Washington, February 06: Reversing a politically sensitive policy of the previous Bush administration involving women’s health, the Pentagon will make available the morning- after pill at all American military hospitals and clinics around the world.
The Department of Defence will begin making the morning -after pill Plan B available at all of its hospitals and health clinics around the world, officials said.
Washington, February 06: Although the finding has come too late to save lives following the quake in Haiti, researchers are hopeful that “the treatment can be validated in humans before, or even during, the next big quake”
A common drug used to treat headache can help save thousands of earthquake victims who die of “crush syndrome” — a condition in which their kidneys fail after being rescued, scientists have claimed.
London, February 05: Scientists in Cambridge have made a significant step towards developing a so-called ‘artificial pancreas’ system for managing type-1 diabetes in children.
The team has developed and successfully tested a new algorithm, providing a stepping stone to home testing for the artificial pancreas.
The new study, funded by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), shows that using an artificial pancreas system overnight can significantly reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, when blood glucose levels drop dangerously low, while sleeping.
New delhi, February 05: A bivalent polio vaccine, capable of simultaneously controlling two strains of the virus, will be administered to children under five in the national capital for the first time Sunday.
The vaccine was launched in India on Jan 9 under the new round of the national polio immunisation campaign.
“We will be administering bivalent oral polio vaccine (BoPV) to children below five years of age on Sunday. This will help in checking the spread of both P1 and P3 strain of polio,” C.M. Kaneju, officer on special duty with the pulse polio programme, told.
New Delhi, February 05: Over 51 per cent of children in metro cities below the age of 12 years have more than the normal lead levels in their blood, a finding that has prompted the Quality Council of India to launch a campaign in schools on the harmful effects of the metal-based paints.
The study, done by National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India (NRCLPI), found more than 51 per cent children have their blood lead level above the normal limit of 10 microgram per decilitre.
Washington, February 05: Worried about those extra flab but don’t have time to exercise? Here is an easy solution – a ‘hot’ weight-loss supplement that burns as many calories as a 20-minute walk.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health and Exercise Science Department have tested the nutritional supplement which they claim has the potential to burn as many calories as a 20-minute walk.
Mumbai, February 05: India is in the middle of an epidemiological and demographic transition and deaths due to chronic ailments including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are rising alarmingly contributing to 53% of total deaths.
The number of people with coronary heart disease in 2010 will reach 46.9 million according to the report of the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
Washington, February 04: US health spending will grow faster than the overall economy this decade and by 2019 nearly 20 cents of every dollar spent in the United States will go for healthcare, US government analysts said on Thursday.
Healthcare will account for 19.3% of the economy in 2019, the report said.
Last year an estimated $2.5 trillion was spent on healthcare in the United States, accounting for about 17.3% of the economy, the report said.
Washington, February 04: A new high-tech device that keeps a tab on whether a person has taken medicines on time or not is being developed by American scientists.
Researchers at California-based Proteus Biomedical are using wireless technology — the same mechanism used to operate a cell phone and the Internet — to develop the device that monitors a person whether he has taken pills or not and then transmits the information to the patient, his doctor and a designated family member.
London, February 04: A man in a deeply unconscious state for five years has been able to communicate with doctors using just his thoughts in a study scientists say is a “game changer” for care of vegetative state patients.
British and Belgian researchers used a brain scanner called functional magnetic resonance imaging to show the man, who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a road accident in 2003, was able to think “yes” or “no” answers to questions by wilfully changing his brain activity.
Paris, February 04: Debate over the obesity epidemic sweeping parts of the world has focussed on whether lifestyle — too much junk food and couch-potato living — is the big culprit or whether genes are also to blame.
A new study may help tip the balance in favour of those who claim that fat runs in their family and there is little they can do about it.
People who are morbidly obese lack a tiny stretch of DNA containing around 30 genes, according to the investigation released on Wednesday by the British journal Nature.
New Delhi, February 04: Advocating the need for awareness on early diagnosis for prevention of cancer on the eve of World Cancer Day, leading health experts feel over 30 per cent of such cases can be prevented by simple measures like regular exercise and quitting smoking.
According to National Cancer Control Programme, around nine lakh people die due to cancer every year in India, while WHO says that annual global deaths due to the disease would jump to 17 million by 2030 from a projected 7.6 million this year if people do not take urgent action to avoid risk factors.
Beijing, February 04: Scientists in China claimed to have found a breakthrough in acupuncture therapy which would help detect cancer and brain tumours in patients at an early stage through a super powerful X-ray beam.
The researchers working on synchrotron have detected evidence that acupuncture points differ from other parts of the body.
London, February 04: To attract men, women order low calorie food when dining in mixed gender groups, a new study has found.
The research suggests that young women use their food to send a signal to men. Just like clothing and accessories, they pick meals to enhance their desirability to the opposite sex.
“The salad leaves are meant to say, ‘I’m pretty; I’m attractive; I take care of myself’,” said Psychologist Meredith Young, lead researcher of the study.
London, February 04: Coming soon: A pill that will help you live past 100, say scientists.
An international team is on track to develop what it claims is the “long life” super pill which could help people live a long and healthy life well above 100 years.
And, the scientists say that the drug, designed to mimic the actions of three genes which aid longevity, could be ready for testing within three years, British newspaper ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported.
Washington, February 04: It’s never too late to quit smoking. Research shows saying no to cigarettes, even after a heart attack, can have a positive effect.
A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU), the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, found that quitting smoking after a heart attack has about the same positive effect as other major interventions such as lipid-lowering agents like statins or more invasive procedures.
“It’s really the most broad and eye-opening study of its kind,” says Yariv Gerber of TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine.
New Delhi, February 04: Around 10 million people in India – every 10 out of 1,000 people – have epilepsy, but most do not have access to proper treatment, especially in rural areas, which portrays the “dismal state of affairs” concerning the health condition in India, according to a health expert.
London, February 04: Forgetful moms-to-be may no longer be able to blame it on “the bump”, for a new study has claimed the “baby brain” idea, that bearing a child affects one’s mind power, is only a myth.
Previous studies suggested that women’s brains decline in size by up to 4 per cent while they are pregnant, leading to worse performance on tests of memory and verbal skills.
Toronto, February 04: Canadian and Brazilian scientists have revealed an unknown mechanism that contributes to heart failure.
In their joint study, the scientists have found that the decreased release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – a chemical messenger which slows cardiac activity – contributes to heart failure.
Washington, February 04: The brains of infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) produce low levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that conveys messages between cells and plays a vital role in regulating breathing, heart rate and sleep, says a new research.
SIDS is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday that cannot be explained after a complete autopsy, an investigation of the scene and circumstances of the death, and a review of the medical history of the infant and of his or her family.
Washington, February 03: They have become a must-have for excited parents-to-be, with their amazingly detailed depiction of unborn babies in three-dimensional realism.
But souvenir ultrasound scans offering parents keepsake pictures of their child in the womb could pose neurological risks, experts warned yesterday.
While ultrasound scans to check the child’s health were deemed justifiable, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) expressed concern over the rise of so-called “souvenir scanning”, when parents conduct ultrasound scans purely for the purpose of photographic mementos.
Washington, February 03: In line with previous studies, a new study finds taking one fish oil capsule every day can prevent mental illnesses in the at-risk population.
Previous studies had reported that omega 3 in fish oil is heart tonic and can fight dementia.
According to the study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, taking fish oil supplements lowers the risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia by one quarter in individuals with weak or transient psychotic symptoms as well as those with schizophrenia-like brain changes.
Ahmedabad, February 03: Swine flu has claimed three more lives in Gujarat, taking the death toll in the state to 242, while 19 more persons on Tuesday tested positive for the infection.
According to Health Department officials, two patients infected with H1N1, Hasumatiben Patel (55) and Arjun Solanki (50), died at Civil Hospital here today. The third victim, Joshna Ramanlal, succumbed at the Hospital yesterday.
The new cases were reported from Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Porbandar, they said.
Manila, February 03: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that annual global cancer deaths would jump to 17 million by 2030 from a projected 7.6 million this year if people do not take urgent action to avoid risk factors.
Cancer accounts for one in eight deaths worldwide – more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined – but many of these deaths can be avoided, the WHO said.
It added that each year, over 12 million people around the world are diagnosed with cancer.
Hyderabad,February 02:Anoo’s, South India’s premier brand in salon and clinical services hosted a unique educational workshop on the importance and benefits of being well groomed for the wives of delegates attending the 8th International Conference and Exposition of Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG), India. In an age where maintaining one self has become a priority and necessity, this session was emphasized upon and organized by Anoo’s with the objective of reaching out with the message that every woman can look and feel good with simple but effective measures.