How Family Affects Your Weight

Medicine & Technology Dec 30, 2014

A new study of women has revealed that what her friends and family members have to say about her weight can have a drastic effect on her ability to maintain, lose or gain weight.

Diabetes Could Affect Brain Growth in Children

Dec 29, 2014

While diabetes is often known as a disease affecting the breakdown of sugar, most do not know about the implications of the disease's affects on the circulatory system. As a disease that limits blood flow, as well as organ health, diabetes has been known to cause other dreaded ailments, that if left unchecked, may have a debilitating effect on a person's life. Vital organs are the usual casualties of diabetes, with cataracts that lead to blindness, as well as, kidney malfunction being some of the ramifications associated with the disease. A recent study published in the journal Diabetes found that type-one diabetes may affect another organ in children in particular-the brain. The study saw a difference in brain development of children with diabetes, compared with children not suffering from the disease.

FDA Approves New Roche Ebola Test For Emergency Use

Dec 29, 2014

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded over 7,500 confirmed, and suspected Ebola deaths in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; and more than 19,000 recorded cases in the said trio, which are the most heavily-affected countries in terms of Ebola. Early detection and quick action are therefore necessary to curb the further accelerated spread of the disease.

Hearing Loss Caused by HIV and its Treatments

Dec 29, 2014

A new study has shown that adults suffering from HIV often experience hearing loss in the upper and lower frequency ranges after years of treatments with power antiretroviral medications.

Lab Error Leads CDC to Suspect Health Officials May Be Infected With Ebola

Dec 29, 2014

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report saying a number of its scientists may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus. The scientists are said to have transferred a live Ebola sample to another lab by mistake.

Irish High Court Rules In What They Believe is Best Interest for Dead Mother and Unborn Fetus

Dec 27, 2014

After nearly a month of debates and testimonies arguing the legal rights of an unborn fetus, a three-judge panel of the Irish High Court ruled on Friday Dec. 26 that in the case of a pregnant mother being declared clinically dead, that doctors may choose to turn off life support, and in-effect terminate the pregnancy, if the fetus has little chance of survival.

Scientists Use Human Skin Cells to Develop Gametes

Dec 27, 2014

In a significant development in the science world, scientists have used human skin cells and embryonic stem cells to create gametes. This breakthrough at the University of Cambridge is the first for human cells.

First Caramel Apples, Now the Ice Cream May be Infected—Listeria Epidemic

Dec 26, 2014

First it’s the caramel apples, now it’s contaminated ice cream. Where will the CDC draw the line? In a recent international outbreak of bacterial infection Listeria, health officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have investigated recent deaths and sourced the outbreak back to potentially bad batches of pre-made caramel apples sold in retail stores such as Safeway over the past few months. But now, as the holiday season is in full bloom and more cases are popping up day after day, CDC officials are finding other sources, as well, and are now putting a warning on ice cream potentially infected in some areas of the nation.

After CDC Warning, Safeway Pulls Caramel Apples From Shelves

Dec 25, 2014

U.S. consumers are being advised to avoid eating caramel apples that have been commercially produced. This recommendation follows an outbreak of listeriosis in several states across the U.S. that has been linked to commercial caramel apples. Now, Safeway has withdrawn from its shelves caramel apples in response to the latest warning issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), along with a few threats of lawsuits looming around the corner.

Early Man and the Issue of Weak Bones: How Sedentary Lifestyle Led to Now

Dec 25, 2014

The age of agriculture brought stable food supply to the human population―but it also brought weak bones.

Cones & Rods Fossilized in Ancient Fish Eyes, What they Tell Us About the View from the Past

Dec 25, 2014

The newest discovery of fossilized fish, whose eyes have remained largely intact, has provided the proof that the human eye's ability to see in color developed hundreds of millions of years ago.

Can the Blood of Survivors Help Cure Ebola? The Limitations and Expectations of a New Vaccine

Dec 24, 2014

The antibodies from the blood of survivors of the deadly disease may finally enable researchers to create a treatment that is effective against all the strains of the virus and stop its spread across Africa and the rest of the world.

Indoor Tanning Can Lead to Health Hazards Such as Burns and Skin Cancer

Dec 24, 2014

A recent study found that indoor tanning is not as harmless as it appears to be. According to the study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indoor tanning has sent people to hospitals after getting burns, eye injuries, and loss of consciousness. Among the long-term effects associated with the activity are: cancer of the skin, cataracts and melanoma.

New Study of the Brain Reveals Smartphone Use Changes It

Dec 23, 2014

Ever think your electronics may change the way your brain functions? Well as it so happens a new study shows that smartphone usage leaves a mark on the part of your brain that processes touch, although it actually makes you smarter. Swiss researchers were curious about the effect of using digital devices on the digits doing the swiping and tapping, and now according to the study published in the journal Current Biology, all of the typing with your thumb and swiping with your index and middle fingers may be training your brain's somatosensory cortex.

Tick-Bourne ‘Bourbon Virus’ Wreaks Havoc on Kansas

Dec 23, 2014

While these little arachnids are not much to look at, ticks are the carriers of a myriad of diseases, which makes them of great importance to researchers. History has shown that they can cause sepsis, this past summer researchers discovered that the Lone Star tick can create a severe allergy to red meats, and now health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a new tick-borne virus can even cause multiple organ failure.