Latest science news in Health & Medicine
When East meets West: Why consumers turn to alternative medicine
Alternative health remedies are increasingly important in the health care marketplace. A new study explores how consumers choose among the many available remedies.
Batch of H1N1 vaccine pulled
Health officials across Canada are being asked to hold back a batch of swine flu vaccine that appears to be causing higher rates of severe allergic reactions.
IBM scientists create rapid disease diagnostic chip (w/ Video)
IBM scientists have created a one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on an innovative silicon chip, that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use, and can test for...
Stroke patients need more recovery time
COLUMBIA, Mo., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says the health system isn't giving stroke patients enough time to regain any lost function because it underestimates what the...
New method cuts emergency airway surgery
BALTIMORE, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say keeping a cart of supplies and medicines handy reduces the need for emergency airway surgery for hard-to-intubate patients.
P.E.I. toddler battles cancer in Toronto
A two-year-old Summerside girl with tumours in her abdomen, ribcage, skull and leg bones is undergoing a stem cell transplant in Toronto in hopes of beating the cancer.
Adverse symptom reporting by patients vs. clinicians
Clinician's and patient's adverse symptom reports may be discrepant from each other, but provide complementary, clinically meaningful information, according to a new study.
Increased obesity hindering success at reducing heart disease risk
The percentage of overweight and obese adults in the United States has increased over the past two decades -- undermining efforts to reduce heart disease risk factors. Rising obesity is...
Common herbal medicine may prevent acetaminophen-related liver damage, says researcher
A well-known Eastern medicine supplement may help avoid the most common cause of liver transplantation, according to a new study. The finding came as a surprise to the scientists, who...
Pre-eclampsia linked to thyroid problems
Women who experience preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy, may have an increased risk for reduced thyroid functioning later in life, report researchers.
Study examines challenges of diagnosing neurofibromatosis type 1 - like syndrome
An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary...
Researchers discover heart disease in 3,500-year-old mummies
Hardening of the arteries has been detected in 3,500-year-old mummies, so we may have to look beyond modern risk factors to fully understand heart disease, according to research presented American...
Heart failure patients with kidney dysfunction don't recover well after hospital discharge
Most heart failure patients who develop kidney failure in the hospital do not recover from it before going home and are at increased risk of either being re-hospitalised or dying...
Your own stem cells can treat heart disease
The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe...
Prevalence of high LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol levels decreases in US
Between 1999 and 2006, the prevalence of adults in the U.S. with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the 'bad' cholesterol, decreased by about one-third, according to a study in the...
Family partnership, education interventions lower heart failure patients' salt consumption
Educating family members of heart failure (HF) patients about the health benefits of consuming a low-salt diet and providing skills for support and communication can effectively reduce HF patients' sodium...
Some obese people perceive body size as OK, dismiss need to lose weight
Some obese people misperceive that their body size is normal and think they don't need to lose weight, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009...
Motivational 'women-only' cardiac rehab improves symptoms of depression
Depressive symptoms improved among women with coronary heart disease who participated in a motivationally-enhanced cardiac rehabilitation program exclusively for women, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific...
Treatment with folic acid, vitamin B12 associated with increased risk of cancer, death
Patients with heart disease in Norway, a country with no fortification of foods with folic acid, had an associated increased risk of cancer and death from any cause if they...
Could widely used rapid influenza tests pose a dangerous public health risk?
Rapid influenza diagnostic tests used in doctors' offices, hospitals and medical laboratories to detect H1N1 are virtually useless and could pose a significant danger to public health, according to a...
Detonating tumor-killer drug in cancers on command
A new delivery and trigger system has for the first time successfully placed TRAIL, a cancer-fighting protein, directly into solid tumors and on cue, turned it on. The treatment improved...
Investigational neurostimulation device aims to reduce stroke damage
(PhysOrg.com) -- Stroke researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston are the only ones in Texas to offer a novel device that might extend the acute stroke treatment window...
New Test May Predict Heart Disease Events and the Effect of Weight Loss on Insulin Resistance
(PhysOrg.com) -- Chemical fingerprints produced by the body's normal metabolic processes predict who will suffer cardiovascular events and who will benefit from weight loss by reduction of insulin resistance, according...
Can 'Mental Budgets' Help Consumers Control Their Eating Habits?
Over consumption is a serious issue in the United States. National Institutes of Health statistics show that two-thirds of American adults are overweight, with associated direct economic medicalcosts of $78.5...
First Clear Idea Of How Rare Bone Disease Progresses
Scientists are taking the first step in developing a treatment for a rare genetic disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), in which the body's skeletal muscles and soft connective tissue...
Researchers focus on helping dying patients take care of unfinished business
Hospice workers have watched patients emerge from comas and cling to life long enough to tell someone they love or forgive them.
A second skin
Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections. But a revolutionary new wound...
ER wait death prompts call for inquest funds
Relatives of a man who died last year during a lengthy wait in a Winnipeg hospital emergency room are seeking additional public funding to participate in the inquest examining his...