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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 145 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 801120 |
| Visitors Out: 4230 |
| Total Visitors Out: 13390 |
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| Pneumococcal bug poses new threat |
| 2012-02-01 02:32:00 |
BBC News The pneumococcal vaccine has reduced cases in children A strain of bacteria which can cause pneumonia and meningitis in children is on the rise in England and Wales, figures suggest. The introduction of a vaccine against pneumococcal disease in 2006 has dramatically cut the number of infections in children. But cases caused by a pneumococcal type not covered by the vaccine seem to be increasing, say researchers. Similar patterns have been seen in the US and new vaccines are in development. The pneumococcal vaccine given to infants at two and four months with a booster dose at 13 months of age protects against seven types of Streptococcus pneumoniae. ...
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| Why anything can be addictive |
| 2011-12-29 10:04:00 |
By Dr Mark Griffiths Gambling studies expert, Nottingham Trent UniversityBBC News Even work can be addictive, according to Dr Griffiths For many people the concept of addiction involves taking drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine and heroin. But in this week's Scrubbing Up, gambling studies expert Mark Griffiths warns that if the rewards are there people can become addicted to almost anything. For the past 25 years I have been studying gambling and I passionately believe that gambling at its most extreme is just as addictive as any drug. The social and health costs of problem gambling are large and have many things in common with more traditional addictions, including moodiness, relation...
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| Age of criminal responsibility 'too low', experts say |
| 2011-12-13 07:10:00 |
BBC News Some parts of the brain are not fully mature "until at least the age of 20" Advances in neuroscience suggest the age of criminal responsibility - 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - might be too low, according to a study. The Royal Society report considers areas where recent scientific findings could have an impact on the law. At the age of 10 parts of the brain connected with decision-making and judgement are still developing, the study says. But it says there are limits to how the science can be used in court. Professor Nicholas Mackintosh, who chaired the working group that compiled the study, said: "There's now incontrovertible evidence that the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence."...
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| Scan can spot 'curable cause of high blood pressure' |
| 2011-11-30 03:38:00 |
By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News The scan can show up the small growths Doctors say they have found a medical test that can diagnose the most common curable cause of high blood pressure. Conn's syndrome - a disease of the adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys - is thought to be the cause behind one in 20 cases of hypertension. But until now it has been difficult to detect, requiring a complex series of tests on blood taken from a vein supplying the adrenal gland. Experts at the University of Cambridge say a simple scan can spot the problem. The hi-tech PET-CT scan looks for small growths in the adrenal glands that are about the size of a five pence piece, the Journal of Clinical End...
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| Cancer drug Avastin loses US approval |
| 2011-11-18 22:54:00 |
BBC News The drug-maker says it will undertake further study to establish which patients will benefit from the drug US drug regulators have rescinded approval of a breast cancer drug, saying it is not effective enough to justify the risks of taking it. The drug, Avastin, was approved for US use in 2008, but UK officials have also rejected claims that it prolongs life. Further research showed it did not help patients live longer or improve quality of life, Food and Drug Administration commissioner Margaret Hamburg said. Avastin will still be used to treat other kinds of cancer. The drug is used to treat breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. It works by starving cancer cells of a blood supply. ...
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| Bowel cancer awareness 'stubbornly low' |
| 2011-11-10 21:53:00 |
BBC News About 16,000 people a year die of bowel cancer in the UK Awareness about bowel cancer is still "stubbornly low" - despite it being the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, a study suggests. The Cancer Research UK-funded survey showed that many people did not know that lifestyle factors such as diet, weight and exercise affected risk. The research, involving more than 1,500 people, also raised concerns about the lack of knowledge about symptoms. Researchers said attitudes needed to change to get survival rates up. Currently less than three quarters of the 40,000 people diagnosed each year in the UK survive for more than a year - lower than the European average. Symptoms This is partly to d...
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| Abuse of painkillers reaches 'epidemic' levels in US |
| 2011-11-03 01:37:00 |
BBC News Abuse of prescription painkiller have reached "epidemic" levels in the US, a government report says. Overdoses of pain relievers cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, the report has found. It says sales and prescriptions of the drugs rose sharply in recent years and this was linked to the rise in overdoses. Narcotic painkillers are prescribed to relieve chronic pain but the drugs can be "highly addictive", the report says. The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said fatalities caused by narcotic pain relievers have more than tripled in the last 10 years - equivalent to 40 deaths a day. Last year, a national survey on drug use and health showed that one in...
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| Gene therapy and stem cells unite |
| 2011-10-14 01:26:00 |
By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News Could genetically modified stem cells be used to treat genetic diseases? Two of the holy grails of medicine - stem cell technology and precision gene therapy - have been united for the first time in humans, say scientists. It means patients with a genetic disease could, one day, be treated with their own cells. A study in Nature corrected a mutation in stem cells made from a patient with a liver disease. Researchers said this was a "critical step" towards devising treatments, but safety tests were still needed. At the moment, stem cells created from a patient with a genetic illness cannot be used to cure the disease as those cells would also contain the c...
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| NDM-1 superbug enzyme's 'photofit' taken |
| 2011-09-06 20:23:00 |
By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC NewsThe structure of the protein which stops some of medicine's most powerful antibiotics working has been determined by researchers. Bacteria which make NDM-1 are of growing concern to health professionals. The NDM-1 enzyme, in red, breaking down an antibiotic in blue. The protein has larger "jaws" which allow it to attack more antibiotics than other enzymes. It is hoped drug companies will be able to use the chemical structure to design new drugs. Carbapenem antibiotics are considered the last line of defence against resistant bacteria. However, some are now resistant even to these drugs. Bacteria with a gene for New Delhi metallo beta lactamase (NDM-1) are able to produce an enzym...
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| 'Super antibody' fights off flu |
| 2011-07-29 22:56:00 |
By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC NewsThe first antibody which can fight all types of the influenza A virus has been discovered, researchers claim. Experiments on flu-infected mice, published in Science Express, showed the antibody could be used as an "emergency treatment". It is hoped the development will lead to a "universal vaccine" - currently a new jab has to be made for each winter as viruses change. A jab protecting against all flu viruses is considered a holy grails of vaccine research Virologists described the finding as a "good step forward". Many research groups around the world are trying to develop a universal vaccine. They need to attack something common to all influenza which does not change or mutate. Human ...
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