Health News

Cross-Country Skiers Run Higher Risk Of Heart Rhythm Problems

Date: Jun-12-2013
Despite being extremely fit, top cross-country long-distance skiers are at increased risk of developing arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. This was the conclusion of a Swedish-led study published online this week in the European Heart Journal. Lead author Kasper Andersen, a cardiologist at Uppsala University Hospital, and colleagues, examined health data on nearly 53,000 elite male skiers who took part in the Swedish 90 km Vasaloppet, one of the world's most challenging ski races...

Britain Will Regulate E-Cigarettes To Ensure Quality

Date: Jun-12-2013
All nicotine-containing products (NCPs), such as electronic cigarettes, are to be regulated as medicines in the U.K, in a move to make these products safer and more effective in reducing the harms of smoking. Within the next few years Britain will regulate electronic cigarettes and all other NCPs as non prescription medicines to improve product quality and ensure that people using the devices aren't put at significant harm...

Only 5% Wash Their Hands Properly After Going To The Toilet

Date: Jun-12-2013
Just 5% of people wash their hands long enough to destroy infectious germs after using the bathroom, researchers from Michigan State University reported in the Journal of Environmental Health. Even more worrying, the authors added that 10% skipped washing their hands altogether, while 33% used no soap at all. It appears that men are less inclined to wash their hands after going to the toilet than women. Lead researcher, Prof. Carl Borchgrevink, and team gathered and analyzed data on 3,749 people in public restrooms...

Obese Women More Likely To Give Birth Prematurely

Date: Jun-12-2013
Pregnant women who are obese or overweight are at a higher risk of giving birth prematurely, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Swedish study, led by Dr. Sven Cnattingius of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, included an analysis of over 1.5 million births. This isn't the first study that's looked at the link between being overweight during pregnancy and risk of premature birth...

Short Walks May Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Older People

Date: Jun-12-2013
Taking short walks after meals may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in older people by helping to reduce the risky spikes in blood sugar that occur after filling the stomach with food, according to a small new study from the US. While the researchers caution their results should now be confirmed by trials in larger groups, they suggest three short bouts of exercise a day are more likely to help older people control blood sugar than one long one, especially if timed correctly...

Celebrity Pandas And Tigers Hog The Extinction Limelight

Date: Jun-12-2013
Worldwide, around 20,000 endangered animal species are competing for scarce conservation funds â�" but just 80 'celebrity species' are hogging most of the attention. The world has developed a very inefficient way of choosing which animals facing extinction to save, says Professor Hugh Possingham of the National Environmental Research Program's (NERP) Environmental Decisions Hub and The University of Queensland (UQ). This has led to extinctions that could have otherwise been avoided, he cautions...

New Study Recommends Autologous Blood Donations Prior To Knee And Hip Replacement For Selected Patients Only

Date: Jun-12-2013
"Patients not suffering from anaemia before an operation do not need autologous blood donations prior to a primary knee or hip implantation. This routine measure has not been medically indicated for a long time in all cases and often only leads to an increased transfusion rate. At the same time, many autologous blood donations are disposed of after the operation because they are not needed. Instead, we should concentrate on blood management for patients whose preoperative haemoglobin level is too low...

Clearing The Air On Changing Pollution Risks

Date: Jun-12-2013
The federal government has been warned not enough is being done to protect miners and fast-food workers at drive-throughs from exposure to potentially dangerous levels of exhaust fumes. In submissions to the senate enquiry on the health impacts of air quality in Australia, experts from QUT's International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH) confirmed there is no 'safe' level of air pollution, just as there is no safe level of smoking...

Argos Therapeutics Announces US And Global Expansion For Ongoing Pivotal Phase 3 ADAPT Study For Personalized Immunotherapy

Date: Jun-12-2013
Argos Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases using its Arcelis™ technology platform, has announced it has expanded its ADAPT Phase 3 clinical study for AGS-003 to additional top cancer centers in the United States, Canada and will soon be expanding into Europe and Israel. To date, more than 50 sites have been activated and more than 30 subjects have been enrolled in North America...

Allergic And Autoimmune Diseases Connected, Implications For The Development Of New Therapies To Target Cancer

Date: Jun-12-2013
A group of scientists has discovered that a gene called Bach2 may play a central role in the development of a range of allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, asthma, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and type-1 diabetes. The research has implications for the development of new therapies to target cancer...