Health & WellnessS


Magic Wand

Canada: Woman aquires new accent after stroke


McMaster University
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:30 UTC
A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, McMaster University researchers report in the July issue of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.

The puzzling medical phenomenon known as foreign-accent syndrome (FAS) arises from neurological damage, and results in vocal distortions that typically sound like the speaker has a new, "foreign" accent.

This particular case, however, is even more unusual because the English-speaking woman did not acquire an accent that sounds foreign but one that instead sounds like Maritime Canadian English.
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Syringe

Red Cross: AIDS epidemic a global disaster


BBC / Tehran Times
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:53 UTC


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©Unknown

The Aids epidemic in some countries is so severe that it should be classified as a disaster, the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has warned.

The crisis fits the UN definition of a disaster as an event beyond the scope of any single society to cope with, says the IFRC.

The IFRC's annual report on world disasters usually focuses on specific natural disasters such as earthquakes.

The report says much of the money spent on Aids is not reaching those in need.

This year, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is departing from tradition with its world disasters report, to focus on what it says is one of the most long term and complex problems facing the world: the HIV/Aids epidemic.

Comment: There is more to the AIDS epidemic issue than initially meets the eye. Read here for more.

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Health

Some food from Mexico to face testing


CNN
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:20 UTC
WASHINGTON -- Starting Monday, health inspectors will halt and check the shipment of ingredients common to Mexican cuisine from Mexico to the United States, sources familiar with the salmonella poisoning investigation said.

The inquiry, which initially focused solely on tomatoes, has expanded to include cilantro, jalapeño peppers, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions, said Tommy Thompson, former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who said he has been informed of the plan.

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©Getty Images
Since April, more than 900 people have contracted the same strain of salmonella, but its source is unclear.
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Health

Salmonella signs point to peppers

Jonathan D. Rockoff
Baltimore Sun
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:28 UTC
WASHINGTON - Investigators are seeing more signs that the salmonella outbreak blamed on tomatoes might have been caused by tainted jalapeño peppers and have begun collecting samples from restaurants and from the homes of those who have been sickened, according to health officials involved in the probe.

New interviews with those who became infected found that many had eaten jalapeño peppers, often in salsa served with Mexican food, according to two state health officials. So far, none of the jalapeños taken from restaurants and from the homes of those who became ill have tested positive for Salmonella saintpaul.
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People

US: New Molecular Trigger Described for Hypertension, Diabetes

Ed Edelson
HealthDay News
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:13 UTC
Out-of-control enzymes do damage in both conditions, study finds

Rogue versions of enzymes known as proteases roam the body, clipping off working segments of the receptors that allow insulin to enter cells and do its job, according to a report in the June 30 online issue of Hypertension.

That uncontrolled enzymatic activity also reduces the immune system's response to infection and raises blood pressure, the report noted.

"We are describing a new mechanism for disease and injury to the body," said study author Frank DeLano, a research scientist with the department of bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. "It is an idea that hasn't been presented before. If we apply a protease inhibitor, we can prevent the damage we see in laboratory animals."
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Health

France: Herpes may trigger unusual form of diabetes: study

Michael Kahn
Reuters
Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:33 UTC
A common herpes virus might trigger an unusual form of type 2 diabetes found in sub-Saharan Africa that is characterized by rapid onset of disease, French researchers said on Tuesday.

Over the past 20 years this atypical form has emerged as one of the most frequent in populations of African origin. A link to the herpes virus is a step toward identifying a possible drug target, the researchers said.
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Magnify

Chance discovery points to crib death cause

Michael Kahn
Reuters
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:49 UTC
London - An imbalance of a key brain chemical could cause crib death, researchers said on Thursday in what they called a chance discovery.

They created mice whose sudden deaths resembled crib death in humans, and found that the key may be an out of balance self-regulating system controlling the nerve-signalling chemical serotonin.
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Cow

US: Kroger recalls Ground Beef on fears of E.coli contamination

Samia Sehgal
The Money Times
Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:32 UTC
Kroger Co. said on Wednesday that it is voluntarily recalling all ground beef products with sell-by dates between May 21 and June 8, owing to fears of E. coli contamination. The bacteria have stricken at least 35 people.

The recall includes all varieties and weights of products sold at the Kroger stores throughout Michigan and in central and northern Ohio (Columbus and Toledo areas).

The recall follows a notification by the state and federal health authorities that E. coli illnesses reported in Michigan and in Central and Northern Ohio have been linked to ground beef products sold in some Kroger stores in those regions.
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Health

UK: Water contamination scare hits 250,000 people


Times Online
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:25 UTC


Anglian water
©Unknown
Anglian Water delivers bottled water to vulnerable customers after today's cryptosporidium scare

A quarter of a million people were today warned to boil their drinking water after a contamination scare.

Anglian Water said that cryptosporidium parasites were found in samples in Northamptonshire, affecting 108,000 properties and 250,000 people. Cryptosporidium is a microscopic single-celled protozoan parasite, which can cause severe stomach upsets, especially in young or elderly people.
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Health

US: Pesticide Contamination Lingers Through Multiple Generations

Debra Myers
digitaljournal.com
Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:16 UTC
A recent study done by researchers from the University of Texas believe they have found proof that damage done by pesticides can last through at least four generations. The chemical that they used was a fungicide called vinclozolin.

In the research that was done by reproductive neuroendocrinologist Andrea Gore and evolutionary biologist David Crews, sexual behavior was monitored in two sets of rats. The first set were healthy while the second set were descendants of rats that had been given hormone-disrupting chemicals. The second group of rats who were great grand-mothers of the test rats, were then injected with the fungicide vinclozolon which is favored amongst grape growers.
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