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Mayo Clinic expert explains difference between severe sepsis and septic shock

Sepsis can be a dangerous complication of almost any type of infection, including influenza, pneumonia and food poisoning; urinary tract infections; bloodstream infections from wounds; and abdominal infections.

14 Jan 2015

Cardiac arrest associated with high mortality even in the world of Star Trek

The Star Trek universe is one of the most popular pieces of science fiction entertainment. Lots of the technologies seen in the TV and cinema episodes featuring Captain Kirk, Mr Spock or Captain Picard were once regarded as futuristic, but have now become reality - with examples including wireless communication or portable computers. In a recent study by the University Department of Emergency Medicine at the MedUni Vienna, the make-believe future of the human race depicted in this series has been used to investigate the frequency and mortality of cardiac arrests in the 24th century.

1 Jan 2015

Researchers explore lifespan variability between races

Eliminating health disparities between races is a goal of many groups and organizations, but a team of sociologists suggests that finding the reasons for the differences in the timing of black and white deaths may be trickier than once thought.

17 Dec 2014

Pharmacology 2014 to showcase latest research on NHS care

The British Pharmacological Society has announced that its annual meeting, Pharmacology 2014, will showcase the latest research on the NHS care received by children and the elderly in the UK. New findings in these 'Cinderella' areas (so-called because they are often neglected or over-looked) represent just a small sample of the cutting-edge research being presented next week.

14 Dec 2014

Experiments to probe bacteria virulence in low gravity of space station

The University of Colorado Boulder will fly state-of-the-art hardware on the commercial SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launching to the International Space Station Dec. 19 to support experiments designed to better understand why the virulence of some pathogens increases in the low gravity of space.

14 Dec 2014

New diagnostic system describes symptoms using the image of patient's tongue

Physicians often ask their patients to "Please stick out your tongue". The tongue can betray signs of illness, which combined with other symptoms such as a cough, fever, presence of jaundice, headache or bowel habits, can help the physician offer a diagnosis. For people in remote areas who do not have ready access to a physician, a new diagnostic system is reported in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology that works to combine the soft inputs of described symptoms with a digital analysis of an image of the patient's tongue.

7 Dec 2014

Excessive alcohol intake is not just the realm of alcoholics

Excessive alcohol consumption, which is responsible for 88,000 deaths annually in the US, is commonly assumed to occur in people who are alcohol-dependent. However, of these deaths only 3,700 were due to alcohol dependence. A study published yesterday found that in 9 out 10 cases, adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics or alcohol-dependent.

21 Nov 2014

UPM researchers use probabilistic models to assess health risks of mercury

Researchers from the UPM have characterized the health risks derived from the usage of mercury in artisanal gold mining in Colombia through probabilistic models.

14 Nov 2014

Loyola University Health System to hold medication take-back day

Loyola University Health System will partner with the Cook County Sheriff's Department to hold a medication take-back day.

21 Oct 2014

Researchers develop low-cost methods to tap arsenic-safe drinking water

Arsenic poisoning is widespread in Bangladesh, where ground water is contaminated by runoff from the Himalayas.

13 Oct 2014

Suicide prevention: an interview with Dr Shekhar Saxena, World Health Organization

Suicide is a serious public health problem. More than 800,000 people die from suicide every year – that’s one person every 40 seconds.

5 Oct 2014

New, easy-to-use EEG electrode can measure brain function abnormalities

A new, easy-to-use EEG electrode set for the measurement of the electrical activity of the brain was developed in a recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland. The solutions developed in the PhD study of Pasi Lepola, MSc, make it possible to attach the electrode set on the patient quickly, resulting in reliable results without any special treatment of the skin.

24 Sep 2014

Avalon Ventures, GSK jointly launch two new early-stage life science companies

Avalon Ventures today announced the launch of two new companies formed through its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline to fund and launch up to 10 early-stage life science companies.

23 Sep 2014

CDC urges all adults to get flu vaccination

Influenza vaccination coverage estimates show an encouraging upward trend overall, but coverage among healthy 18 to 64 year-olds has yet to top 40 percent, according to new data announced at a news conference held today by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

19 Sep 2014

Cholera against cholera: an interview with Dr Bruce Turnbull, University of Leeds

Cholera bacteria, and other types of bacteria that cause diarrheal diseases, infect your intestines where they release AB5 protein toxins – that is they have a single toxic A-subunit that is linked to a pentamer of B-subunits that act as the delivery vehicle to transport the A-subunit into the cells.

8 Sep 2014

Gene therapy may offer significant advantages in prevention of botulism exposure

The current method to treat acute toxin poisoning is to inject antibodies, commonly produced in animals, to neutralize the toxin. But this method has challenges ranging from safety to difficulties in developing, producing and maintaining the anti-serums in large quantities.

30 Aug 2014