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Wine Drinking in Italy at Record Low

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Italian wine drinking has reached record low thanks to the changing consumer habits, finds report. Consumption has plummeted by 22 percent over the past decade to its lowest level since the 19th century, with sales falling by two percent between 2011 and 2012 alone, the report by Coldiretti found. Italians drank a total of 22.6 million hectolitres of wine in 2012, compared to 29.0 million hectolitres in the United States and 30.3 million in France. ...

Proper Hygiene can Prevent Spread of H7N9, Says UN

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A strict hygiene and keeping different breeds of animals apart, if carried out, can curb the spread of H7N9 virus, which claimed the lives of six, says UN. "With the virus harder to detect, good biosecurity measures become even more essential to reducing the risk of virus transmission to humans and animals," said Juan Lubroth, the chief veterinary officer of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Among the precautions, the FAO recommended ...

No Age Limits for Birth Control Pills

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A decade-long battle over the access to birth control pills has finally ended, and the contraceptives are now available without limits on age. US District Court Judge Edward Korman ruled that a decision in 2011 by the chief of US Health and Human Services to require teens under 17 to obtain a prescription was "politically motivated" and "scientifically unjustified." The ruling orders the Food and Drug Administration to make levonorgestrel-based emergency ...

Low-Level Clouds Responsible for the Ice-Melt in 2012

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Low, thin clouds may be the culprit to the record-shattering level of ice-melting in Greenland in 2012, study reveals. If the ice sheet covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety, sea levels would rise by 24 feet globally. Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979. Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events ...

Growth Hormone may Reverse Growth Issues in Kids With Chronic Kidney Disease

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Growth hormone therapy may help reverse growth-related issues in kids suffering from kidney failure, says a study. However, treatment increases bone turnover and interrupts the relationship between bone turnover and a blood marker of bone health, making it difficult for doctors to assess patients'' bone health by blood tests alone. Chronic kidney disease can have severe effects on growth in children, leading to short stature and problems with both physical and psychological ...

Anti-Vaccination Sentiments Spread More Easily On Twitter

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Statements about vaccines have unexpected effects, with positive messages sometimes backfiring on Twitter, a popular social networking site. The team tracked the pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages to which Twitter users were exposed and then observed how those users expressed their own sentiments about a new vaccine for combating influenza H1N1 -- a virus strain responsible for swine flu. The results, which may help health officials improve strategies for vaccination-awareness ...

Amyloids may be the 'Bad Boys' of Neurobiology

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Clumps of proteins-amyloids, found in the brains of those suffering from neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, are now earning a bad reputation. They're thought to muck up the seamless workings of the neurons responsible for memory and movement, and researchers around the world have devoted themselves to devising ways of blocking their production or accumulation in humans. But now a pair of recent research studies from the Stanford University School of Medicine ...

New Era of Treatment for Amytropic Lateral Sclerosis

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The treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis through blocking the production of a mutant protein that causes progressive neurodegenerative disease may give rise to a new era of treatment. Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Washington University School of Medicine report that infusion of an antisense oligonucleotide against SOD1, the first gene to be associated with familial ALS, had no serious adverse effects and the drug was successfully distributed ...

High BP During Pregnancy may Lead to Hot Flashes at Menopause

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A new report from the journal iMenopause/i links the presence of hot flashes and night sweats at menopause and hypertensive diseases during pregnancy. This is the first study to look at this association. The investigators examined the relationship between hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, and vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) among 853 women who visited a cardiology clinic in Kampen, the Netherlands. Of these, 274 women ...

India Soon to be Hunger, Malnutrition and Poverty Free

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India will be known throughout the world for its important step towards the eradication of hunger, malnutrition and poverty, says K.V Thomas. Addressing the special session on "India's food security and the second green revolution" at CII's annual general Meeting and National Conference here, Professor Thomas said: "This is no mean task, a task being accomplished in the second most populated country in the world. All the while, it has been a satisfying journey. ...

Old 'Ingredient' for a Rare Disease

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A rare disease affecting children globally, can now be treated by a compound extracted from old drugs, study shows. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is playing a leading role in one of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) first clinical trials to improve treatments for rare and neglected diseases. In this case, the disease is Niemann-Pick Type C, a disorder that causes excess cholesterol to accumulate in the brain, liver and ...

Study Reveals Benefits of Drinking Milk

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Drinking milk at an early stage can help mammals throughout their lives, say animal and dairy scientists. But understanding exactly how milk affects the body is a complicated story of hormones, antibodies and proteins, as well as other cells and compounds researchers have not yet identified. Learning how milk affects offspring was the subject of the Lactation Biology Symposium, held as part of the 2012 Joint Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. ...

Link Between Mental Illness and Heavy Cannabis Use Identified

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People with mental illnesses are more likely to use cannabis compared to those without a mental illness, finds study. iCannabis/i is the most widely used illicit substance globally, with an estimated 203 million people reporting use. Although research has found links between icannabis/i use and mental illness, exact numbers and prevalence of problem icannabis/i use had not been investigated. "We know that people with mental illness ...

Happy Newlyweds Likelier to Gain Weight

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Newlyweds who are satisfied with their marriage gain more weight in the early years, states study. That is the finding of a study on marital satisfaction and weight gain, according to psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer, lead researcher and an assistant professor in the SMU Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "On average, spouses who were more satisfied with their marriage were less likely to consider leaving their ...

Universal Health Care Program

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The Republicans feel that they will have to offer a realistic solution to substitute the Affordable Health Care. They have been reluctant to step into the political swamp but are now ready to build practical plans. Essentially the problem is that most of the consumers when ill are vulnerable and this is why the prices are more expensive than anywhere in the world. The costs affect businesses and local governments. The employees are shackled to employers as individual ...

World Health Day 2013

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World Health Day 2013, to be observed on 7supth/sup April 2013, focuses on a silent killer - hypertension or high blood pressure, which is a common lifestyle-related problem of the modern world. Hypertension affects nearly one in three adults worldwide. However, since it does not always cause obvious symptoms, it often goes unnoticed. Ironically, detecting hypertension only needs a blood pressure apparatus, which is available at every doctor's ...

New Genetic Markers Help Predict Alzheimer's Disease

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Certain proteins in the brain may signal who is at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. The findings may not only help identify people most at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease well before they show signs of cognitive decline, but also offer new information for the design of therapies that target the proteins involved. "Tau is an important biomarker of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease, present as insoluble aggregates in the brain and as soluble protein ...

Quiz on Ovarian Cancer

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Ovarian cancer is a cancer that does not produce definite symptoms. Here are a few questions that you could attempt to answer to check your knowledge on ovarian cancer.

Stem Cells to Curb Appetite

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A recent discovery made by researchers in stem cell manipulation could offer solution to obesity. It was previously thought that the nerve cells in the brain associated with appetite regulation were generated entirely during an embryo's development in the womb and therefore their numbers were fixed for life. But a new study has identified a population of stem cells capable of generating new appetite-regulating neurons in the brains of young and ...

Vitamin D Boosts Energy Levels

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Vitamin D has proved to work efficiently and boosts energy levels, finds research. A study led by Dr Akash Sinha has shown that muscle function improves with Vitamin D supplements which are thought to enhance the activity of the mitochondria, the batteries of the cell. A hormone normally produced in the skin using energy from sunlight, Vitamin D can also be found in a few foods - including fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks and fortified cereals ...

Family Dinners Improve Mental Health and Well Being of Adolescents

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Regular family dinners contribute positively to emotional well being, pro-social behavior and life satisfaction in adolescents, according to a Canadian study published in the iJournal of Adolescent Health/i. The study also found that regular and frequent family dinners 'foster social exchanges that benefit all adolescents, regardless of whether or not they feel they can easily talk to their parents'. Until recently, the age old custom of ...

Huge Disparities in Hypertension Seen Across US Counties, Says Study

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One in five Americans are unaware that they are at an increased risk for high blood pressure, says recent study. In the first ever analysis of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension for every county, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington revealed significant differences across the US. The study found the largest burden of hypertension in the southeast, the lowest prevalence in Colorado, ...

Man Developed a Star Shaped Cataract After Receiving a Punch in the Eye

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A 55-year-old man who visited the hospital following deteriorating eyesight was diagnosed with cataract. Dr Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that the cataract was developed as a result of a punch he received in the eye nine months ago. The cataract was in the shape of a start, which according to the doctors was beautiful to look at. The man was treated using a procedure, phacoemulsification, which uses ultra ...

Ten-Year-Old Boy Succumbs to Meningitis After Pleading for Help

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William Cressey, a ten-year-old boy, succumbed to meningitis hours after the doctors misdiagnosed his condition as migraine. The boy was discharged after prescribing Calpol for relieving the pain. The boy's mother reported he had pleaded with the doctors saying, "Please help me. Why won't you help me? If you don't help me, I am going to die. Please help me, I don't want to die." Mrs Cressey had suspected that her son was suffering from meningitis but ...

New Law to Impose Restrictions on Sunbed Usage

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A new law banning under 18-year-olds and people with fair skin from using sunbeds would come to effect by the end of this year in New Zealand. The Health Act would also be amended to include key points of National MP Paul Hutchison's member's bill. Melanoma summit in Wellington included 232 participants including plastic surgeons, GPs, nurses, pathologists and health promoters. With an estimated 67000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer every year in New Zealand ...

Public Health May be Improved by Banning the Use of Trans Fat in Food Items

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A new study suggests that imposing a ban on including trans fat in foods available in various food outlets may be an effective way in reducing the risk of heart disease thereby improving public health. Trans fat is widely used in food products as it has longer shelf time, can be reheated many times and is easily affordable. However, trans fats are responsible for fat deposition in the blood vessels leading to heart diseases. Shauna Downs, lead author, and team ...