Medindia Health News

Intellectual Disability Caused by Too Much Protein HUWE1
'Weird Chemistry' of Microbe's Discovered
E-cigarettes can Cause Harm To The Lungs: New Study
Thalidomide Survivors Reject Drug Firm's Apology
Yoga During Pregnancy Relieves Pain, Discomforts
Vitamin D Boosts IVF Success Depending on Woman's Race
Reason Behind Women's Addiction to Facebook Revealed
Britain May Become a 'No Smoking Nation' In 20 Years
New Treatment That Helps Prevent 80% Asthma Attacks Developed
Health Benefits of Male Circumcision Outweigh The Risks
FDA Approves New Constipation Drug
One in 100 Children In UK Are Psychopaths
Third Highest Number of Kids Produced by Indian-Born Mothers in UK Among Non Locals
Wisdom is Matter of Culture: Study
Junk Food Could also Damage Brain: Study
Changes in Specific Gene may Lead to Prostrate Cancer
Smartphones can be Your Wine Connoisseur
Virus Attack on Yosemite Tourists may Turn Deadly
For Patients With Lacunar Stroke, Aspirin-Clopidogrel No Better Than Aspirin Alone
US Performs Worst on Potentially Preventable Death Rates
ESC Analysis Reveals Arrhythmia Treatment Gaps Between Western and Eastern Europe
ICT Should be Used for Better Healthcare: Pitroda
Alarm Set Off By Dead Rats from Jaipur's Flooded Areas
Hope Found By Acid Victim in New Surgeries
Risk of Avian Flu Could Be Pushed Up By Climate Change
Doctor Caught at Wrong Place By Punjab Lawmaker's Sting

Intellectual Disability Caused by Too Much Protein HUWE1

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2 to 3 % of the children are born with an intellectual disability that could be possibly by a genetic defect, but in 80% of these cases, we do not know - yet - which genes are responsible. VIB researchers at KU Leuven show that increased production of the HUWE1 protein is the cause in some patients. Guy Froyen (VIB/KU Leuven): "The fact that HUWE1 regulates the dose of several other proteins in the brains, has an important impact on the quest for new ...

'Weird Chemistry' of Microbe's Discovered

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Researchers and microbiologists have found out "weird chemistry" practiced by the most abundant microbes on the planet. The researchers were actually exploring an unusual class of potential antibiotic agents, called phosphonates, already in use in agriculture and medicine. Phosphonates mimic molecules the microbes use, but tend to be more resistant to enzymatic breakdown. The secret of their success is the durability of their carbon-phosphorus bond, ...

E-cigarettes can Cause Harm To The Lungs: New Study

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Despite being claimed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes, electronic cigarettes can damage the lungs, finds a new research. A new study, presented today (Sunday 2 September 2012) at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Vienna, has added new evidence to the debate over the safety of alternative nicotine-delivery products. Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a vapor, rather than smoke. ...

Thalidomide Survivors Reject Drug Firm's Apology

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Thousands of Thalidomide victims, who were born disabled as a result of its use, rejected the "insult" apology made by the German drug firm that produced the drug. In its first apology for the scandal in 50 years, Grunenthal said on Friday it was "very sorry" for its silence towards victims of the drug, which was sold to pregnant women in the 1950s and early 1960s to cure morning sickness. But victims said the apology was too little, too late for the ...

Yoga During Pregnancy Relieves Pain, Discomforts

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Women who practice yoga during pregnancy may amply benefit from it as it will help boost their strength and relieve pregnancy discomforts. It is for this reason that many health experts are encouraging pregnant women to do yoga during pregnancy. This form of exercise is favored by some of Hollywood's newest moms like January Jones, Hilary Duff and Pink. "Yoga during pregnancy helps a woman increase her strength and flexibility, even as her body goes ...

Vitamin D Boosts IVF Success Depending on Woman's Race

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A new study has found that vitamin D may increase the chance of IVF success but it depends on a woman's race. Vitamin D, also known as the 'sunshine vitamin', is famed for its benefit to bones and the immune system, but it also plays a role in conception. Now, data suggests that the vitamin's benefits may only apply to certain racial groups - while white women can boost their IVF success rates with vitamin D, this doesn't appear to be true for Asian ...

Reason Behind Women's Addiction to Facebook Revealed

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Women who constantly surf the net are most at risk of becoming addicted to it. Researchers have uncovered new evidence of a genetic variant which makes people less likely to be able to tear themselves away from their computers - and the link occurred most frequently in women. The same genetic variation found to occur frequently in online addicts has already been linked to other forms of addiction - including nicotine addiction - and to loneliness and ...

Britain May Become a 'No Smoking Nation' In 20 Years

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Britain is likely to become a no smoking nation within the next 20 years, claims anti-smoking campaigners and senior doctors who are working together to reach the goal. Chairman of UK's Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group, Professor John Britain has described the goal as 'entirely realistic' and has called on the British Government to support the move. "Andrew Lansley could make himself a legacy greater than almost of any other Health ...

New Treatment That Helps Prevent 80% Asthma Attacks Developed

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Synairgen, a company affiliated with the University of Southampton, has developed a treatment that could help asthmatics fight the infections that cause 80% of asthma attacks. The study provides the first evidence that boosting asthmatics' immune systems can help reduce the number of asthma attacks due to the common cold and other viral infections for the 5.4 million asthmatics in the UK. Professor Ratko Djukanovic, a respiratory specialist at the University ...

Health Benefits of Male Circumcision Outweigh The Risks

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The health benefits of circumcising baby boys outweigh the risks associated with the procedure, according to pediatric experts. This may reignite debate on the controversial subject, which has pitted faith groups against opponents of religion who have described the operation as little more than genital mutilation. The American Academy of Pediatrics, (AAP) which had previously opposed the routine circumcision of newborns, said parents should decide and ...

FDA Approves New Constipation Drug

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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to treat certain types of irritable bowel syndrome in adults, marking the company's first product approval. The drug from Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc., which will be sold under the brand name Linzess, was approved to treat IBS with constipation as well as another condition called chronic idiopathic constipation, Fox News reported. Linzess is a capsule meant to be taken once daily on an empty stomach, ...

One in 100 Children In UK Are Psychopaths

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A new study has revealed that around one percent of children in Britain could be genetically psychopathic and there is nothing parents can do to control them. Up until now, children who lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse were thought to be the product of poor parenting, but psychologists at University College London revealed such traits are largely genetic. "For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong ...

Third Highest Number of Kids Produced by Indian-Born Mothers in UK Among Non Locals

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A survey shows that a total of 184,000 children have been born to foreign mothers in the UK last year, with babies of Indian nationality being third in the list. The UK Government has revealed the top-ten most common nationalities of foreign-born women who gave birth in NHS hospitals last year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that almost 15,000 babies born in the UK are from Indian mothers. According to the Daily Mail, the ...

Wisdom is Matter of Culture: Study

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A new study shows that wisdom and ability to resolve conflicts could be the result of the social culture. Americans are known to emphasise individuality and solve conflict in a direct manner. Conversely, the Japanese place a greater emphasis on social cohesion, and tend to settle conflict indirectly, relying on mediation through another person. Psychological scientist Igor Grossmann of the University of Waterloo, Canada and his colleagues investigated ...

Junk Food Could also Damage Brain: Study

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A study says that obesity-inducing junk food could also give you dementia through cholesterol and high blood pressure, which interrupt blood supply to the brain. Some animal studies have specifically implicated insulin, a hormone, suggesting that Alzheimer's could be 'diabetes of the brain'. But the latest theory also points to high levels of fatty and sugary food damaging the brain by interrupting its supply of insulin. In type 2 diabetes, junk ...

Changes in Specific Gene may Lead to Prostrate Cancer

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According to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine prostrate cancer is associated with specific changes in the IL-16 gene. The study was published online in the journal iCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers (and) Prevention/i. It is found in men of both African and European descent. The study, published online in the journal iCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers (and) Prevention/i, establishes the association of IL-16 with prostate cancer ...

Smartphones can be Your Wine Connoisseur

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If you've arranged a romantic meal and you want to impress your other half by pairing the meal with the perfect wine then a new smartphone app developed by Amy Hollier, a lecturer in wine studies from University College Birmingham, can spare you your blushes. An app for smartphones developed by Amy Hollier, a lecturer in wine studies from University College Birmingham, promises to pair the meal with the perfect wine. It requires users to simply type ...

Virus Attack on Yosemite Tourists may Turn Deadly

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A deadly virus is exposed to California's Yosemite National Park that kills one in three victims and cannot be treated, said officials. The park has some 10,000 visitors who could have been exposed. So far, six cases of the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) have been confirmed -- two of whom have died -- while a "multiple" number of other suspected cases of the rodent-borne disease are being investigated. Yosemite authorities closed down the ...

For Patients With Lacunar Stroke, Aspirin-Clopidogrel No Better Than Aspirin Alone

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A recent study says that Aspirin combined with the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel is no better than aspirin alone for stroke prevention in people with a history of lacunar strokes. The combination carries a greater risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to results of a trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. Lacunar strokes occur due to chronic high blood pressure and typically produce small lesions deep within the brain. The trial results ...

US Performs Worst on Potentially Preventable Death Rates

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The United States lags three other industrialized nations-France, Germany, and the United Kingdom-in its potentially preventable death rate. In the pace of improvement in preventing deaths that could have been avoided with timely and effective health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study published as a web first online today in iHealth Affairs/i. Between 1999 and 2006/2007, the overall potentially preventable death rate among men ages 0 to 74 ...

ESC Analysis Reveals Arrhythmia Treatment Gaps Between Western and Eastern Europe

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The study was conducted using five editions of the EHRA White Book, which is produced by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of of the European Society of Cardiology. The iEHRA White Book/i reports on the current status of arrhythmia treatments in the 54 ESC member countries and has been published every year since 2008. Data is primarily provided by the national cardiology societies and working groups of cardiac pacing and electrophysiology ...

ICT Should be Used for Better Healthcare: Pitroda

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Information and communications technology should be used to create an information network for better health care in the country, says Sam Pitroda to the prime minister on Public Infrastructure and Innovation. Addressing a conference on healthcare organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Pitroda said existing healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural area, needed to be improved. "A great deal of work needs ...

Alarm Set Off By Dead Rats from Jaipur's Flooded Areas

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Officials have said that a large number of dead rats being recovered from water-inundated areas in the Rajasthan capital have alarmed the authorities. Some of the dead rodents have been sent to a laboratory in Punjab's Jalandhar for examination, they added. "Reports of dead rats being recovered are pouring in from several areas which were flooded during recent heavy rains in the city," a senior officer of the animal husbandry department said. The ...

Hope Found By Acid Victim in New Surgeries

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27-year-old Sonali Mukherjee is hoping for a near to normal face ten years after an acid attack. She is expected to have seven surgeries at a hospital here. Sonali, who is from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, was only 17 when three men threw acid on her pretty face, melting and disfiguring it. The attackers are still roaming free. A team of 18 doctors at B.L. Kapur Memorial Hospital in the national capital will now perform a set of surgeries, the cost of which ...

Risk of Avian Flu Could Be Pushed Up By Climate Change

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Researchers say that the rising sea levels, melting glaciers, intense rainstorms and more frequent heat waves are among the effects of climate change. Add to these the latest risk, increased levels of avian flu virus transmission in wild birds. The avian flu refers to infection with bird flu Type A viruses. Such viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. These viruses ...

Doctor Caught at Wrong Place By Punjab Lawmaker's Sting

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Isn't it awkward that a government doctor treats his patients at a private hospital? Well, it isn't often that a government doctor gets to treat his boss in a private hospital where he is not supposed to be at all. But that happened in Mohali town, adjoining Chandigarh Thursday, when Punjab's chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) for health and family welfare, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, caught a government doctor treating her. Sidhu, who is the wife of cricketer-turned ...