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Study Says Geckos are Sticky Without Effort

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Geckos, found in places with warm climates, have fascinated people for hundreds of years. Scientists have been especially intrigued by these lizards, and have studied a variety of features such as the adhesive toe pads on the underside of gecko feet with which geckos attach to surfaces with remarkable strength. One unanswered question that has captivated researchers is: Is the strength of this adhesion determined by the gecko or is it somehow intrinsic to the adhesive ...

Are There Effective Treatments for Hereditary Angioedema in Children?

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Hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare genetic disease that causes recurrent swelling under the skin and of the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract and upper airway, usually first appears before 20 years of age. A comprehensive review of the therapies currently available to treat HAE in adults shows that some of these treatments are also safe and effective for use in older children and adolescents. Current and potential future therapies are discussed in a ...

Brain Changes in Anorexia Nervosa can be Reversed With Treatment

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Researchers have found that changes in brain structure - global thinning of cortical gray matter - in acutely ill anorexia nervosa patients can be completely reversed with successful weight rehabilitation therapy. The study participants were subjected to MRI scanning immediately following admission to specialized eating disorder clinics at the Dresdener University Hospital. Thereafter, they were treated successful with complete restoration of normal weight, eating ...

Urinary Incontinence - Symptom Evaluation

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Urinary incontinence is loss of bladder control causing sudden urine leakage. Severe urine leakage can happen when one coughs or sneezes, or during a sudden urge, where one is unable to visit the restroom in time.

Pregnancy Ultrasound - 3D and 4D Scans

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Obstetric ultrasound techniques like 3D ultrasound and 4D ultrasound help in better understanding of fetal growth. 3D ultrasound pictures and 4D images are used to detect fetal abnormalities.

Research Sheds Light on the Complexities of Child Sleep

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New research from the University of Adelaide has helped to shed light on the complexities of child sleep, and could lead to improved diagnosis of children with sleep-related breathing problems. For his PhD in the University's School of Medical Sciences, Scott Coussens has been investigating how to accurately measure the level of sleep disturbance being experienced by children, to show whether or not they require treatment. "Quality sleep is extremely ...

Brain Activity After Smokers Quit Predicts Chances of Relapsing

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Quitting smoking sets off a series of changes in the brain that, according to Penn Medicine researchers, may better identify smokers who will start smoking again - a prediction that goes above and beyond today's clinical or behavioral tools for assessing relapse risk. Reporting in a new study published this week in the journal iNeuropsychopharmacology/i, James Loughead, PhD, associate professor of Psychiatry, and Caryn Lerman, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry ...

WHO Accused of Delay in Declaring Ebola Outbreak a Health Emergency

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The World Health Organization has been accused of dithering in reacting to the deadly Ebola epidemic, by the Belgian microbiologist, Peter Piot who co-discovered the Ebola virus. In an interview to Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, Peter Piot who is director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said, "It took three months for the WHO to find out there was an Ebola outbreak. That I understand. Guinea had a poor laboratory infrastructure. I have ...

Dealing with Anger

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Anger management has become one of the daily life essentials today. Coping with anger is not tough and this can be done with the help of anger management techniques as suggested by a psychologist.

Pathogenesis of Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the few cancers in which a continued increase in incidence has been observed over recent years. Globally, there are approximately 750,000 new cases of liver cancer reported each year. Importantly, population-based studies show that HCC ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Also, a large proportion of HCC patients display symptoms of intrahepatic metastases or postsurgical recurrence, with a ...

Treat Asthma by Neutralizing the Trigger

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Researchers have identified a compound that binds to a major dust mite allergen and turned it into an inhalable powder, which when tested in rats, showed that it significantly dampens the animals' immune response when they were exposed to a variety of allergens. This new approach of treating asthma is by targeting the trigger before it can spark an attack. Current asthma treatments alleviate wheezing, coughing and other symptoms, but they do not get to the root ...

Gold can be Precipitated With Vitamin C

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Chemist Eva-Maria Felix uses vitamin C to precipitate gold. Eva is a doctoral student in the research group of Professor Wolfgang Ensinger in the Department of Material Analysis is working on making nanotubes of gold. The technique involves precipitating gold from an aqueous solution onto a pretreated film with many tiny channels. The metal on the walls of the channels adopts the shape of nanotubes; after which the film is dissolved. Toxic chemicals ...

World's Most Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Testing Guidelines Released

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Leading cancer authorities in Australia on Thursday released for public consultation the world's most robust set of clinical practice guidelines, aimed at maximising the benefits and reducing the harms associated with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer; the second most common male cancer worldwide. If ratified, these new draft guidelines are expected to inform international opinion and clinical practice regarding PSA testing, where currently ...

Differences Among the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Human stem cells made from adult donor cells "remember" their original source and have a tendency to turn back into those type of cells again, discover scientists at McMaster University. This means the type of cell obtained from an individual patient to make pluripotent stem cells, determines what can be best done with them. For example, to repair the lung of a patient with lung disease, it is best to start off with a lung cell to make the therapeutic stem cells ...

Complex DNA Shapes Designed by Computer Model

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A new computer model that allows the MIT engineers to design the most complex three-dimensional DNA shapes ever produced, has been created by them. The design also includes rings, bowls, and geometric structures such as icosahedrons that resemble viral particles. This design program could allow researchers to build DNA scaffolds to anchor arrays of proteins and light-sensitive molecules called chromophores that mimic the photosynthetic proteins found in plant cells, ...

Curtailing Meat Consumption to Tackle Global Warming: Urgent Call

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Adequate dietary changes like eating less meat, have to be considered for controlling global warming, reveals a new study by Chatham House. But these ideas have yet to be implemented in the required manner to achieve the desired results, the Guardian reported. People around the world should inculcate healthy eating habits to restrain greenhouse gas emissions from meat and dairy products, the report said. Government and social organizations ...

Cigarette Price Hike of 80% Approved by S.Korea Parliament

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Approval of an 80 percent hike in cigarette prices by South Korea's parliament, has been aimed at cutting consumption, in the nation with one of the world's highest male smoking rates. The 2015 budget, which was adopted by the national assembly shortly before midnight on Tuesday, endorsed a government proposal to raise the average price of a packet of cigarettes from 2,500 won to 4,500 won from January 1. Around 44 percent of adult South Korean men are ...

Action on Traumatic Childbirth Injury for Uganda's Women

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Anna Grace Amuko was left with a debilitating condition after suffering the tragedy of giving birth to a stillborn child, nine years ago. Amuko suffers from obstetric fistula, a hole in the vagina or rectum caused by prolonged labour without treatment, which means she leaks urine uncontrollably. Millions of women in developing countries suffer from the injury, and also endure the social stigma arising as a result of it. "I'm smelling every day," said ...

Warding Off High Cholesterol by Avoiding 'Midnight Snacking'

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Confining caloric consumption to an 8- to 12-hour period and avoiding midnight snacking can stave off high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, reveals a new study. The research by Salk Institute suggested that it's not just what people eat but when do they eat it that matters to their health. In 2012, Satchidananda Panda, a Salk associate professor, showed that mice which were fed a high-fat diet, but allowed access to that diet for only ...

Back Pain from Watching Movies in Bed

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Watching movies in bed or using laptop or tablet on bed can result in back pain and other problems of the backbone, reveals a new study. The study by the British Chiropractic Association reports that nearly half of Britons use the gadgets before dropping off to sleep, while three-fifths also watch TV in bed and eight in 10 of those spend up to four hours glued to the screen, the Daily Express reported. The study found that hours spent hunched ...

Hostility Still Faced by Ebola Aid Workers: IFRC

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Suspicion among locals in the Ebola-hit west Africa has remained a major hurdle in battling the outbreak, after months in the worst epidemic record, the Red Cross and Red Crescent said Tuesday. Elhadj As Sy, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters in the Senegalese capital Dakar his teams were still regularly confronted by "acts of hostility" in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. "People think ...

ICU Patients Benefit from Wake Up and Breathe Program

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Waking intensive care unit patients and having them breathe on their own can help reduce the use of sedation levels and also coma prevalence, find researchers. Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research have reported this. The Wake Up and Breathe program also showed a trend toward reduced delirium in a critically ill population. Participants in the study, which is published in the December 2014 issue of the peer-reviewed ...

Prolaris Test Improves Health Outcomes, Reduces Healthcare Costs

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Researchers have found that Prolaris test improves health outcomes, reduces healthcare costs and aids physicians in providing clinical care for their patients. Prolaris test is rapidly becoming the leading molecular prognostic test to determine if patients have aggressive prostate cancer or not and to help physicians personalize treatment decisions. In a study that evaluated the economic impact of the Prolaris test, researchers have found that the test reduced ...

Intellectually Disabled Indian Women Treated Worse Than Animals

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In India, intellectually disabled women are routinely locked up in institutions where they suffer sexual or other abuse and are "treated worse than animals", reveals a report by a human rights group. Women are often dumped in overcrowded, state-run institutions lacking basic facilities in India, where mentally ill and disabled people are "ridiculed, feared, and stigmatised", the Human Rights Watch report said. "Once they're locked up, their lives are ...

Mediterranean Diet can Lead to a Longer, Healthier Life

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A new study claims that consuming a Mediterranean diet can lead to a longer, healthier life. According to the scientists, the combination of fruit and vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oil and a glass of wine can help reverse the ageing process by slowing down the damage to chromosomes linked to ageing, and offer a health advantage, staving off killer diseases, the Daily Express reported. The study analysed data on 4,676 healthy middle-aged women, and ...

Drinking a Large Glass of Wine Equivalent to Downing 3 Shots of Vodka

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A large glass of wine is potentially as bad as downing three shots of vodka, reports a new study. Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England (PHE), said that liver disease, which is a "silent killer," is currently the third biggest killer of working age adults after ischaemic heart disease and self-harm, the Mirror reported. Selbie added that liver disease, with 75 percent of people with cirrhosis only being diagnosed once they are admitted ...

Heavier Babies at Birth Do Better in School: Study

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Heavier babies at birth score high in their elementary and middle school as compared to the ones having lower weight, reveals a new research. According to new Northwestern University research, birth weight makes a difference to a child's future academic performance. David Figlio, director of Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research (IPR) said that it was not necessary that healthier babies have a fully formed brain, but if fetus stays in mother's ...

EU to Ban Testicular Cancer Causing Toiletry Chemicals

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Nordic Council has urged EU to ban damaging toiletry chemicals that can cause testicular cancer and male infertility. According to the report, the hormone-mimicking chemicals used routinely in toiletries, cosmetics, medicines, plastics and pesticides cause hundreds of millions of euros of damage to EU citizens every year and these endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) are thought to be particularly harmful to male reproductive health and can cause testicular cancer, ...

Narendra Modi Salutes Specially Abled on 'International Day of Persons With Disabilities'

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On the annual observance of 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities', Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted their indomitable spirit, calling them our heroes. "On 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities', I salute the indomitable spirit of all persons with disabilities. They are our heroes," tweeted PM Modi. "Today is a day to pledge our commitment towards our unwavering support to persons with disabilities and ensuring equal opportunities ...

Value of Interventional Radiology in Managing Fetal Complications

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Scientists report on a procedure that can preserve fertility and potentially save the lives of women with a serious pregnancy complication called placenta accreta. Results of the new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) showed that placement of balloons in the main artery of the mother's pelvis prior to a Caesarean section protects against hemorrhage and is safe for both mother and baby. Placenta ...

Knee Surgery may Lead to Arthritis and Cartilage Loss in Some Patients

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A surgery to repair meniscal tears may increase the risk of osteoarthritis and cartilage loss in some patients. This is according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The findings show that the decision for surgery requires careful consideration in order to avoid accelerated disease onset, researchers said. The new study focused on the meniscus, a wedge-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee ...

Artificial Intelligence Could Wipe Out Humanity: Stephen Hawking

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The efforts to create thinking machines pose a threat to our very existence, reveals Stephen Hawking. The theoretical physicist told the BBC in response to a question about a revamp of the technology he uses to communicate, which involves a basic form of AI, that development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. The author of 'A Brief History of Time' said that the primitive forms of artificial intelligence developed ...

Many Chest X-Rays in Children Offer No Clinical Benefit

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At Mayo Clinic, researchers found that some children are receiving chest X-rays that may be unnecessary and offer no clinical benefit to the patient. This is according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "Chest X-rays can be a valuable exam when ordered for the correct indications," said Ann Packard, M.D., radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "However, there are several indications ...

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Improved CV Function in Patients With Erectile Dysfunction

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The Mediterranean diet is linked to improved cardiovascular performance in erectile dysfunction patients. This is according to research presented at EuroEcho-Imaging 2014 by Dr Athanasios Angelis from Greece. Patients with erectile dysfunction who had poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet had more vascular and cardiac damage. EuroEcho-Imaging is the annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), a branch of the European ...

Vitamin E Deficiency Linked to High Miscarriage Risk Among Poor Women

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In Bangladesh, pregnant women with low levels of the most common form of vitamin E are nearly twice as likely to have a miscarriage than those with adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood. This is according to new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The findings, published online last week in the emAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition/em, suggest that improving the diet of women in impoverished nations or ...

Diet Plans can Withstand Temporary Interruptions

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Researchers have found that your diet plan can withstand some temporary interruptions. During the study nearly 400 mice, ranging from normal to obese, were subjected to various types of diets and lengths of time restrictions. Researchers found that regardless of whether their diets were high in fat, fat and sucrose or just fructose, the mice that were given time restrictions of 9 to 12 hours-and consumed the same amount of daily calories as their unrestricted ...

Statins Could Increase the Risk of Cataract

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Some clinicians have raised concerns regarding the potential for lens opacities (cataracts) as a result of statin use. Statins are prescribed to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Researchers used data from the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Health databases from 2000-2007 and the IMS LifeLink U.S. database from 2001-2011 to form two patient cohorts. In the BC cohort, there was about a 27% increased risk of developing ...

FDA Approves Animas Vibe Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System

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Animas Corporation has announced emFood and Drug Administration (FDA)/em approval of the Animas Vibe insulin pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system for the management of insulin-requiring diabetes in adults ages 18 and older. As the first and only integrated system featuring Dexcom G4 PLATINUM sensing technology with proven accuracy, Animas Vibe allows patients to view glucose data and administer insulin right from the pump; simplifying and ...

Fitness Centers Must Have a Risk-management Plan and a Preventative Maintenance Program

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Researchers from Central Queensland University, Australia, have highlighted how risk management in the health and fitness industry is sub-optimal across Queensland. Inappropriately designed fitness programs and services puts users at increased risk of injury and adverse health outcomes rather than providing them with the tools to build a healthy lifestyle. With obesity rates growing 15 percent each year, by 2020, Australia is set to be the third fattest ...

Apollo to Set Up a Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata

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Apollo Hospitals will invest about 400 crore to set up a medical college and hospital in Kolkata. Coming up on the southern outskirts of the city, the hospital will be set up by the Apollo Hospitals Education (and) Research Trust. This is the second such 'Apollo Medical College and Hospital' in the country, after Hyderabad, which has a 550-bed hospital and admits 100 students per session. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals said ...

Hawking's Software for Disabled Will Go Open Source on Internet

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Stephen Hawking, a disabled theoretical physicist, has decided to make his communications system available online as 'open source' from January, although it would still have to be adapted for individual users. This move could help millions of motor neuron disease sufferers and greatly improve the life of disabled people all over the world. Stephen Hawking, who teaches at the Cambridge University, shot to international fame in the 1980s with his book 'A Brief ...

Serious Lapses In Indian Sterilisation Programme Exposed

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An independent investigation into the deaths of 13 Indian women as a result of sterilisation has exposed that doctors reused the same needles and gloves for all patients. The women died at a government-organised sterilisation camp in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district (central India) last month. Eighty-three women were operated on over the course of six hours at a camp. The probe showed that the sterilisation surgeries had been conducted ...

Non-Syndromic Autism: New Genetic Links Revealed Using Multiple Models

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A new gene in the non-syndromic or idiopathic autism has been suspected by researchers at University of California. They have also suggested that there may be some common genetic pathways with respect to various types of autistic disorders. The study, published in iMolecular Psychiatry/i, November issue, used a few experimental models to come to the conclusion. Alysson Muotri, Associate Professor, UC San Diego departments of Pediatrics and Cellular ...