Health News

Low Levels Of Common Flame-Retardant Chemical Damages Brain Cells

Date: Jan-18-2013
Finding may have implications for autism A common ingredient in flame retardants, BDE-49 accumulates in human blood, fat and breast milk. Despite these concentrations, little research has been done on the chemical's potential health risks. However, a study by scientists at the UC Davis MIND Institute is shedding new light on BDE-49's potential danger to brain health. The study showed that even tiny amounts of the compound damage neural mitochondria, the energy plants that power our cells. The chemical, quite literally, reduces brain power...

Severity Of Emphysema Predicts Mortality

Date: Jan-18-2013
Severity of emphysema, as measured by computed tomography (CT), is a strong independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in ever-smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study from researchers in Norway. In patients with severe emphysema, airway wall thickness is also associated with mortality from respiratory causes...

Watchdog Backs AF Blood Pressure Device

Date: Jan-18-2013
Detection and treatment of dangerous atrial fibrillation is vital A new blood pressure measuring device that can also detect a dangerous heart condition has been backed by the health watchdog. New guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) supports the use of the 'WatchBP Home A' device by healthcare professionals in primary care to opportunistically detect atrial fibrillation (AF) during measurement of blood pressure. AF is one of the most common types of abnormal heart rhythm and a major cause of stroke if left untreated...

Obesity And Diabetes Treatment EndoBarrier® Enters U.S. Pivotal Clinical Trial

Date: Jan-18-2013
GI Dynamics, Inc. (ASX: GID) have announced that it has initiated its U.S. multicenter pivotal clinical trial of EndoBarrier®, the ENDO Trial, for the treatment of patients who have uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and are obese. EndoBarrier is a thin, flexible, tube-shaped liner that forms a physical barrier between food and a portion of the wall of the intestine. In previous clinical studies, EndoBarrier has been shown to achieve rapid reductions in blood sugar levels and weight loss of approximately 20 percent in 12 months...

Increases In Average BMI Of Women In Low- And Middle-Income Countries Are Not Shared Equally Across The BMI Distribution

Date: Jan-18-2013
Overweight and obesity are on the rise worldwide and have become major public health threats in poor countries as well as affluent societies. A study published this week in PLOS Medicine by researchers from the University of Toronto and Harvard School of Public Health now shows that, even in low- and middle-income countries, as average body mass index (or BMI, an indicator of body fat) increases the rise is not shared equally across the BMI distribution with increased weight gain at the higher end of the BMI distribution and little change at low BMI values...

Healthcare's Mobile Revolution - What Do We Know About Its Effectiveness?

Date: Jan-18-2013
Two systematic reviews by Caroline Free and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine are published in PLOS Medicine this week and examine the evidence on whether mobile technology can help improve health behaviors, improve disease self-management, or help health care delivery processes.� The researchers report that while mobile technology-based interventions have shown moderate benefits in a few specific contexts, not all outcomes are beneficial...

Quality Of Health Care For Women And Children Must Take Priority

Date: Jan-18-2013
It is time to reposition the quality of health care received by women and children in low income countries at the centre of debates on universal health coverage and post 2015 development priorities, according to international maternal and child health experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine. Publication of the commentary is timed to coincide with the official international launch of year 1 of the Maternal Health Task-Force (MHTF)-PLOS Collection on Maternal Health, which will take place at the Global Maternal Health Conference in Arusha, Tanzania on 15 January 2013...

96,000 Children Affected By Armed Conflict Benefit From A Comprehensive Mental Health Program

Date: Jan-18-2013
A newly developed community-based psychosocial and mental health care package for children affected by armed conflict has made effective care accessible to over 96,000 children, according to international researchers reporting in this week's PLOS Medicine. Their article is part of the journal's ongoing series on Global Mental Health Practice...

Life-Saving Melanoma Treatment Delayed When Smartphone Apps Get Diagnosis Wrong

Date: Jan-18-2013
Smartphone apps where you can upload photos of skin lesions and have them analyzed for likelihood of cancer can get it wrong an alarming number of times. This is the finding of a new US study whose authors warn that users who rely on such assessments instead of going to the doctor with their concerns could be delaying a correct diagnosis of melanoma and timely, life-saving treatment. Three out of the four smartphone apps the study reviewed, incorrectly diagnosed nearly one third of melanomas as "unconcerning", based on evaluation of uploaded images of skin lesions...

Mass Vaccination Of Poultry Responsible For Dramatic Fall In Salmonella Infections

Date: Jan-18-2013
Mass poultry vaccination programmes introduced to combat Salmonella infections have led to a dramatic fall in the number of cases since the late 1990s, according to a researcher at the University of Liverpool. Salmonella are important food-borne pathogens worldwide, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, fever and abdominal pain. There are currently around 6 million cases of illness from Salmonella across the EU each year, the majority of which are linked to food items such as eggs, chicken, beef, pork, salad vegetables and dairy products...