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Cannabis Clubs Thrive Discreetly in Spain

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Lush green marijuana leaves bask in the sun before being harvested, dried and consumed in the garden of the smoking club in Spain. Several members of the club located on the southwest coast of the island of Gran Canaria calmly roll a joint or smoke a water pipe while one man dissects fragrant dried marijuana flowers before storing them in a jar. "I started to smoke when I was very young, 14 or 15 years old, to rebel against what is banned," said Andres ...

Australian PM Firm on Her Stance Regarding Gay Marriages

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Despite New Zealand giving it a thumbs up, Australian Prime Minister vowed not to change her stance regarding same-sex marriages.. Australia's near neighbour became the first Asia-Pacific country to legalise same-sex marriage on Wednesday after a decades-long campaign, with parliament voting 77-44 in favour. It made New Zealand the 13th nation to allow gay marriage, according to Human Rights Watch, with Britain and France both expected to adopt similar ...

Suicides and Murders on a Rise in Greece

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Suicides and murders rates soar in Greece, where the economy took a plunge, and the impact on the nation is expected to worsen. Suicide and murder rates climbed from 2007 to 2009 particularly among men, and unusual outbreaks of malaria, West Nile virus and HIV took clinicians by surprise, said the findings in the American Journal of Public Health. The decline in health came as Greece's once robust economy collapsed into recession following the global ...

Modelling Agencies Target Swedish Anorexia Patients

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A Stockholm treatment centre for eating disorders claimed that talent scouts from modelling agencies had tried to recruit their patients outside the clinic. "They were outside the building and waited for the girls to go out for a walk," the director of the public institution, Anna-Maria af Sandeberg, told Swedish news agency TT, without naming the agencies. The unscrupulous head hunters were familiar with the patients' every day routine and would stop ...

Homophobic Violence in France

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Francois Hollande, the president of France hit out at homophobic acts by the opponents of same-sex marriages, following violent protests. The interior minister, meanwhile, asked protest organisers to throw out members of far-right organisations who have been involved in the violence, as opposition intensifies ahead of the bill's expected final approval. "Homophobic acts, violent acts have been committed. The right to protest is recognised by our constitution ...

Results Of A Vaccine Study Shared Using Web 2.0 Apps

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The results of a comparative study of the molecular immune responses to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines were reported today. In addition, cutting-edge web technology was used to improve dissemination of data in order to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery. The article features interactive figures ( iFigures!; http:www.interactivefigures.com ) that can be customized and allow for dynamic investigation of the primary data from a web portal that was developed as ...

Spain to Tighten Abortion Laws, Irrespective of Criticism

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Under pressure from the Catholic Church and its conservative wing, Spain's government has vowed to tighten the nation's abortion laws, angering the opposition party. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy promised during the 2011 election campaign that swept his Popular Party to power to reform the abortion law but the changes to the legislation have been repeatedly put off, prompting a rebuke from the Spanish Church. Justice Minister Alberto Alberto Ruiz Gallardon ...

Doctor Says Indian Baby With Swollen Head Doing Well

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The Indian girl whose head was swollen to nearly double its normal size is doing well, but the treatment procedure could be complicated, said doctor. Roona Begum, who suffers from hydrocephalus, a rare disorder that causes fluid to build up on the brain, was discovered earlier this month living with her parents who are too poor to pay for life-saving treatment. The publication of pictures taken by an AFP photographer in remote Tripura state in ...

Traffic Pollution Boosts Heart Disease Risk

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Exposure to air pollutants is associated with atherosclerosis independent of traffic noise, finds new study. Details of the study were described by Dr Hagen Kalsch from West-German Heart Center in Essen, Germany, who explained that the study was designed to establish where responsibility for the increased heart risks associated with traffic actually lay - with noise or particle pollution, or both. The study was based on data from the German Heinz ...

New Healthcare Plan Set to Compromise With Obamacare

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Arkansas lawmakers agree to accommodate health insurance to include more low-income citizens of the state. The Arkansas plan is drawing the attention of other Republican-controlled states like Texas and Louisiana, since it intends to use federal funds to buy private insurance for the most susceptible citizens without creating a major government expansion. According to Obama's health law - the government intends to cover at least 12 million people ...

High-salt Diet Increases Stomach Cancer Risk

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A diet high in salt content and ulcer bacteria increase the risk of gastric cancer, say researchers. The study was published ahead of print in the journal iInfection and Immunity/i. In the study, the researchers infected Mongolian gerbils with IH. pylori/I. One set of gerbils received a regular diet; the other, a high salt diet. At the end of the experiment the researchers analyzed the animals' stomach tissues. Every animal on the high salt diet developed ...

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Undergoes Sinus Surgery

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Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit underwent a surgery for sinusitis, say doctors. Dikshit, 75, was operated for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute. "Dikshit was operated Friday under the care of her personal cardiologist Ashok Seth at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute by her personal ENT consultant Devinder Rai from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital," said an official statement from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. According ...

Protein That Interferes With Appetite-suppressing Hormone Identified

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Scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a protein that can interfere with the brain's response to leptin. They've also created a compound that blocks the protein's action - a potential forerunner to an anti-obesity drug. In experiments with mice fed a high-fat diet, scientists from UTMB and the University of California, San Diego explored the role of the protein, known as Epac1, in blocking leptin's activity in the ...

Sjogren's Syndrome

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Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that affects the exocrine glands and other tissues of the body. Most of the patients are females.

Consuming Barley Kernels Curbs Appetite and Reduces Risk of Type-2 Diabetes

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Consuming boiled barley kernels may increase satiety levels and reduce subsequent energy intakes, according to a Swedish study published in the Nutrition Journal. With 347 million people worldwide suffering from type-2 diabetes, research on preventive strategies for metabolic syndrome has picked up speed. It is already known that eating whole grain products is associated with lower body mass index (BMI), improved insulin sensitivity, and reduced ...

Rules of Standard Trauma CT Protocol

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Based on a non-focused standard trauma CT protocol, it is unnecessary to scan trauma patients. It is necessary if the patient is transferred for care after already undergoing a focused CT examination based on the patient's history and physical examination, shows a new study. The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reviewed the records of 100 patients who were transferred from another facility. "The standard trauma CT protocol ...

Wild Bird Sales Suspended in China

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In a bid to prevent the spread of the H7N9 bird flu Chinese government has ordered suspension of wild bird sales. The State forestry administration Thursday urged local authorities to beef up epidemic surveillance and suspend transactions of wild birds, Xinhua quoted an emergency notice as saying. It also directed to ban close contact between humans and animals in the zoos. Besides, the notice has asked concerned authorities to train ...

Hookah Not Safe Alternative to Cigarette Smoking, Say Researchers

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Hookah smoke contains a harmful mix of toxins, say researchers. UCSF research chemist Peyton Jacob III, PhD, and UCSF tobacco researcher Neal Benowitz, MD, both based at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, said hookah use exposes smokers to higher levels of carbon monoxide, especially hazardous to those with heart or respiratory conditions, and to higher levels of benzene, long associated with leukemia risk. "People want to know ...

Brains of Rats and Bats Behave Differently on the Move

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A new challenge to the basic model of brain study was challenged by a new study, which demonstrates how brain rhythms in bats and rats can determine how they navigate in their environments. To get a clearer picture of the processes at work in the mammal brain during spatial navigation, neuroscientists must closely study a broad range of animals, say the two University of Maryland College Park scientists involved in the study. In the April 19, 2013 issue of iScience/i, ...

Pakistani Transgender Community Enter Stake Claim In Pakistan Vote

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Pakistan's transgender community is now striking out into politics. They may only be seven out of 23,000 candidates with little chance of getting elected, but they have livened up an otherwise lacklustre campaign and set an important marker for their rights in the conservative Muslim country. "People don't believe we can be corrupt because we don't have children and families," says independent candidate Sanam Faqeer in the southern city of Sukkur. "We ...

Tomosynthesis Increases Breast Cancer Detection Rate: Study

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According to a recent study, both 2D and 3D breast imaging boost cancer detection rates by 11%, and screening could be useful in detecting cancer in women with dense breasts. Researchers at Yale University Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, CT, reviewed the screening mammograms of 14,684 patients. Forty-two cancers were found in 8,769 patients who had only 2D imaging (a cancer detection rate of 4.8 per 1,000), said Dr. Jaime Geisel, a lead author of the ...

Pre-eclampsia, High BP in Pregnancy Tied to Higher Diabetes Risk

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Pre-eclampsia and hypertension in pregnancy were found to increase the risk of diabetes, states study. The researchers, led by Denice Feig from the University of Toronto, Canada, found that pre-eclampsia (a condition in which affected pregnant women have high blood pressure, fluid retention, and protein in their urine), and gestational hypertension (high blood pressure associated with pregnancy) could double the chance of being diagnosed with diabetes many ...

Elevated Glutamate Levels in Brain may Lead to Psychosis

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A new study from the Columbia University Medical Center suggests that an excess of the neurotransmitter glutamate may lead to the development of psychosis in those at the risk of developing schizophrenia. The findings suggest 1) a potential diagnostic tool for identifying those at risk for schizophrenia and 2) a possible glutamate-limiting treatment strategy to prevent or slow progression of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. "Previous studies ...

UPDATE 1-Vivus Receives Permission from FDA to Sell Diet Pill Through Retail Pharmacies

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U.S. health regulators' have approved the sale of Vivus Inc's diet pill, Qsymia, through retail pharmacies. This is a significant development for the company and is a shot in the arm for the direct-to-consumer campaign scheduled to be introduced later this year. This announcement gave a good boost to Vivus shares, which rose as much as 6 percent to (Dollar) 12.35 on the Nasdaq. The company is working towards increasing the commercialization support for the diet ...

One Million Likes for a Snap of a Woman Who Tattooed Over Mastectomy Scars

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Kelly Davidson, a breast cancer survivor from Ottawa, Canada, underwent a double mastectomy and had both her breasts removed. She has now covered the scars with many intricate tattoos. She has an interesting design tattooed on her chest to cover the scars. She posted a photo of her body art on Facebook and it went viral recording close to one MILLION "likes" on the social networking site in just 48 hours. Explaining her experience, Kelly said, "Obviously ...

High Glucose Levels Could Impair Ferroelectricity in Body's Connective Tissues: Research

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High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. More sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood suggests new research. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels. Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston University have discovered that a certain type of protein found in organs that repeatedly stretch and retract - such as the heart and lungs - is ...

Study: Wrong Patient Errors Can Be Reduced By Adding A Photo To The X-Ray Image

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A new study finds that adding a photo of a face to x-ray images can reduce "wrong-patient" errors five-fold. "X-rays can look alike, and if one patient's images are confused with another before the radiologist sees them, it can be difficult for the radiologist to determine there is a mismatch," said Dr. Srini Tridandapani, of Emory University and an author of the study. As part of the study, ten radiologists interpreted 20 pairs of radiographic images ...

Nonsurgical Treatment Turns Back the Clock And Shrinks Enlarged Prostate: Study

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A study suggests that men with a common condition that causes frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom can get relief with a minimally invasive treatment that shrinks the prostate. The study is being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. The early findings hail from the first prospective U.S. trial of prostatic artery embolization (PAE), which reduces blood flow to the prostate, thus shrinking it. "Nearly ...

Annual 5 Percent Drop in Emergency Admissions for Asthma Linked To England's Smoking Ban

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They say that this adds up to around 1900 fewer such admissions every year, the authors calculate, and confirms the value of public health interventions, such as smoking bans. They base their findings on the number of emergency admissions for asthma among adults aged 16 and over in England between April 1997 and December 2010. Smoking in all public places was banned in July 2007 in England, where the prevalence of asthma is one of the highest in the ...

Study: Genetic Variation Contributes to Pulmonary Fibrosis Risk

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Multiple genetic variations that should help with future efforts to treat pulmonary fibrosis was discovered by a newly published study. Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition where lung tissue becomes thickened, stiff and scarred. Currently in the United States, there are no drugs approved for use in cases of the condition's most common and severe form, which is known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) because the cause of the disease is not known. In those cases, ...