MEDICINE & HEALTHIn the latest bout of germ warfare, doctors are trying new techniques to combat recurring infections of Clostridium difficile, a pesky bacterium that causes symptoms ranging from diarrhea to death.
If you've ever dreamt of owning your own industrial chicken farm, you may want to hold off just yet. It turns out a deadly avian influenza is sweeping across the Midwest like an infectious prairie fire.
While it may sound silly, it turns out onion tweezers may turn out to be the next endeavor in the study of biomedical engineering. And while this root vegetable is known to pack a pungent smell, it turns out that its epidermal cells pack quite a punch too—enough to even inspire artificial muscle formation. Okay, so this one needs a bit more explaining.
When it comes to the sugars that we eat, would you believe that our bodies may respond more positively to some rather than others? It’s a pretty simple assumption that our bodies may respond differently to each sugar we ingest, but it turns out that the physiological responses and mental associations made are far more complex than even researchers in neurobiology could have ever assumed. In a new study published this week in the journal PNAS, researchers with the University of Southern California investigated appetite responses and food choices with regards to ingestion of fructose versus glucose. And what the researchers found was that fructose was far more likely to be dangerous to your diet.
You may get more than you bargained for the next time you order a pizza, as a group of environmental scientists have issued a warning about chemicals known as PFASs that are used in the manufacturing of your pizza box.
The loss of life to the earthquake stricken areas of Nepal has been catastrophic, but now survivors are facing a new threat that could pose an even greater risk that the quake and its aftershocks - disease.
While you may hear more about cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, in actuality the most common form of cancer in the United States is skin cancer, with melanoma being the deadliest form of the disease. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and this first Monday of the month has been dubbed Melanoma Monday by the American Academy of Dermatology.
3D technology is nothing new to medicine. For years, physicians have utilized 'computerized tomography,' known as CT scans, to create three-dimensional images of the human body. But now, 3D technology is moving being diagnosis to actual treatment through the use of 3D printing. And for patients suffering from the rare condition, tracheobronchomalacia, 3D printers can mean the difference between life and death, or should I say, life and breath.
We understand the drive and the passion to explore the new and unknown frontiers of space, but when it comes to the loss of cognitive function or serious IQ points, we know where to draw the line. While humans as a species, and space agencies now, have been speaking about traveling to other planets for as long as anyone can remembers, now knowing what awaits us in space may change a few of your minds—literally.
U.S. health officials now say that the Ebola virus can be transmitted when survivors of the disease have unprotected sex and could even occur many months after being declared free of the virus.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency on Friday to help battle the toll that the recent bird flu epidemic is taking on the state's poultry industry.
Breastfeeding has long been recommended by many of the leading medical authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The decision to breastfeed is a personal one and is likely to draw strong opinions from both friends and family. However, evidence showing breastfeeding is healthy for both mother and baby continues to grow.
A new study has found that the regular consumption of potassium rich foods such as bananas has more positive effects on health that partaking in a low salt diet.
Do you have a double chin you would like to get rid of but don't want to go through painful surgery? Now you may be able to do just that. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved a new drug that promises to get rid of double chins without surgery.
Rubella, a disease with potentially horrible consequences for unborn children, has been eliminated from the Americas, a scientific panel set up by global health authorities said on Wednesday.
Thanks to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China may find another generation of star athletes on its hand. No, it’s not thanks to the facilities or the experience of bringing together the world’s best athletes in its large port-city—rather it has everything to do with the pollution around the event. Researchers are aware of the fact that high levels of air pollution can significantly impact fetal growth and development, and when it comes to air pollution few nations are quite as bad as China. But with the arrival of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and mandates reducing pollution levels courtesy of the Chinese government, researchers were given the perfect setup for a case study. And what they happened to find is that children born from mothers pregnant during the games had higher birth weights than those born before or after the games.
In spite of aggressive chemotherapy treatments, advanced prostate cancers have proven to be quite difficult to treat. As a heterogeneous mass of different cancerous mutations, prostate tumors often evade cellular death, and have even been known to accumulate cells capable of suppressing a body’s immunological defenses. But in a new study published this week in the journal Nature, researchers have found that chemotherapy, when paired with immunotherapy, is a potent duo that has already proven successful in achieving prostate cancer remission in mouse models—now they think that the strategy may be ready to treat humans.
Tests have found probable avian flu outbreaks at five new commercial poultry sites in Iowa, affecting more than 6 million birds and even more eggs, according to the state's agriculture department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.