Health News

Respiratory health professionals call on MPs to vote to ban smoking in cars with children

Date: Feb-07-2014
Over 500 respiratory healthcare professionals are urging MPs to legislate against smoking in cars with children "to protect the wellbeing of children now and in the future."In a letter to The BMJ, they say there is "a strong consensus that children need to be protected from unnecessary hazards, that exposing children to tobacco smoke is unacceptable, and that removing this exposure is effective."Second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke is a major cause of ill health in children, they explain.

Is the male or female brain more vulnerable to triggers of violent behavior?

Date: Feb-07-2014
Human behaviors such as violence depend on interactions in the brain between genetic and environmental factors. An individual may be more vulnerable to developing violent behaviors if they have predisposing factors and are then exposed to stress, abuse, or other triggers, especially early in life. The latest research on how differences between the male and female brain contribute to sex differences in violence is explored in Violence and Gender, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Violence and Gender website.

FDA launches its first national public education campaign to prevent, reduce youth tobacco use

Date: Feb-07-2014
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the launch of a national public education campaign to prevent youth tobacco use and reduce the number of kids ages 12 to 17 who become regular smokers. "The Real Cost" campaign is the FDA's first of several planned tobacco education campaigns using the new authority granted under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2009.Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year.

When cats bite: 1 in 3 patients bitten in hand hospitalized, infections common

Date: Feb-07-2014
Dogs aren't the only pets who sometimes bite the hands that feed them. Cats do too, and when they strike a hand, can inject bacteria deep into joints and tissue, perfect breeding grounds for infection. Cat bites to the hand are so dangerous, 1 in 3 patients with such wounds had to be hospitalized, a Mayo Clinic study covering three years showed. Of those hospitalized, two-thirds needed surgery. Middle-aged women were the most common bite victims, according to the research, published in the Journal of Hand Surgery.Why are cat bites to the hand so dangerous?

Lead exposure implicated in criminal behavior

Date: Feb-07-2014
When crime rates drop, politicians like to give themselves pats on the back for being "tough on crime." But a new theory explaining why violence has declined across the country since the 1990s is gaining credence, and it has nothing to do with the criminal justice system. An article in Chemical & Engineering News details the mounting data that suggests taking lead out of gas and paint has played a critical role.Lauren K. Wolf, associate editor at C&EN, explains that violent crimes had reached an all-time high in the U.S. in the early '90s.

Large skin flaps developed to reconstruct severe facial defects

Date: Feb-07-2014
Chinese surgeons develop 'monoblock' flaps to reconstruct severe facial defects, reports the journal of craniofacial surgeryPatients with massive burns causing complete loss of the facial skin pose a difficult challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Now a group of surgeons in China have developed an innovative technique for creating a one-piece skin flap large enough to perform full-face resurfacing, reports The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.Dr.

Women prefer attractive professional cyclists

Date: Feb-07-2014
In a range of species, females show clear preferences when it comes to the choice of their partner - they decide on the basis of external features like antler size or plumage coloration whether a male will be a good father to her offspring, or whether he will provide them with good genes. Erik Postma, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich, has now demonstrated that humans have similar skills. The faces of riders that performed better during the Tour de France were deemed more attractive, showing that we can assess a men's endurance performance by looking at his face.

Women prefer attractive professional cyclists

Date: Feb-07-2014
In a range of species, females show clear preferences when it comes to the choice of their partner - they decide on the basis of external features like antler size or plumage coloration whether a male will be a good father to her offspring, or whether he will provide them with good genes. Erik Postma, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich, has now demonstrated that humans have similar skills. The faces of riders that performed better during the Tour de France were deemed more attractive, showing that we can assess a men's endurance performance by looking at his face.

Researchers discover longevity mutation in flies all over the globe

Date: Feb-07-2014
To date, evidence that mutations in a gene called Indy could increase life span in flies and mimic calorie restriction in mammals has come only from experiments in the lab. A new study finds that the same benefit is present in naturally Indy-mutated flies descended from flies collected in the wild all over the world and going back decades. For years, researchers have been investigating how mutations of a gene called Indy (for "I'm Not Dead Yet") affect metabolism, life span, and reproductive fitness in both mammals and fruit flies.

Circadian clock mechanisms suggest that time is of the essence

Date: Feb-07-2014
New findings in mice suggest that merely changing meal times could have a significant effect on the levels of triglycerides in the liver. The results of this Weizmann Institute of Science study, recently published in Cell Metabolism, not only have important implications for the potential treatment of metabolic diseases, they may also have broader implications for most research areas in the life sciences.Many biological processes follow a set timetable, with levels of activity rising and dipping at certain times of the day.