Fitbit is a smart watch-cum-fitness tracker. For the casual jogger to hardcore athletes, there is a recommended Fitbit for everyone. Recently, Fitbit and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have launched a digital health technology initiative for both fitness and precision medicine study. Fitbit’s Bring-Your-Own-Device project and the All of Us research program is a [...]
Corn – widely known as sweet yellow corn – is a large form of maize. It is found in various foodstuffs and is sometimes eaten on its own. Selective breeding has domesticated this simple grain and changed the size, color, and flavor of corn from the early crops of our indigenous ancestors; now to a [...]
Low-carb dieting is a new millennial trend where the consumption of carbohydrates is lessened while more protein, natural fats and vegetables are eaten instead. These carbohydrates come in the form of sugary foods, pasta, white rice, and white bread. This dieting habit may result in weight loss and improved health, but claims of it causing [...]
The popularity of social media has highlighted both its pros and cons on our health and well being. Some experts observe that the more time spent online, lesser time is spent on real life social interaction. Studies have also linked social media use to loneliness, even suggesting weaning away from social media, or “detoxifying” to [...]
The term “volume depletion” may not ring a bell to most of us. Sharing a few similar symptoms with dehydration, they seem to be identical, but not quite. Volume depletion refers to the reduction of the volume of water in the blood vessels of our body, much more likely than dehydration, which is the loss [...]
Falls are dangerous to the elderly. Head injuries or complications from bone fractures resulting from falls are not uncommon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that yearly, more than one in four older adults aged 65 and older experience falls. In the US, falls are the top cause of injuries and death [...]
Malaysia has only managed to achieve a rate of 12.9 % in terms of cervical screening, which is way below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target of 70%, according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. “The lifetime risk of a Malaysian woman to develop cervical cancer is 1 in 116. [...]
The popularity of social media has highlighted both its pros and cons on our health and well being. Some experts observe that the more time spent online, lesser time is spent on real life social interaction. Studies have also linked social media use to loneliness, even suggesting weaning away from social media, or “detoxifying” to [...]
Researchers from MIT, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed an ingestible capsule to treat malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that is attributed to an estimated 219 million morbidity cases and 435 000 related deaths globally in 2017, according to the World Health Organisation. Malaria exhibits whole-body symptoms including chills, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and [...]
New research by the University of Bristol in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs has found that the best trained alert dogs have the potential to vastly improve the quality of life of people living with Type 1 diabetes. As reported in PLOS One, on average trained dogs alerted their owners to 83 per cent of [...]
Children’s exposure to TV ads about high-sugar cereals influences their food intake, which increases their health risks for obesity as well as cancers, warns research. Children’s exposure to TV ads about high-sugar cereals influences their food intake, which increases their health risks for obesity as well as cancers, warns research. The study, led by a [...]
Millennials struggling with depression aren’t being helped by their use of Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, a new study reports. College students who meet the criteria for major depressive disorder tend to use social media more often and are more heavily addicted to social media, researchers found. They’re also more likely to use social media in [...]
Fitbit is a smart watch-cum-fitness tracker. For the casual jogger to hardcore athletes, there is a recommended Fitbit for everyone. Recently, Fitbit and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have launched a digital health technology initiative for both fitness and precision medicine study. Fitbit’s Bring-Your-Own-Device project and the All of Us research program is a [...]
Experts have developed a potentially “game-changing” test to predict a woman’s risk of breast cancer. It combines information on family history and hundreds of genetic markers with other factors, such as weight, to give the most comprehensive assessment possible, says Cancer Research UK. The test is not yet routinely available on the NHS – some [...]
Bionic Vision Technologies Pty Ltd (BVT) revealed that medical researchers had successfully restored a sense of vision in four blind people with its bionic eye as part of a clinical trial in Melbourne. All four patients have a degenerative genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa which causes loss of vision. Principal investigator Associate Professor Penny Allen, [...]
Wearable glucose monitors will be made available to tens of thousands of Brits with type 1 diabetes from April 2019, thanks to the NHS. The new wearable reduces the need for finger-prick blood tests and helps people with diabetes to manage their condition. In England, around 300,000 people live with type 1 diabetes. The Freestyle [...]
Also, download this story from the electronic issue here In the field of medicine, a rule of thumb when prescribing medical treatment is that the benefits must outweigh risks. However, when it comes to using medical devices, there are no taking chances. Throughout the continued advancements in medical technology, patient safety comes first, says Angelica Buan [...]
A landmark study co-authored by a Loyola Medicine oncologist has found that a newer targeted drug is significantly more effective than standard therapy for treating elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The drug, ibrutinib, attacks cancer cells without damaging normal cells, thus causing fewer side effects. The drug is taken as a pill once [...]
Cheap and widely used drugs for diabetes and heart health have potential for treating severe mental illness, a study hints. It showed the number of times patients needed hospital treatment fell by up to a fifth when they took the drugs. The researchers at University College London say their findings have “enormous potential”. But they, [...]
Scientists have discovered that a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes could also help repair heart failure. Close to half of all heart failure patients have HFpEF, which stiffens the left ventricle of the heart and reduces its ability to fill with blood. In turn, that leads to a lack of blood flow [...]
By 2030, about half of the estimated 79 million adults around the globe who have type 2 diabetes won’t have access to insulin. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology talked about the price and diminishing supply of the drug that helps people with types 1 and 2 diabetes fight off amputation, blindness, [...]
A new shingles vaccine has proven to be more successful in the prevention of the infection. The Shingrix vaccine was compared to the older vaccine Zostavax, and reviewed by more than 2 million patients above the age 50. Researchers in Toronto found the newer germ-specific vaccine, was 85% more effective in reducing shingles, also known [...]
Corn – widely known as sweet yellow corn – is a large form of maize. It is found in various foodstuffs and is sometimes eaten on its own. Selective breeding has domesticated this simple grain and changed the size, color, and flavor of corn from the early crops of our indigenous ancestors; now to a [...]
For the 11th Global Handwashing Day, Lifebuoy aims to change behaviours surrounding hand hygiene among children and adults. Since hands are responsible for the spread of 80% of common infectious diseases, effective hand hygiene continues to be universally recognised as the smartest, most cost-effective means of infection control. A highly contagious, infectious diseases that can [...]
Mushroom contains Hyaluronic acid which is considered as the body’s internal moisturizer as it firms and plumps up your skin. It also contains a polysaccharide that is equally beneficial in hydrating your skin. Mushrooms contain compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants as well. This superfood promotes healing and fights inflammation. The extracts of mushrooms [...]
Your kidneys are a crucial pair of organs that are usually ignored. They play an important role in removing wastes generated from the food you eat. They are responsible for eliminating urea, wastes from dietary protein, along with minerals like sodium, potassium and phosphorus. So you can imagine if these organs become dysfunctional or slow [...]
Having a diet that is rich in fruit, vegetable and whole grain and low in added sugar, sodium and processed meat could help promote healthy cellular aging in women, a study of the University of Michigan (UM) showed. UM researchers used telomere length to measure cellular aging in the study. Age is the strongest predictor [...]
A university medical researcher, who is an expert in Chinese herbal medicine, has supported recent findings by scholars at the University of California, US, of the urgent need to seek new therapies in the fight against HIV infections because mechanisms that govern transcription and latency differ in gut and blood. “It is time to assess [...]
Vietnam’s central city of Đà Nẵng debuts its first cardiovascular centre after three years of construction. The VNĐ236 billion (US$11.23 million) 10-storey 200-bed centre sited on a 3,560 sqm land area in downtown Hải Phòng Street will offer cardiovascular examinations, treatment and surgeries for in-patients. With the centre now operational, more heart patients will be [...]
A baby girl who was diagnosed with Ebola when she was only six days old has survived, health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed. Baby Benedicte’s mother was infected with Ebola and died during childbirth. Benedicte showed symptoms only days later and it has taken five weeks of round-the-clock treatment to [...]
A healthy baby girl has been born using a transplanted womb. The 10-hour transplant operation used a womb from a dead donor, and took place in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2016. The mother, 32, was born without a womb. There have been 39 womb transplants using a live donor, including mothers donating their womb to [...]
A Californian man who tried to kill himself with a shotgun has undergone the most advanced face transplant surgery ever performed. Cameron Underwood, 26, had struggled for years with depression, and in 2016, he placed a shotgun under his chin and pulled the trigger. Two years later, he made his first public appearance after undergoing [...]
Low-carb dieting is a new millennial trend where the consumption of carbohydrates is lessened while more protein, natural fats and vegetables are eaten instead. These carbohydrates come in the form of sugary foods, pasta, white rice, and white bread. This dieting habit may result in weight loss and improved health, but claims of it causing [...]
The term “volume depletion” may not ring a bell to most of us. Sharing a few similar symptoms with dehydration, they seem to be identical, but not quite. Volume depletion refers to the reduction of the volume of water in the blood vessels of our body, much more likely than dehydration, which is the loss [...]
Falls are dangerous to the elderly. Head injuries or complications from bone fractures resulting from falls are not uncommon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that yearly, more than one in four older adults aged 65 and older experience falls. In the US, falls are the top cause of injuries and death [...]
J. H. Routh Packing Co, a Sandusky, Ohio establishment, has recalled an estimated 780 kg raw pork sausage products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically rubber, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reported. The raw ground pork bulk and link sausage items were produced from 1-4 January this year. The firm [...]
Newly diagnosed cancer patients may be at increased risk for the painful skin condition shingles, a new study finds. Experts say development of new vaccines might help prevent shingles in cancer patients. The study, of about 240,000 cancer patients in Australia from 2006 to 2015, found that any type of cancer was associated with a [...]
The Canadian environment ministry has warned against using talcum power on genitals as it can cause ovarian cancer. If inhaled it can also cause respiratory problems like fibrosis. The reports follows a string of lawsuits brought against Johnson & Johnson in the US relating to ovarian cancer since 2016. 22 women were awarded US$4.69 billion [...]
Scientists have manufactured a new immune-boosting spray that could stop recurrence of cancer in patients. The study was documented in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, and detailed how researchers sprayed the surgical sites of mice with advanced melanoma tumors with calcium carbonate. The gel decreased the growth of the tumor cells following surgery, and the mice [...]
A study has shown that regular red meat consumption can lead to the accumulation of a gut level chemical that causes heart disease. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic say that red meat triples the level of trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO, a chemical associated with heart disease located in the human stomach. Their study, published in [...]
People with type 2 diabetes might be testing their blood sugar levels too much, a study has concluded. Researchers at the University of Michigan say that roughly 14% of people with diabetes, but who don’t require insulin, are spending hundreds of dollars annually, and using thousands of test strips to check something that is not [...]
A new study showed 25% drop in the risk of cardiovascular disease among people who ate a Mediterranean diet. Researchers published their results in JAMA Network Open. They study consisted of nearly 26,000 subjects who consumed a diet heavy in plants and olive oil and low in meats and sugar. “Our study has a strong [...]
Johnson & Johnson Vision recently recognised 24 optical centres as Acuvue Eye Health Centres. Supported by the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO), the Acuvue Eye Health Centre status recognises eye health centres in Malaysia that uphold quality, professional eye care services according to national guidelines and in doing so are well positioned to lead the [...]
Living a healthy lifestyle during menopause could slow the narrowing of arteries in aging women, a study shows. The Journal of the American Heart Association published a study that evaluated women between ages 42 and 52 with annual medical exams and surveys about their physical activity, eating habits and tobacco use. “Midlife is a crucial [...]
New research has identified 12 DNA segments that may raise the risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The work, published in the journal Nature Genetics, revealed that researchers have conducted a large genetic analysis of the condition reportedly affects around 6 million children in the US alone. Benjamin M. Neale from Harvard Medical [...]
A Chinese scientist who is said to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies is standing by his work. He Jiankui, an associate professor at a Shenzhen university, said he was proud of his work, and another potential pregnancy of a gene-edited embryo was in its early stages. His claims have yet to be [...]
A nutritional supplement may slow the progression of certain cancers and boost the effects of treatment, a new study suggests. The study conducted on mice with pancreatic, lung or skin cancer, were given mannose, a sugar also found in cranberries and other fruits. It significantly slowed the growth of their tumours, with no obvious side-effects, [...]
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