comply with increasing numbers of safety regulations. Providing regulators, intermediary users and consumers with all the necessary information to allow them to make informed choices with respect to use, disposal, recycling, environmental issues and human health issues is critical...

Attacking superbugs with bacteriophages

Date: Jul-22-2013
IFR microbiologists are reinvigorating a way of battling C. difficile infections that they hope will help overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistant superbugs in hospitals. Our digestive system is home to trillions of bacteria, which are crucial to our overall health, through helping us digest food and battling potentially harmful microbes. When we take antibiotics to combat bacterial infections these beneficial bacteria can also be killed off, leaving us at risk of infection by harmful bacteria...

Estrogen-only therapy after hysterectomy may be a lifesaver

Date: Jul-22-2013
The widespread rejection of estrogen therapy after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study has most likely led to almost 50,000 unnecessary deaths over the last 10 years among women aged 50 to 69 who have had a hysterectomy, Yale School of Medicine researchers reveal in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Led by Philip Sarrel, M.D...

How non-drinkers can be at higher death risk

Date: Jul-22-2013
A study from the University of Colorado investigates why people who abstain completely from alcohol have a higher mortality risk than light drinkers. And after dividing the non-drinkers into categories, researchers unpicked some interesting data. Recent studies have asserted that drinking some alcohol has a protective effect, reducing mortality...

Chronic pain - a more natural and healthier alternative

Date: Jul-22-2013
A derivative of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a main ingredient of fish-oil supplements, can alleviate and prevent neuropathic pain caused by sensory system injuries, researchers from Duke University Medical Center reported in the Annals of Neurology. The authors say that the DHA derivative - a compound called neuroprotectin D1=protectin D1 (NPD1=PD1) - may provide doctors and patients who are concerned about pain medication addictions and opioids with a more natural and healthier alternative. NPD1=PD1 is a bioactive lipid which cells produce in response to external stimuli...

'Functional foods:' Creating and marketing food products that prevent disease and obesity

Date: Jul-21-2013
Creating and promoting foods that contain natural inhibitors of unhealthy angiogenesis - the formation of blood vessels that feed and promote disease, obesity and inflammation - is the "new frontier in dietary health," according to a presentation at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in Chicago. "Blood vessels are critical to the health of every cell, every organ and for every function in the body," said William W. Li, M.D., president of the Angiogenesis Foundation...

Mass pilgrim gatherings could encourage MERS coronavirus to spread faster

Date: Jul-21-2013
MERS-CoV, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus may spread faster and deeper internationally during two mass pilgrim gatherings taking place this year in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Kamran Khan, an infectious disease physician, of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada, and colleagues warned in the journal PLoS Currents: Outbreaks. Two Muslim pilgrimages - Umrah and Hajj - attract millions of people from all over the world to the holy Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina. Umrah can be done at any time of year...

Breaking a sweat reduces stroke risk

Date: Jul-21-2013
If you work out enough to break a sweat, and do it regularly, you are less likely to have a stroke compared to people who are physically inactive, researchers from the University of South Australia and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA, reported in the journal Stroke. Dr Michelle McDonnell and colleagues found that self-reported physically inactive people have a 20% higher risk of stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack) compared to those who exercise enough to break a sweat four or more times a week...

A safer approach to managing chronic pain

Date: Jul-21-2013
Physicians and patients who are wary of addiction to pain medication and opioids may soon have a healthier and more natural alternative. A Duke University study revealed that a derivative of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a main ingredient of over-the-counter fish oil supplements, can sooth and prevent neuropathic pain caused by injuries to the sensory system. The results appear online in the Annals of Neurology. The research focused on a compound called neuroprotectin D1=protectin D1 (NPD1=PD1), a bioactive lipid produced by cells in response to external stimuli...

Consumers confused about the safety of seafood

Date: Jul-21-2013
Seafood continues to be a proven strong nutrient-rich food providing essential vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, but consumers and some toxicologists still keep a watchful eye on safety, according to a recent panel discussion at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® held at McCormick Place. "Moderate, consistent evidence shows that health benefits derived from the consumption of a variety of cooked seafood in the U.S. in amounts recommended by the [2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S...