 |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 4 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 230321 |
| Visitors Out: 520 |
| Total Visitors Out: 6027 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| Breast cancer prevention drugs 'should be prescribed' |
| 2011-12-13 07:19:00 |
BBC News Breast density could be a risk factor of breast cancer Women at high risk of developing breast cancer should be given preventative drugs, according to an international panel of cancer experts. Writing in the Lancet Oncology, they said drugs such as tamoxifen could reduce the chances of developing breast cancer. Such a policy would be similar to prescribing statins to patients at risk of heart disease, they suggest. However, tamoxifen has been linked with womb cancer, blood clots and stroke. In the UK, 46,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Two drugs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, have been approved in the US for the prevention of breast cancer. However, they are not available as a preventa...
|
| |
|
| Heart fears over common chemical |
| 2011-11-26 08:23:00 |
BBC News Bisphenol A is commonly used in food packaging Higher levels of a chemical often found in plastic food and drink packaging are associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, a study has suggested. The group with the highest levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine were found to be more than twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease. But the Journal of the American Medical Association research did not show that Bisphenol A caused the conditions. And a UK toxicology expert stressed the study's findings were "preliminary". Over two million tonnes of BPA were produced in 2003, although usage of the chemical is starting to decline. ...
|
| |
|
| Action on antibiotics |
| 2011-11-18 23:07:00 |
BBC News NDM-1 has been found in E.coli bacteria Ever since I've been reporting on science and health, there have been dire warnings of a return to the pre-antibiotic era. "Resistance to antibiotics and other anti-infective agents constitutes a major threat to public health, and ought to be recognised as such more widely than it is at present." That statement could have been written today, but was the conclusion of a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report in 1998. In 2011, it seems, little has changed. Numerous articles and calls to action have been issued to coincide with European Antibiotic Awareness Day. Marc Sprenger, Director, European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control said: "The nee...
|
| |
|
| Lung cancer vaccine shows promise |
| 2011-11-10 22:05:00 |
BBC News Many research groups are trying to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer A vaccine which triggers the immune system to attack the most common type of lung cancer has shown promise in early clinical trials, say researchers. Tests on 148 patients, reported in the Lancet Oncology, showed that adding the vaccine to chemotherapy slowed the cancer's progression. However, its effect on overall survival was limited and further trials are now needed. Cancer Research UK said there were many unanswered questions. Vaccines for cancer use the same principles as vaccines against infection - training the body's own immune system. However, instead of protecting against measles or seasonal flu, these vaccines ...
|
| |
|
| Diabetes, diet and obesity |
| 2011-10-14 01:49:00 |
BBC News Obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes I will never forget my visit to a coffin factory in Mississippi. Sales of over-size caskets were rising fast - no wonder in the US's fattest state. Some of the coffins were three feet (1m) wide - on the inside. I heard dire warnings from doctors about obesity-related health problems, especially Type 2 diabetes. One warned me that if the upward trend in diabetes continued, it would eventually bankrupt the state health budget. But the problem was not confined to the US. The dramatic increase in obesity-related Type 2 diabetes is one of the most serious global health problems. In the UK, 2.5 million people have Type 2 diabetes, which can cause long-term damage to...
|
| |
|
| Bad sleep ups blood pressure risk |
| 2011-09-06 20:37:00 |
BBC NewsElderly men who spend little time in deep sleep could be at risk of developing high blood pressure, according to US scientists. A study on 784 patients, in the journal Hypertension, showed those getting the least deep sleep were at 83% greater risk than those getting the most. A lack of deep sleep has been linked to higher blood pressure Researchers say they would expect a similar effect in women. The British Heart Foundation said it was important for everyone to prioritise sleep. High blood pressure - also known as hypertension - increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other health problems. Researchers measured the "sleep quality" of 784 men over the age of 65 between 2007 and 2009. At the start none had hypertension, while 2...
|
| |
|
| Fragmented sleep 'harms memory' |
| 2011-07-25 23:40:00 |
BBC NewsBroken sleep affects the ability to build memories, a study of mice suggests. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science findings could help explain memory problems linked to conditions including Alzheimer's and sleep apnoea. The Stanford University found disrupting sleep made it harder for the animals to recognise familiar objects. Continuous sleep is important for memory formation A UK sleep expert said the brain used deep sleep to evaluate the day's events and decide what to keep. This study looked at sleep that was fragmented, but not shorter or less intense than normal for the mice. It used a technique called optogenetics, where specific cells are genetically engineered so they can be controlled by light. The...
|
| |
|
| Stem cell hope for heart patients |
| 2011-07-14 08:08:00 |
BBC NewsScientists have raised hope that stem cell therapy could provide significant relief for patients disabled by untreatable chest pain. Patients with severe angina had stem cells from their blood injected into their heart. The therapy, carried out by Chicago's Northwestern University, halved the number of bouts of angina chest pain. Angina can be debilitating But UK experts have stressed the work is still at an early stage, and the potential longer benefit is unknown. The procedure may also carry a risk: it is suspected of causing heart muscle damage in two patients, and others reported bone and chest pain. The study, reported in the journal Circulation Research, was carried out on 167 patients with "refraction" angina, which does not re...
|
| |
|
| Depression may double dementia risk, say researchers |
| 2011-06-17 08:47:00 |
BBC NewsHaving depression may nearly double the risk of developing dementia later in life, new research suggests. Experts know that the two conditions often co-exist, but it is not clear if one actually leads to the other. An estimated 750,000 people in the UK suffer from a form of dementia Now two studies published in the American journal Neurology suggest depression does mean dementia is more likely, although they do not show why. And the researchers stress that the findings merely reveal a link, not a direct cause. They say more studies are needed to find out why the two conditions are linked. They believe brain chemistry and lifestyle factors like diet and the amount of social time a person engages in may play a role. Dr Jane Saczy...
|
| |
|
| High blood pressure |
| 2011-06-06 06:32:00 |
BBC NewsBlood pressure is the force exerted by blood on the walls of the arteries when the heart beats.Dr Jeni Worden last medically reviewed this article in January 2010.What is high blood pressure? It causes the heart to work harder than normal putting both the heart and arteries at greater risk of damage. High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, damage to the eyes, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis. Hypertension exists where the pressure at which blood is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average. Blood pressure changes throughout the day. In particular, it increases during exercise and decreases during sleep.Untreated high blood pressure can cause the heart to become abnormally large and...
|
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
|
 |
