Health News

Mysterious Cambodian Deaths May Be Virulent Strain Of Hand Foot And Mouth

Date: Jul-09-2012
Many of the 52 mysterious childhood deaths in Cambodia are linked to enterovirus 71(EV-71), which causes hand foot and mouth disease. The EV-71 virus can cause a particularly aggressive form of hand foot and mouth disease, leading to severe complications in some patients. The mystery illness has so far made over sixty children ill, all of whom had to be hospitalized - 52 of them have died, says the Cambodian Ministry of Health...

Slim Chance Of Reducing Malnutrition Rates In Kids By 2015

Date: Jul-09-2012
The chance of developing nations meeting the UN's target to reduce child malnutrition by 2015 is very slim, say researchers. The study, published online in The Lancet, states that these nations have less than a 5% chance of meeting the UN's Millennium Development Goal target. The researchers examined trends in the weight and height of more than 7.7 million children in 141 countries between 1985 and 2011...

Marriage And Children Make People Less Happy At Work

Date: Jul-09-2012
A new study shows that people are less satisfied at work for up to five years after getting married or having their first child. The study, conducted by Kingston University's Business School, is published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior. After examining annual job satisfaction levels of nearly 10,000 people in the UK between 1991 and 2008, the team found that the negative effect of major life events on job satisfaction is significantly stronger for women...

Stem Cells From Amniotic Fluid

Date: Jul-09-2012
It is possible to take stem cells from amniotic fluid and reprogram them to a more versatile "pluripotent" state similar to embryonic stem cells and do this without inserting extra genes, according to a new study published online in the journal Molecular Therapy on 3 July. Scientists from Imperial College London, and University College London Institute of Child Health, and colleagues, said their discovery means it may be possible to store stem cells from donated amniotic fluid for clinical and research use, offering a much needed alternative to the limited supply of embryonic stem cells...

Canada's Bill C-31 To Change Immigration Act Could Severely Affect Mental Health Of Refugees

Date: Jul-09-2012
The Canadian government's proposed Bill C-31 to change the country's immigration act could have serious negative impacts on the mental health of refugees, states a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Under the proposed Bill C-31, the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, which targets refugee claimants, children under age 16 will be separated from their parents or held informally in a detention centre with their mothers...

Sunburn Is Consequence Of RNA Damage To Skin Cells

Date: Jul-09-2012
Our skin goes red and hurts when we sunburn as a result of RNA damage to skin cells, scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reported in Nature Medicine. In the report the scientists explained the biological mechanism of sunburn, when our skin goes red and hurts, and why there is an inflammatory response. They added that their research may help find a way of eventually stopping the inflammatory response from occurring. Richard L...

Drinking Coffee: More Good Than Harm?

Date: Jul-09-2012
There was a time when the only news about coffee and health was how it was bad for the heart, likely to give us ulcers and aggravate our nerves, but now it seems this popular beverage is receiving a more favorable kind of press. However, the researchers uncovering the good news are all saying the same thing: while there appear to be some health perks from drinking coffee, there are also a few cautions, and the evidence is not solid enough to actively encourage people to go out and drink coffee...

Treatment Diminishes Overall Size Of A Scar And Improves The Quality Of Skin Within The Scar

Date: Jul-09-2012
Whether from surgery or battle wounds, ugly scars can affect body and mind. Now a new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal offers a new strategy to reduce or eliminate scars on the skin. Specifically, scientists from NYU describe how agents that block receptors for adenosine (a molecule generated from ATP which is used by the body to provide energy to muscles) can be applied topically to healing wounds to reduce scar size, yielding skin that feels more like the original, unscarred skin...

Pathogenic Mosquito Abundance In Catch Basins Affected By Heat, Rainfall

Date: Jul-09-2012
Rainfall and temperature affect the abundance of two mosquito species linked to West Nile Virus in storm catch basins in suburban Chicago, two University of Illinois researchers report. Marilyn O'Hara Ruiz, a professor of pathobiology, led the study with graduate student Allison Gardner. The study was conducted using mosquito larvae collected from catch basins in Alsip, a southwest suburb. The researchers examined weather factors that influenced the levels of mosquito larvae in the basins. They found that low rainfall and high temperatures are associated with high numbers of larvae...

New Vaccine Candidate For Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, The Cause Of Many Hospital-Acquired Infections

Date: Jul-09-2012
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered a new vaccine candidate for the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa taking advantage of a new mechanism of immunity. The study was published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, particularly in patients on respirators, where it can cause so-called ventilator-associated pneumonia, which carries a very high mortality rate...