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Is higher fluoride intake in pregnancy affecting kids’ IQ?

A new study suggests that fluoride consumption at higher levels in pregnancy could be linked to a decline in IQ by a few points in the children. Experts disagree on the acceptability of this finding, which has stirred up questions about fluoridation of public drinking water supplies.

20 Aug 2019

Hookah smoking not a safe option, finds new study

With the decline in cigarette smoking, students have taken to other ‘safer’ forms of smoking, especially hookah smoking. However, a pioneering study shows that a single puff from a hookah exposes the smoker to as high a level of certain toxins as an entire cigarette does!

13 Aug 2019

Researchers discover antibiotic that could prevent diarrhea caused by C. difficile

In Australia, more than 10,000 patients a year acquire a serious bacterial infection called Clostridioides difficile, often while in hospital, resulting in the death of up to 300 people per year.

13 Aug 2019

Bedfont included in the European Business Awards' ‘Ones to Watch’ list for 2nd year in a row

Family med-tech business, Bedfont Scientific Ltd.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 12 Aug 2019

Genetically tweaking gut bacteria reduces risk of colorectal cancer in mice finds study

Researchers have found that editing of the genes of the bacteria present in the guts of mice could help reduce the inflammation and associated risk of colorectal cancers.

31 Jul 2019

Rutgers expert discusses how to stay safe as 'flesh-eating bacteria' move into new waters

Infections caused by the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus – known as "flesh eating" bacteria – are becoming more common in northern waters, whose surface temperatures are rising due to climate change.

30 Jul 2019

Whole-genome sequencing could transform salmonella detection

Salmonella is among the most common organisms responsible for symptomatic and serious food poisoning. Methods to detect this have evolved from crude microscopic identification to serotype detection.

29 Jul 2019

Empa researchers aim to fight unwanted biofilms

Some of us who are hospitalized are feeling worse rather than better. On average, seven percent of all patients in industrial countries are affected by "nosocomial" infections. In intensive care units, the risk increases even more. This can result in serious illnesses and life-threatening blood poisoning.

17 Jul 2019

Uranium toxicity might have caused obesity and diabetes in Kuwait, finds new study

According to a new research report, the extremely high prevalence of diabetes and obesity in the Gulf nation of Kuwait might be linked to the very high levels of uranium in these individuals. This in turn could be associated with the large amounts of depleted uranium dumped here in the form of US munitions during the Gulf war of 1990-91.

9 Jul 2019

New project reveals beautification processes used by women over the ages

Centuries of dangerous practices used by women in the pursuit of beauty are being showcased in a new project revealing brutal beauty regimes, from sewing hair into eyelids to replacing eyebrows with mouse skin.

9 Jul 2019

Scientists identify mechanism that makes babies more likely than adults to die from sepsis

An immune mechanism that makes babies more likely than adults to die from sepsis has been identified by scientists affiliated with the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State (Brazil).

4 Jul 2019

Smoke-free generation ‘in sight’ as numbers of smokers drop dramatically

Health experts are predicting that future generations could be “smoke-free” after numbers of smokers dropped dramatically since 2011.

3 Jul 2019

Many grandparents’ medications are not safely stored around grandchildren, poll finds

Whether it's a rare treat or a weekly routine, spending time with grandchildren brightens life for many older adults. But a new poll suggests many of them could do more to reduce the risk of their medications harming their grandchild.

1 Jul 2019

Plant foods may transmit antibiotic-resistant superbugs to humans

Researchers have revealed that plant foods may be transmitting antibiotic resistance to the gut microbiome.

25 Jun 2019

Veterans with PTSD twice as likely to die from suicide, accidental injury, and viral hepatitis

According to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, United States Veterans seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder are at increased risk of death compared with the general population.

24 Jun 2019

Opioid poisoning rates higher and in a more diverse population, study shows

A cohort study by Stony Brook University researchers of all payer hospital data on Long Island combined with census data indicates that opioid poisoning (OP) levels almost doubled from 2010 to 2016.

21 Jun 2019

Flying insects in hospitals harbor pathogenic bacteria

More than 50% of bacteria recovered from flying insects in a group of English hospitals were resistant to one or more antibiotics, posing a potential infection risk to patients, according to a new study.

20 Jun 2019

Federal grants ‘a lifesaver’ in opioid fight, but states still struggle to curb meth

In his 40 years of working with people struggling with addiction, David Crowe has seen various drugs fade in and out of popularity in Pennsylvania's Crawford County.

17 Jun 2019

Norovirus structures could help develop therapeutics to fight food-borne illness

Noroviruses are a leading cause of food-borne illness outbreaks, accounting for 58% of all outbreaks and cause 685 million cases worldwide each year. There is no effective therapeutic against them. Having knowledge of the intricate structure of the outer layer of noroviruses, the capsid, which allows the virus to attach to its human host, could help in vaccine development.

13 Jun 2019

Tetrodotoxin found in pufferfish can provide potent pain relief when given properly

Opioids remain a mainstay of treatment for chronic and surgical pain, despite their side effects and risk for addiction and overdose.