Infectious diarrhea germs stick to healthcare worker hands
• Infections • • Public Health • Dec 24 13
A new study finds nearly one in four healthcare workers’ hands were contaminated with Clostridium difficile spores after routine care of patients infected…
Role of Chronic Medical Conditions in Readmissions
• Public Health • Dec 24 13
Researchers cite identification and monitoring of known underlying chronic medical conditions as opportunities to reduce readmission rates and improve patient safety.
Beatboxing poses little risk of injury to voice
• Ear / Nose / Throat • Dec 24 13
You might think that beatboxing, with its harsh, high-energy percussive sounds, would be harder on the voice than the sweet song of a soprano.…
Early start to weight gain tied to later heart risks
• Children's Health • • Heart • • Obesity • Dec 24 13
Kids who start rapidly gaining weight early in childhood are more likely to have higher blood pressure and other signs of future heart trouble…
Acupuncture, real or sham, eases hot flashes due to breast cancer chemo
• Alternative Medicine • • Cancer: Breast • • Gender: Female • Dec 24 13
Both real and sham weekly acupuncture treatments eased hot flashes and other side effects of anticancer drug treatment in a small, preliminary study of…
Increase in consultations for Medicare patients before cataract surgery
• Eye / Vision Problems • • Surgery • Dec 24 13
Preoperative consultations before cataract surgery became more common for Medicare patients despite no clear guidelines about when to require such a service, hinting at…
Pregnant women need not avoid peanuts, evidence shows
• Allergies • • Fertility and pregnancy • • Food & Nutrition • • Pregnancy • Dec 24 13
Women need not fear that eating peanuts during pregnancy could cause their child to develop a peanut allergy, according to a new study from…
China investigates after vaccine suspected in seven deaths
• Drug Abuse • Dec 24 13
Chinese health authorities are investigating after seven infants died following inoculation with a hepatitis B vaccine, state media reported on Monday.
In men, high testosterone can mean weakened immune response, Stanford study finds
• Gender: Male • • Immunology • Dec 24 13
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have linked high testosterone levels in men to a poor immune response to an influenza vaccine.
…Obamacare signup deadline pushed back to Tuesday
• Public Health • Dec 24 13
As Americans scrambled to beat a deadline to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, the White House gave most consumers…
Settlement reached over deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak
• Infections • • Public Health • Dec 24 13
Owners and insurers of a now-bankrupt Massachusetts pharmacy linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak have agreed to pay more than $100 million to compensate…
Doctors warn some shouldn’t drink raw milk
• Dieting • • Food & Nutrition • Dec 22 13
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday warned that pregnant women and children should not drink raw milk and said it supports a nationwide…
Study shows Where Alzheimer’s starts and how it spreads
• Brain • • Neurology • Dec 22 13
Using high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) imaging in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and in mouse models of the disease, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers…
Scientists Discover New and Reversible Cause of Aging
• Aging and Gerontology • Dec 21 13
Scientists have studied aging for years, trying to figure out exactly how it happens and how to slow the process. Now, they not only…
Moderate alcohol consumption ‘boosts immune system’
• Food & Nutrition • • Immunology • Dec 21 13
Many of us enjoy a drink or two to celebrate the festive season. And now, researchers say the odd glass of wine with dinner…
Those with pre-diabetes reduce heart attack risk by walking
• Diabetes • • Heart • • Physical activity -exercise • Dec 21 13
A British researcher says an international team found those at higher risk for type 2 diabetes may reduce their risk of heart attack and…
Youth-drug can ‘reverse’ ageing in animal studies
• Aging and Gerontology • • Public Health • Dec 21 13
US scientists have performed a dramatic reversal of the ageing process in animal studies.
They used a chemical to rejuvenate muscle in mice and…
Stroke risk ‘higher at start of warfarin treatment’
• Stroke • Dec 21 13
“Warfarin doubles risk of stroke in first week for irregular heartbeat sufferers,” reports The Daily Telegraph.
Warfarin is a drug known to reduce the…
How The ‘Stress Gene’ Is Linked To Heart Attack Risk
• Genetics • • Heart • Dec 21 13
We’ve long known that stress appears to put our hearts at risk, but researchers have still been puzzling as to why. A new study…
Teasing tied to less physical activity among kids
• Children's Health • • Physical activity -exercise • Dec 20 13
Children who are teased while playing sports tend to have a worse quality of life than their non-teased peers, a new study suggests. Some…
New research offers hope for vaccine and therapies for deadly infections
• Infections • Dec 20 13
Mucormycosis is a deadly infection that strikes people with weakened immune systems when certain types of fungi, called Mucorales, invade the patients’ cells. A…
Early Detection of Blinding Eye Disease Could be as Easy as Scanning a Barcode
• Eye / Vision Problems • Dec 20 13
A new optical device puts the power to detect eye disease in the palm of a hand. The tool - about the size of…
Common Disorders: It’s Not the Genes Themselves, But How They Are Controlled
• Anemia • • Genetics • Dec 20 13
Many rare disorders are caused by gene mutation, like sickle cell anemia. Yet until now the underlying genetic cause of more common conditions -…
Want to stop smoking? See a specialist!
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Dec 20 13
Smokers in England who want to stop smoking are three times more likely to succeed if they see a trained advisor than if they…
For pre-diabetics, just 2,000 steps a day cuts heart attack risk
• Diabetes • • Heart • Dec 19 13
People who are already on the way to developing diabetes could significantly reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke by walking…