Health & WellnessS


Ambulance

Virulent New Strain of TB Raising Fears of Pandemic

A virulent strain of tuberculosis resistant to most available drugs is surfacing around the globe, raising fears of a pandemic that could devastate efforts to contain TB and prove deadly to people with immune-deficiency diseases such as HIV-AIDS.

Health

Diseases caused by fetal toxicity studied

U.S. researchers have determined later-life diseases resulting from fetal and infant toxicity have common immune patterns.

Attention

Lead Tainted Baby Bibs Sold at Wal-Mart Recalled

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The discovery of lead in the fabric of a brand of baby bibs sold at Wal-Mart Stores has resulted in a recall of the items, the company said.

Health

Appendix-removal via the mouth leaves no scar

Imagine surgery that could be performed without general anaesthetic, requires hardly any recovery time, and leaves you with no visible scars. The catch: it may also leave a very unpleasant taste in your mouth - along with part of your spleen, prostate or perhaps your gall bladder.

Transgastric surgery, or natural orifice translumenal endosurgery (NOTES), as it is officially known, involves passing flexible surgical tools and a camera in through the patient's mouth to reach the abdominal cavity via an incision made in the stomach lining. Once the operation is over, the surgeon draws any removed tissue back out through the patient's mouth and stitches up the hole in the stomach.

To some it may sound disgusting, to others the prospect of scar-free surgery may sound too good to be true. Either way it's coming. In the past couple of weeks three separate surgical teams say they have carried out NOTES procedures on humans - surgical firsts for both Europe and the US. And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.

Magic Wand

Maggots help cure MRSA patients

Maggots are being used to help successfully treat MRSA patients in record time, according to a new study by the University of Manchester.

Researchers used green bottle fly larvae to treat 13 diabetics whose foot ulcers were contaminated with MRSA.

They found that all but one were cured within a mean period of three weeks, instead of the usual 28 weeks for conventional treatment.

The university has now been awarded a £98,000 grant to carry out more tests.

Coffee

Coffee may have some health benefits, experts say

Drinking coffee can help ward off type 2 diabetes and may even help prevent certain cancers, according to panelists discussing the benefits -- and risks -- of the beverage at a scientific meeting.

Comment: A coffee a day...


Ambulance

Americans Ate 2.5 Million Chickens Fed Tainted Pet Food

At least 2.5 million broiler chickens from an Indiana producer were fed pet food scraps contaminated with the chemical melamine and subsequently sold for human consumption, federal health officials reported yesterday.

Health

The Shrinking Brains of Gulf War Veterans

Veterans of the first Gulf War who returned with multiple health symptom complaints show significant differences in brain structures from their fellow returnees without high numbers of health symptoms, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 - May 5, 2007.

Health

The Age of Autism: Ground Zero

This column has long made the controversial case that autism had a beginning, a "big bang" if you will. That moment was 1930 -- no U.S. cases before then fully match the classic description of the disorder.

Comment: Also have a look at these recently posted stories:

Thimerosal Linked To Autism: New Clinical Findings

and

The Age of Autism: The Amish Elephant


Health

World's cities step up pace of life in fast lane

A study of cities across the world shows pedestrians are upping their pace at an alarming rate as they scurry from place to place, determined to cram as much as possible into each day.

Scientists say it is symptomatic of a modern life driven by e-mail, text messages and a need to be available 24 hours a day.

The most dramatic increases were found in Asia among the fast-growing "tiger" economies.