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Study looks at bed-sharing and effect on child behavior

According to a new study parents who let their toddlers sleep in the same bed as them are not slowing their learning and behavior development.

19 Jul 2011

Married men with heart attack seek help sooner: Study

A new study implies that married men tend to live longer than their unwed counterparts, they're more likely to see their doctor regularly, and they even have a lower risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. The study shows that men who experience chest pains while having a heart attack tend to get to a hospital sooner if they're married or in a common-law relationship. A woman's marital status, by contrast, was not associated with how quickly she sought treatment after experiencing heart-attack-related chest pains, according to the study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

19 Jul 2011

Head injury and dementia - Alzheimer’s connection

According to two studies released Monday, brain injuries sustained early in life are likely boost the risk of dementia later in life. In a third study, also presented at an international Alzheimer's conference in Paris this week, researchers unveiled evidence that falling over in daily life may be an early warning sign of the onset of Alzheimer's.

19 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: NYT on Medicaid's value; WSJ against exchanges; Chicago Tribune on food deserts

Medicaid is under assault these days from nearly every direction. Governors complain that they cannot afford to put up their share of the money. Congressional Republicans led by Paul Ryan want to reduce the federal contribution by $771 billion over the next decade. ... President Obama has expressed willingness to cut Washington's contribution.

19 Jul 2011

Grandparents driving kids around might be safer than parents

According to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found that kids who rode in cars with grandparents driving were less likely to get injured than kids riding with parent drivers. This is in spite of the fact that older drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes than younger ones. The finding was unexpected, the team reported.

19 Jul 2011

Partners of Bacterial Vaginosis sufferers at increased risk of HIV

Starpharma Holdings Limited today commented on results of a study which showed that men were three times more likely to contract HIV from their female partners if the women also had bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the three months before the men became infected.

18 Jul 2011

Quitting cannabis use in your 20s cuts progression to other drugs

Quitting cannabis use in your 20s significantly reduces your chance of progressing to other illicit drug use, according to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

18 Jul 2011

New report: Ultrasound in Cardiology, OB/GYN and Radiology

A new survey of radiology professionals by InMedica (www.in-medica.com) found that ‘image quality’ and the ‘right balance of price versus performance’ were the most important factors when choosing a new ultrasound system. Advanced features and brand name were ranked least important, according to the results from the report “Western European Customer Insights: Ultrasound in Cardiology, OB/GYN and Radiology – 2011 Edition”.

18 Jul 2011

Nano-patterned plastic to advance stem cell research

Scientists have developed a novel plastic surface which overcomes the difficulties associated with growing adult stem cells. Standard surfaces have proved limited for growing large amounts and retaining the stem cells' useful characteristics. This discovery could lead to the creation of stem cell therapies for re-growing bone and tissue, and also for conditions such as arthritis. The study was carried out by Glasgow and Southampton universities.

18 Jul 2011

Peak of Australian flu season is imminent so take the necessary precautions now: Experts

The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) is today warning that high rates of influenza outbreaks have been confirmed in QLD, SA and NSW, but there is still time for most Australians, especially those in at-risk groups, to protect themselves and those around them.

18 Jul 2011

Midland hospitals claim victory against MRSA superbug

Reports reveal that Midland hospitals have won the war against the killer superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and some NHS trusts have completely eradicated the disease. The infection was hitting more than a thousand vulnerable patients in the region every year at its peak in 2004 and 2005, leading to many deaths.

18 Jul 2011

48% of family doctors want freedom to have relationship with patients

In surprising results from a new survey it was noted that nearly half of family doctors want the freedom to have a relationship with a patient. One in six GPs thinks it is acceptable to have sex with one of their own patients, says the survey, while 48 per cent think it is OK to do so if the patient changes doctors.

18 Jul 2011

Wales attempts ban on smoking in cars carrying kids

Wales is slated to become the first country in Europe to ban drivers from smoking with children in their car. Labor leaders in the Welsh Assembly are considering a new law barring cigarettes in cars carrying anyone under 18. The move could see a driver who legally lights up in England face criminal charges if they keep smoking over the border in Wales.

18 Jul 2011

Measles epidemic grips Kenya and Ethiopia

The UNICEF announced Friday that children in Kenya and Ethiopia are at risk of a measles epidemic. Ethiopia has had more than 17,584 cases of measles in 2011, with 114 deaths. The WHO urges measles vaccination of young children to combat the situation.

18 Jul 2011

Stimulant addiction from bath salts causing serious and long term problems

A new stimulant addiction is causing concern among emergency doctors. At Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, Pa. people were arriving so agitated, violent and psychotic that a small army of medical workers was needed to hold them down. They had taken new stimulant drugs that people are calling “bath salts,” and sometimes even large doses of sedatives failed to quiet them.

18 Jul 2011

Earlier Alzheimer’s disease and dementia diagnosis: New guidelines

It has been the tradition to confirm the presence of Alzheimer's disease during autopsy. However new guidelines proposed on Sunday by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association seek to distinguish between memory changes or dementia diagnosed by doctors when people are alive, and the changes pathologists can see in an autopsy.

18 Jul 2011

Obesity in kids reaches extreme levels

According to a Victoria's top childhood obesity experts, toddlers are becoming so obese they need hospital treatment and 10-year-olds so overweight they risk heart disease. This comes from Dr Matt Sabin, co-head of the Royal Children's Hospital weight management clinic who labeled Victoria's obesity epidemic as extreme. He said he often saw three-year-olds weighing 35kg - more than double their healthy weight - and 15-year-olds tipping the scales at up to 200kg.

18 Jul 2011

Washington Post examines access to maternal and child health care in Sierra Leone

The Washington Post examines access to maternal and child health services in Sierra Leone after the government dropped fees for such services last year, a move that "appears to have sharply cut into mortality rates for pregnant women and deaths from malaria for small children."

18 Jul 2011

Rome Statement for an HIV Cure calls for accelerated research

Members of the Advisory Board for a Global Scientific Strategy "Towards an HIV Cure" today launched the Rome Statement for an HIV Cure calling for an acceleration of HIV cure research. The announcement was made at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) currently being held in Rome

18 Jul 2011