Latest Health News

Research by DNA fingerprinting pioneer and his team at University of Leicester defines engine for change in genetic hotspots. One of the key drivers of human evolution and diversity, accounting for changes that occur between different generations of people, is explained by new research published (Sept 5) by world-renowned scientist Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester...

Selfish bacterial cells that act in their own interests and do not cooperate with their infection-causing colleagues can actually reduce the severity of infection. The selfish behaviour of these uncooperative bacteria could be exploited to treat antibiotic-resistant infections, according to research being presented at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting today. Bacteria work together by using a well-studied communication system called Quorum Sensing (QS). During infection, bacteria talk to each other using QS to coordinate the release of toxins...

While we are often exposed to bacteria in our food which could cause food poisoning, we don't always become ill why should this be so? Professor Colin Hill who is presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham today describes how bacteria use different tricks to aid their survival inside the body, helping to explain why food poisoning can be so unpredictable. One of the biggest challenges faced by food-borne bacteria is acid. Acidic conditions, particularly in the stomach and in the gut will kill most microbes found in contaminated food...

Plaque-causing bacteria can jailbreak from the mouth into the bloodstream and increase your risk of heart attack says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham. Professor Howard Jenkinson, from the University of Bristol explains how oral bacteria can wreak havoc if they are not kept in check by regular brushing and flossing. "Poor dental hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, providing bacteria with an escape route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease," he said...

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a gene critical for programmed cell death is also important in the loss of adult stem cells, a finding that could help to improve the health and well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment. "During chemotherapy or radiation therapy that kills cancer cells by inducing significant DNA damage in their genomes, one of the main side effects for human cancer patients is the depletion of their own adult stem cells, particularly the ones responsible for making new blood and intestine cells...

One of the key drivers of human evolution and diversity, accounting for changes that occur between different generations of people, is explained by new research published by world-renowned scientist Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester. Professor Jeffreys has spent over two decades since his landmark discovery in 1984 investigating what he describes as "pretty bizarre bits of DNA" - highly variable repeated parts of DNA called 'minisatellites' - found in the human genome...

Yale and McGill University scientists have identified a protein that is critical in fighting mosquito-borne West Nile Virus in mice. This finding could have therapeutic implications for controlling the potentially deadly virus in humans. The study appears in the Advance Online Publication of Nature Immunology. Researchers studied the role of caspase-12, a protein that activates secretion of substances that are part of the body's immune response. Caspase-12's function in fighting bacterial infection has been studied before, but its role in viral immunity has not...

Research that could take scientists a step closer to discovering the cause of Alzheimer's and a study on how to improve care for people with dementia in hospitals are two of nine projects announced. The nine research projects have been made possible following a £1.5 million grant jointly from Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation. Top scientists in the UK and Australia are being funded as part of an exciting new partnership between the two charities to boost research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dementia...

The largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (Academy) 2010 Joint Meeting in conjunction with the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) will be taking place in Chicago, October 16 to 19. The meeting offers more than 500 instruction courses, a variety of skills transfer courses, breakfast with the experts roundtables, 43 free symposia and Spotlight Sessions and hundreds of scientific papers, posters and videos...

For the estimated 83,000 women who will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer in 2010, participation in clinical trials offers an opportunity both to ensure that future patients benefit from the most up-to-date treatments and increased survival rates and to potentially improve the health of current patients. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports the efforts to raise awareness about gynecologic cancers and participation in clinical trials-a main focus of this year's Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month (GCAM) in September...

The American Red Cross has provided help and shelter from North Carolina to New England as Hurricane Earl and its winds and rain moved up the Atlantic Coast. Friday night, twelve Red Cross shelters in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave nearly 100 people a safe place to ride out the storm as Earl moved past Cape Cod with strong winds and heavy rain. Thursday night, a dozen Red Cross shelters in North Carolina gave more than 260 people comfort as the storm passed through that area...

Just days after leading thousands of people in a Sacramento march celebrating women's right to vote, and decrying those politicians who dishonor it, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today announces that Labor Day festivities across the state will feature both Queen Meg and Princess Carly, the two satirical figures lampooning the Republican nominees for governor and senator...

A new IFPMA study(1), announced at the "Options for the Control of Influenza VII" conference in Hong Kong, shows that global vaccine coverage remains uneven and low overall, despite total distribution of seasonal influenza vaccines nearly doubling over the last six years...

Mind today reveals shocking new evidence about the devastating impact a visit from the bailiffs can have on your mental health. 50% of people surveyed by the charity reported suicidal feelings after a knock on the door from bailiffs. In the current economic climate and as more and more people find it difficult to keep up with their bills, Mind is calling on the Government to act on its commitment to protect the public from aggressive bailiffs and urgently introduce robust regulation of the profession...

According to a new report, 2 out of every 5 of New York City's children from kindergarten to eighth grade, are either overweight or obese. This figure, released in a report on Sunday, comes from the latest New York City (NYC) Fitnessgram assessment, a new program that was piloted in 2005-06 and is now in place across the city. The program uses height and weight measures collected through a school year and converts them into body mass index (BMI) measures. These, together with the results of a fitness test, are sent to parents...

Cancer diagnosis and treatment planning took another major step forward with the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and installation of a second positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner at the BC Cancer Agency. "With one PET/CT scanner already in place at the BC Cancer Agency, we have seen how British Columbians have benefitted from better access to a proven diagnostic imaging tool," said Wynne Powell, Chair, Board of Directors, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)...

The acute care surgery (ACS) model, which is consultant-led, provides a safe surgical environment for patients and is associated with a reduced complication rate, according to an article in the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Robert Gandy, Surgical Registrar at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, and co-authors conducted a retrospective historical control study, comparing appendicectomy outcomes for the ACS model with the traditional on-call (Trad) model...

High bed occupancy and emergency department (ED) overcrowding are bad for patients, staff and the system itself, according to an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia. In the editorial, Dr Sally McCarthy, President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Director of Emergency Medicine at, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, discusses hospital occupancy levels and ED overcrowding...

The first clinical trials on a new investigational drug being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus have been successfully completed. Completion of the initial phase (phase 1a) of trials of INX-189, discovered and first prepared by researchers at Cardiff University's Welsh School of Pharmacy in 2008, means the chances of it becoming an approved medicine have significantly improved. Approximately 170 million people worldwide are affected with Hepatitis C, which can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis and death...

Following the imprisonment of Maxim Popov in April 2010, sentenced to 7 years jail primarily for the promotion of HIV prevention efforts in Uzbekistan, the International AIDS Society (IAS) notes with alarm the detention of a medial practitioner working in HIV prevention in Ukraine. Dr. Illya Podolyan, a 62-year old physician providing opioid substitution therapy (OST) for people using drugs, was detained on 28 May 2010 by Odessa police and charged with alleged crimes relating to drugs trafficking...