Health & Medicine - Dec 16, 2010 9:41 - 0 Comments

Hospice for elderly a worthy benefit

BROWN (US) — More residents with dementia are seeking hospice and using it longer, according to a new study, that also estimates 40 percent of nursing home residents will die with some degree of dementia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 15, 2010 15:04 - 0 Comments

Blood-sucking superbug prefers humans

VANDERBILT (US) — Staph bacteria feed on blood in order to grow and cause infection and now research finds the microbial vampires have a taste for the human variety. (more…)

Best of 2010, Health & Medicine - Dec 15, 2010 13:22 - 13 Comments

Is being American unhealthy for Mexicans?

RICE / DUKE (US) — Mexican-Americans who have assimilated into the U.S. culture are less healthy than those who have recently migrated from Mexico, a new study suggests. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 15, 2010 13:14 - 0 Comments

Gadget tracks day in the life of flu

STANFORD (US) — When it comes to infectious disease, who and how many get inoculated isn’t as important as knowing how people interact with each other—whether they’re vaccinated or not. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 14, 2010 20:29 - 0 Comments

Blue light fires up cancer drug

U. WARWICK (UK) —A platinum-based compound activated by visible blue light is 80 times more powerful than other platinum-based anticancer drugs, according to new research. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 13, 2010 16:22 - 2 Comments

Kids can’t escape second-hand smoke

U. ROCHESTER (US) — Children living in apartments are exposed to second-hand smoke even when no one smokes inside their own unit. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 13, 2010 13:51 - 0 Comments

Feeling depressed? Get dirty

EMORY (US) — Disruptions in ancient relationships with healthy microorganisms in soil, food, and the gut may be contributing to the increasing rates of people suffering from depression. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 13, 2010 11:18 - 0 Comments

Pollution-heart disease tie revealed

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Digital photographs of the tiny, hair-like blood vessels in the back of the eye, reveal how small blood vessels, like those that bring blood to the heart, respond to air pollution. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 10, 2010 10:54 - 0 Comments

System gauges heart disease risk

U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — A new scoring system should help physicians detect heart disease in young people before it starts to do damage. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 9, 2010 17:15 - 7 Comments

Think more, eat less

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s okay to think about devouring that ice cream cone. In fact, go ahead and imagine savoring every last bite. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 9, 2010 15:32 - 2 Comments

Simple tools untangle Alzheimer’s knot

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Newly-developed molecular tools show promise for “cleansing” the brain of amyloid plaques, implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 8, 2010 22:17 - 2 Comments

Should I stay (safe) or should I go?

U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — Instinctively knowing how to avert danger and stay safe—or not—may depend on a brain area known as the amygdala in both humans and animals. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 8, 2010 13:34 - 1 Comment

Light sets bioclock for winter babies

VANDERBILT (US) — The season in which babies are born appears to have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 7, 2010 14:06 - 10 Comments

Statin side effect serious, but rare

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Cholesterol-lowering statins, the most common class of medication in the U.S., appear to trigger a rare but serious autoimmune muscle disease in a small number of the 30 million Americans who take them. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 7, 2010 11:21 - 2 Comments

Calming drug prevents PTSD ‘dance’

NORTHWESTERN (US) — Injecting calming drugs into the brain within five hours of a disturbing event, prevents post-traumatic stress syndrome from occurring, according to a new study. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 6, 2010 16:09 - 1 Comment

This stands between you and pandemic

U. ROCHESTER (US) — Eggs—hundreds of millions of them—have to be available to make flu vaccines happen each year. But a new study with bacteria suggests there may be a way to skip the eggs. (more…)