Category: Health News

Lung cancer is the second most prevalent form of cancer in men and women and the top cancer killer among both sexes. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimate that in 2018, 154,050 people in the United States will have died from the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that 1.69 million deaths are brought

A brain protein called tau is known to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Our brain cells have a “transport system” made of straight, parallel “roads,” along which food molecules, nutrients, and discarded parts of cells can travel. In a healthy brain, the protein tau helps these tracks to stay straight.

Baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, is a kitchen staple commonly used as a raising agent for cakes. That being said, it has also made a name for itself as a home remedy for various conditions. Half a teaspoon of baking soda is often taken to ease heartburn or acid reflux, for example, and this

From laxatives to sun cream: The full list of medicines that will no longer be available on NHS prescription at the end of the month NHS announced the prescription ban in March; it comes into effect on May 31  Banned products include cough mixtures, eye drops, laxatives and sun creams Treatments for constipation, cold sores

A new study found the mouths of drinkers contained more bad bacteria that potentially cause disease. There’s no lack of evidence that drinking too much alcohol is bad for you. But here’s one more reason to cut down: teeth. A recent article published in Microbiome last month found, in a large study of American adults,

Top-ranked reviewers on online retail sites such as Amazon.com may influence purchases, but a research study from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business finds that those who post reviews less often and more informally can be seen as more trustworthy and have more of an impact on sales. Shyam Gopinath, assistant professor of marketing at

We rely on our ears to tell us where sounds — from the chirp of a bird to the call of your name in a crowd — are coming from. Locating and discriminating sound sources is extremely complex because the brain has to process spatial information from many, sometimes conflicting, cues. Using virtual reality and

A new study has discovered that horses were first domesticated by descendants of hunter-gatherer groups in Kazakhstan who left little direct trace in the ancestry of modern populations. The research sheds new light on the long-standing “steppe theory” on the origin and movement of Indo-European languages made possible by the domestication of the horse. The

Sorry, new moms and dads — even though your infants really do appreciate your squeaky coos, they would prefer to hear sounds from their peers — other babies. Even at the pre-babbling stage — before they can form sounds resembling syllables like “ba ba ba” — infants recognize vowel-like sounds, but they tend to dwell

Scientists have shone new light on how the human brain uses past experiences and generalizes them to future events, helping us safely navigate the world around us, a study in eLife reveals. Our ability to ‘generalize’ is an important survival technique, but over-generalizing from bad events could explain why some people fear and then avoid

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised what they call a “neuronal cookbook” for turning skin cells into different types of neurons. As reported today in the journal Nature, the research opens the door to studying common brain conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, addiction and Alzheimer’s disease under reproducible conditions in a dish. “The

Aging brings you face to face with the loss of loved ones, children leaving the nest and physical changes such as reduced energy levels. These types of events can “give rise to negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, loneliness and lowered self-esteem,” according to the American Psychological Association. Growing older can also come with a slew

Mia Kang doesn’t hold back. The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and professional Muay Thai fighter has been open about her past struggles with anorexia and bulimia. Just last year, Kang told Health that she had previously binged and purged and also abused laxatives as a young model striving for the “perfect” body.  All that changed when she discovered Muay

Results of a recent study to better understand modifiable factors such as physical activity that may affect a woman’s ability to conceive a child suggest that walking may help women to improve their chances of becoming pregnant. The study was conducted by recent graduate Lindsey Russo and her advisor Brian Whitcomb, associate professor of biostatistics

According to a 2017 OECD report, roughly one in ten Australians use antidepressants. The same report found antidepressant use in Australia doubled between 2000 and 2015. These statistics give Australians the distinction of being the second-highest users of antidepressants in the world, coming in behind only Iceland. Roughly one in ten Australians use antidepressants. It

Anxiety has already been shown to take its toll on the human body in many ways, including increased risk for heart disease and gastrointestinal disorders. Now a new study demonstrates how anxiety levels are linked to an increased risk of bone fractures in postmenopausal women. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal

A new study led by a UTSA researcher examines the social perceptions of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication to prevent HIV, among gay and bisexual men in Texas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of PrEP in 2012. While evidence suggests that the medication is effective in preventing the spread of

Meadowfoam, a native Pacific Northwest plant cultivated as an oilseed crop, has emerged as a potential new source of protection against the sun’s harmful effects on the skin. The findings by scientists at Oregon State University are important because nearly 10,000 people a day in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer, resulting in

A bipartisan bill cleared the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, which gives the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the authority to offer incentives for behavioral health providers who implement electronic health records. The legislation now heads to the House where it will be reconciled with similar legislation. The Improving Access to Behavioral Health Information Technology

A little-explored group of immune cells plays an important role in the regulation of intestinal bacteria. Changing metabolic states of the microbes have an effect on defense cells at different stages of alert or rest, as researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University and University Hospital of Basel report in the journal Mucosal