Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Speedier Precise Cancer Radiotherapy Now Available
RapidArc is the next-generation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offering radiation delivery up to eight times faster than conventional IMRT. The first US patient to be given the new therapy...
Patients With Chronic Illness Benefit From Telehealth Intervention
Telehealth, using telecommunication technology to deliver health care, is increasingly being used to improve the delivery and availability of health care services to patients. Patients who received a telehealth intervention...
Too Much Or Too Little Weight Gain Poses Risks To Pregnant Mothers, Babies
Women who gain more or less than recommended amounts of weight during pregnancy are likely to increase the risk of problems for both themselves and their child, according to a...
Ultrasound before CT in appendicitis diagnosis: Study
Medical personnel should use ultrasound rather than CT scans in patients with suspected acute appendicitis, a new study suggests.
Canadian teen makes sticky molecule in bid to diagnose, prevent flu
A Canadian high school student has won a national science competition for her new molecule that binds to flu viruses, which may eventually be used to diagnose or prevent flu...
Caution urged for kids' anti-obesity drugs
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 8 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists are urging caution in giving children anti-obesity drugs, saying the medications might interfere with neural development.
Chantix recommended to quit smoking despite safety concerns
(AP) -- The federal government's new advice to doctors for helping smokers quit recommends the drug Chantix, which has recently been linked with depression and suicidal behavior. The new...
New Alzheimer's target identified
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found modulating enkephalin peptide activity in the brain might reduce the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease.
Depressed people have fewer serotonin and opioid receptors
Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain’s “feel good” stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new University of Michigan Depression Center research shows. read more
Mothers' High Normal Blood Sugar Levels Place Infants At Risk For Birth Problems
Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal -- but not high enough to be considered diabetes -- are more likely than women with lower blood...
Immune System Pathway Identified To Fight Allergens, Asthma
For the first time, researchers have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response malfunction. Targeting these elements could result in more effective...
Lack Of Motivation In Schizophrenia Linked To Brain Chemical Imbalance
A study of patients with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia suggests an alternative explanation for why many sufferers lack motivation. In addition to the hallucinations that often characterize schizophrenia, patients...
Gene Location That Gives Rise To Neuroblastoma, An Aggressive Childhood Cancer, Identified
Using advanced gene-hunting technology, researchers have identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer. The investigators found...
C. difficile linked to dozens of deaths at Ontario hospital
Hospitals in Ontario will be ordered to report any outbreaks of C. difficile after a Burlington hospital reported that dozens of people died following an outbreak of the bacteria.
Undergrad has sweet success with invention of artificial Golgi
An undergraduate student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has learned very quickly that a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. In fact, with his invention, the sugar...
For the record
Pregnancy and diabetes: A May 5 Health article on diabetes and pregnancy referred to the American Dietetic Assn.'s recommendation that doctors counsel diabetic women before pregnancy. The reference should...
Survey: U.S. honey bee deaths on rise
A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year.
Too much, too little sleep tied to ill health in CDC study
(AP) -- People who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study...
Project seeks to raise diabetes awareness
PRINCETON, N.J., May 7 (UPI) -- A coalition of U.S. advocacy and business organizations has announced a project to increase awareness of diabetes risk factors.
Opinion: The case of the vanishing GP
Our GPs are vanishing from inner cities and rural areas, placing an undue burden on hospital emergency departments, argues Barbara Reynolds-Hutchinson.
Calgary health centre receives $250,000 donation
Calgarians Jeanne Keith-Ferris and Don Ferris have donated $250,000 to the Centre for Digestive Motility, the health centre announced Tuesday.
Medical schools swap pigs for plastic
Doctors used to try out their surgical skills on animals before being allowed to work on patients. Now just a handful of US medical schools still have animal labs. Meredith...
Ignoring hypertensive disease a travesty
Hypertensive disease kills large numbers in developing countries, but efforts to tackle it are lacking, say Stephen MacMahon and colleagues.
Updates to the Science Shelf, Spring 2008 edition
I won't have time to post the latest newsletter for the Science Shelf Book Review Archive or mail it to subscribers for a few days, but here's a link. Read on...
Asbestos in children's hospital prompts surgery delays
The children's hospital for the Maritimes cancelled all elective surgeries Wednesday after asbestos was discovered in some ductwork.
Prisoner HIV program leads to continuum of medical care after release
By linking HIV positive prisoners to community-based medical care prior to release through an innovative program called Project Bridge, 95 percent of ex-offenders were retained in health care for a...
Study in mice suggests molecules in plants have beneficial effect on Alzheimer's disease
A set of molecules found in certain plants appears to have a beneficial effect in brain tissue associated with Alzheimer`s disease, according to a new study conducted in mice. The...
New Method For Processing Rape Evidence Could Eliminate Crime-lab Backlogs
Approximately 250,000 items of sexual assault evidence are mired in three- to 12-month backlogs awaiting analysis in US forensic laboratories. A forensic chemist has now developed a method for handling...