Health News

West Nile Virus, Worst Year Ever Says CDC, USA

Date: Sep-07-2012
So far, this has been the worst year on record for West Nile virus infections, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 48 states have reported infections in humans, birds and/or mosquitoes. 1,993 people have been confirmed nationwide with WNV (West Nile virus) infection, of whom 87 have died. 54% (1,069) were classified as neuroinvasive disease and 924 as non-neuroinvasive disease. In neuroinvasive disease, the patient went on to develop encephalitis or meningitis. Up to September 4th, more cases have been reported this year than ever before, says the CDC...

Toddlers Choking On Liquid Detergent Capsules

Date: Sep-07-2012
A growing number of toddlers are inadvertently swallowing liquid detergent capsules, known as Liquitabs, doctors from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, UK, Scotland reported in Archives of Childhood Diseases. In what the authors describe as a "significant public health issue", they urge detergent makers and packagers to review their packaging and safety warnings. Laundry and dishwasher detergent Liquitabs should have childproof packaging and better safety warnings, after several reports have come in of young children swallowing contents of the capsules, the authors explained...

University Of Hawaii Cancer Researchers Discover Gene Defect Responsible For Cancer Syndrome

Date: Sep-07-2012
University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers have discovered germline BAP1 mutations are associated with a novel cancer syndrome characterized by malignant mesothelioma, uveal melanoma, cutaneous melanoma and atypical melanocytic tumors. Germline mutations are hereditary gene defects that are present in every cell. The study investigated two unrelated families with BAP1 defects and found an increase in the occurrence of mole-like melanocytic tumors that are non-cancerous flat or slightly elevated and pigmented skin lesions...

Students Create Low-Cost Biosensor To Detect Contaminated Water In Developing Nations

Date: Sep-07-2012
Diarrheal disease is the second-leading cause of death in children under five years old - killing as many as 1.5 million children worldwide every year. These startling statistics from the World Health Organization (2009) point to the reason why a group of undergraduate students from Arizona State University is working to develop a low-cost biosensor - a simple device that would detect contaminated drinking water...

Expressing Your Emotions Can Reduce Fear, UCLA Psychologists Report

Date: Sep-07-2012
"Give sorrow words." - Malcolm in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" Can simply describing your feelings at stressful times make you less afraid and less anxious? A new UCLA psychology study suggests that labeling your emotions at the precise moment you are confronting what you fear can indeed have that effect. The psychologists asked 88 people with a fear of spiders to approach a large, live tarantula in an open container outdoors. The participants were told to walk closer and closer to the spider and eventually touch it if they could...

World's First Bionic Eye Implant In Melbourne

Date: Sep-07-2012
Bionic Vision Australia researchers have successfully performed the first bionic eye implant of an early prototype at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne. The bionic eye was implanted in a woman who has profound vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited condition. Ms Dianne Ashworth received the 'pre-bionic eye' implant which was switched on last month at the Bionics Institute after years of hard work and planning...

Singapore Scientists Find Genes Associated With Glaucoma, A Major Cause Of Eye Blindness

Date: Sep-07-2012
Singapore scientists have identified three new genes associated with Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG), a leading cause of blindness in Chinese people. PACG affects 15 million people worldwide, 80% of whom live in Asia...

High Levels Of DDT In Breast Milk

Date: Sep-07-2012
The highest levels ever of DDT in breast milk have been measured in mothers living in malaria-stricken villages in South Africa. The values lie well over the limits set by the World Health Organization. DDT has been used for many years in South Africa, sprayed indoors to fight malaria. It works, but it exposes the inhabitants to other risks not yet fully known. "To our ears, spraying DDT inside people's homes sounds absurd. But it is one of the most effective agents against malaria...

Study Finds Increase In Number Of Non-Smokers Being Diagnosed With Lung Cancer

Date: Sep-07-2012
There has been an increase in the number of non-smokers being diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, according to new findings. The report, which was presented on the 4th September 2012 at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Vienna, also found an increase in the number of women being diagnosed with the condition. Little is known about risk factors that can cause lung cancer in non-smokers, although recently the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed earlier this year that exhaust fumes from diesel engines were a cause of lung cancer...

Researchers Identify Biochemical Functions For Most Of The Human Genome

Date: Sep-07-2012
Only about 1 percent of the human genome contains gene regions that code for proteins, raising the question of what the rest of the DNA is doing. Scientists have now begun to discover the answer: About 80 percent of the genome is biochemically active, and likely involved in regulating the expression of nearby genes, according to a study from a large international team of researchers. The consortium, known as ENCODE (which stands for "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements"), includes hundreds of scientists from several dozen labs around the world...