Health News: General

Washington, August 30 (ANI): After studying sheep for nine years, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found evidence that vCJD can be transmitted through blood transfusion in humans.

London, August 30 (ANI): French surgeons have successfully used keyhole laser surgery to destroy a brain tumour on a conscious patient. Doctors at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris drilled a 3mm hole into the skull of a patient under local anaesthetic and inserted a tiny fibre-optic cable armed with a laser, which enabled them to "see" the metastatic tumour and steer the cable.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): While it is said that healthy people are happy, a new study suggests that people who're joyful and satisfied with their lives are healthier.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Premature babies are 50 pct less likely to develop cerebral palsy if their mothers are given magnesium sulfate at the time of childbirth, suggests a new study.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Though there is a strong link between obesity and asthma, inflammation is not the condition's long-suspected mediator, according to a group of researchers.

Washington, August 30 (ANI): IIT-Bombay scientists have developed an inexpensive web-enabled device that can enable doctors to remotely measure lung function in patients with asthma and other disorders, and to quickly instigate medical attention in an emergency.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Chewing gum can reduce stress and anxiety, according to a new research.
The study, to be presented at the 2008 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, found that chewing gum helped relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Physically or sexually abused kids are at a significantly higher risk of having asthma, according to a new study.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Women with depression are more likely than men to benefit from antidepressant drug citalopram (Celexa), according to a new study, which suggests a biological basis for difference in response.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Influenza shots might protect against flu but it does not lower the overall mortality risk in the elderly, suggests a new study led by an Indian origin scientist.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine have revealed that genetic response to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) in breast cancer cells can help predict aggressive tumours that are less likely to respond to treatment.

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Smoking during pregnancy is a 'double-edged sword' in respect of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - as it not only does raise a mother's likelihood of having a preterm baby, but it also increases the infant's susceptibility to SIDS further, according to a new study.

Washington, August 30 (ANI): Cotton-tipped swabs' use for routinely cleaning out "earwax" may prove harmful because the wax actually plays a critical protective function for the ear, say health care experts.

Washington, Aug 30 (IANS) Patients needing organ transplants may not need donated organs any more. A kind of 'instructor' molecule that tells blood vessel cells to organise themselves in tubes and not in layers could be an important step towards programming stem cells into building new organs instead.

Brussels, Aug 29 (DPA) Residents of the Belgian town of Fleurus have been told not to consume locally-produced vegetables and dairy products following a leak of radioactive iodine at a nearby nuclear facility, Belgian media reported Friday.

Melbourne, Aug 29 (ANI): The speed at which you reply to an email could reveal whether you're stressed, driven or relaxed, say researchers.

Lucknow, Aug 29 (IANS) With thousands of people affected by diarrhoea, malaria, gastroenteritis and even a mysterious disease that has claimed at least 135 lives, Uttar Pradesh has sounded a statewide health alert.

Washington, Aug 29 (ANI): A certain class of oral drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes can double the risk of heart failure in patients, warn a group of group of researchers led by an Indian origin researcher.

Washington, Aug 29 (ANI): In a breakthrough study, Scottish scientists have identified a chink in the protective shield of deadly superbugs that can make the bacteria explode and die.