Category: News & Reports

It's easy to see why internet use has exploded in recent years. The internet gives information on almost any subject you can imagine, entertainment around the clock, social networking sites to connect with people you know or don't know, and email and chat to keep in touch with family and friends far away. Most people […]

Patients at risk of a heart attack or stroke can reduce that risk by taking a combination of three heart drugs: a statin (a cholesterol-lowering drug), a blood pressure drug and low-dose aspirin. According to a group of American researchers, a recent study has found a simple, cheap way to help patients with diabetes or […]

A study in California found that severely obese people made up a quarter of hospital admissions for complications of H1N1 flu, although they are less than 5% of the population. Obesity seems to be as big a risk factor as pregnancy for complications of pandemic H1N1 flu, according to the most thorough look so far […]

We all know how exciting it is to hear a baby's first words. But the cries of babies just 3 days old already show similarities with their parents' speech, according to a new study comparing the cries of German and French newborns. Kathleen Wermke, a medical anthropologist at the University of Würzburg in Germany and […]

International cancer experts are meeting this week to plan an attack on the worrying rise of breast cancer in developing countries, where nearly two thirds of women are diagnosed only after the cancer has spread. On top of that, some worrying data suggest that breast cancer strikes women in poor countries at an average age […]

In recent years the foreskin, the double fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the head of the penis, has taken centre stage in the fight against HIV. It is rich in Langerhans cells and other immune cells that the virus can easily enter. Once infected, these cells not only act as reservoirs where […]

Giving babies paracetamol after vaccination to prevent fever may make the vaccines less effective, researchers say. In a trial of 450 babies, paracetamol taken in the 24 hours after vaccination did reduce fever. But the Czech researchers found a significant drop in the response to the vaccine when the painkiller was used. A UK doctor […]

Brushing with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) can make your teeth shine just like a commercial toothpaste, but everyday foods can also help your smile look its best, and they're more fun. Natural whiteners are often cheaper, and there are other natural ways to look after your teeth, gums and breath and keep your mouth fresh […]

Americans now have a lower chance of dying of cancer, largely thanks to better early detection, advanced treatments and prevention. Researchers have shown that over the past three decades these factors have led to a big fall in cancer death rates. The study was published in the journal Cancer Research. According to Dr Eric Kort […]

You have surely heard a lot about this. H1N1 flu has been reported as widespread in 37 US states, and across the country it has increased doctor visits, hospital stays and deaths. From 30 August to 3 October, laboratories confirmed 3,874 flu hospitalisations and 240 flu deaths, and there were 12,384 hospital admissions and 1,544 […]

The placenta is an unborn baby's lifeline. Attached to the inside of the womb and connected to the baby by the umbilical cord, it is the trading post between mother and baby: oxygen and nutrients in the mother's blood pass through it to the baby, and waste and carbon dioxide pass the other way. The […]