Medindia Health News

Bisphenol A Substitutes are Dangerous: Study
Ebola 'Passed the Tipping Point', Says UN Special Envoy
New Tool Assesses Kidney Disease Patients' Readiness to Make Treatment Decisions
High Levels of Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Developing Colorectal Cancer
Winter Season's Flu Vaccine in US is Just 23 Percent Effective
Social Media Does Not Directly Cause Stress
Leaves of Sweet Potato are Good Source of Vitamins
New Hepatitis Drugs Cause Political Pressure in Spain
Genetic Clues to Rare Breast Tumors With New Sequencing Technique
Alzheimer's: Depression and Behaviour Changes Set in Before Memory Changes
Brazil Has the World's Maximum Caesarean Section Deliveries
New Weight-loss Device for Obese People Approved by US
Brazil Will Remove Ban on Cannabidiol, a Marijuana Derivative

Bisphenol A Substitutes are Dangerous: Study

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Bisphenol A is a plastic ingredient banned in some countries over the health fears. Two of the substitutes used for bisphenol are also a source of concern, French researchers warned Thursday. The chemical compounds bisphenol F and S may impair testicle development in foetuses, the team wrote in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Lab tests showed the compounds reduced foetal testosterone production. "Any reduction in testosterone production, ...

Ebola 'Passed the Tipping Point', Says UN Special Envoy

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The Ebola crisis now has a reasonable chance that it could end quickly and has "passed the tipping point", said the UN special envoy on Thursday. UN Ebola coordinator David Nabarro welcomed fresh data from the World Health Organization showing that all three hardest-hit countries in West Africa had registered the lowest weekly tally of new cases in months. "I'm absolutely delighted to see that the incidence of confirmed Ebola cases week-on-week is reducing," ...

New Tool Assesses Kidney Disease Patients' Readiness to Make Treatment Decisions

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Researchers have developed a tool for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are often faced with difficult medical choices, such as whether to start dialysis or undergo kidney transplantation. This new tool will help health professionals assess CKD patients' readiness to make important life-changing treatment decisions around their dialysis care. Investigators developed a tool based on the stage of change algorithm and used it in surveys with 55 ...

High Levels of Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Developing Colorectal Cancer

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People having high levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream have a lower overall risk of developing colorectal cancer. Vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by perking up the immune system's vigilance against tumor cells, according to a new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators. Senior author of the study, Shuji Ogino, said, "Laboratory research suggests that vitamin D boosts immune system function by activating T cells that recognize ...

Winter Season's Flu Vaccine in US is Just 23 Percent Effective

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The US health authorities have found the winter season's flu vaccine to be just 23 percent effective in preventing doctor visits for people of all ages. The vaccine's lack of punch is being blamed on multiple strains of the H3N2 virus that are circulating and making people sick, but that were not included in this season's vaccine. The flu vaccine is generally most effective in young and healthy people under 65. But, this season, vaccine effectiveness has been highest ...

Social Media Does Not Directly Cause Stress

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A new study did not support the notion that people become stressed from keeping up with social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Using digital technologies does not directly cause stress, but social media can increase awareness of problems facing friends and family, and this stress is contagious, according to the the Pew Research Center and Rutgers University researchers. Researchers concluded that the stress facing some users of social networks was related to the cost ...

Leaves of Sweet Potato are Good Source of Vitamins

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Leaves of sweet potato plants and other tissues in sweet potato are found to have good amount of vitamin B6 and other water-soluble vitamins, in a new study. Sweet potato is known to be a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and certain B vitamins that are considered essential to human health. Besides the commonly consumed root of the plant, certain tissues in sweet potato are also edible and high in nutritional value. Wilmer Barrera and David Picha ...

New Hepatitis Drugs Cause Political Pressure in Spain

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New hepatitis C drugs that arrived in Europe are better but pricier, and has raised pressure on Spanish leaders over health spending cuts. But sufferers say it deprives them of life-saving treatments. Hundreds of people have marched in Madrid and other Spanish towns demanding the government authorize doctors to prescribe the latest treatments for the deadly liver disease for whoever needs them. Discussions over the new treatments have also erupted in ...

Genetic Clues to Rare Breast Tumors With New Sequencing Technique

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The genetic underpinnings of a rare type of breast tumor called phyllodes tumors has been characterized by a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study offers the first comprehensive analysis of molecular alterations at work in these tumors. The analysis uses next-generation sequencing techniques that allow researchers to identify alterations in more than 100 genes from archived tissue samples. "We ...

Alzheimer's: Depression and Behaviour Changes Set in Before Memory Changes

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Depression and other behaviour changes set in before memory problems show up, in people who later develop Alzheimer's disease, reveals a new study published in the January 14, 2015, online issue of iNeurology/i (Regd) , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "While earlier studies have shown that an estimated 90 percent of people with Alzheimer's experience behavioral or psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety and agitation, this study ...

Brazil Has the World's Maximum Caesarean Section Deliveries

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Data shows that an average of 56 percent of babies are delivered by Caesarean section in Brazil, which is more than any other country in the world. The figure has soared to almost 85 percent in private clinics. These figures are well above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 15 percent. Brazil's health ministry has warned that C-section increases the risk of respiratory difficulties for the baby by 120 percent and also triples the risk of the mother ...

New Weight-loss Device for Obese People Approved by US

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A new devices that looks like a pacemaker stimulates a nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach. This device has been approved by the US regulators. The Maestro Rechargeable System is made by Minnesota-based EnteroMedics, and is the first device for weight loss approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in eight years. Patients are surgically implanted with electrodes in the abdomen, and an externally-controlled electrical pulse generator sends ...

Brazil Will Remove Ban on Cannabidiol, a Marijuana Derivative

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Brazilian health authorities will remove cannabidiol, a marijuana derivative, from a list of banned substances. Cannabidiol is prescribed by neurologists and psychiatrists and has a range of therapeutic benefits. Studies have showed the substance could help patients suffering from a range of illnesses including epilepsy and alcoholism. Last month, Brasilia permitted prescriptions for cannabidiol while stopping short of making it generally available over the counter ...