Older adults are easily susceptible to major depressive disorder. Data points to some 15-20% of people aged 65 and above, who live independently, deal with serious symptoms, and those in nursing homes face depression rates of up to 50%. However, researchers caution against the harmful effects of antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder in older adults […]
The elimination of the HIV virus requires clearance and removal of infected DNA from cells and tissues but, current treatment can only suppress its replication. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is then required to stall the virus' spread – usually a lifelong process. Recently, US researchers from Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and the Department […]
Painful periods are distressing for many women and are a deterrentto many activities as well – a study now suggests that the cramps/pains can be more manageable with weekly exercise on the treadmill. Leica Claydon-Mueller, from UK’s Anglia Ruskin University explains that women with painful periods actively avoid exercise, as it is the least attractive thing to someone in pain […]
Smoking’s secondhand effects are better known than alcohol’s – a new US study suggests the latter’s effects are much more dangerous and varied. Women were likely to be harmed by a spouse, partner or family member who is inebriated while men were more likely to be harmed by a drunken stranger. Katherine Karriker-Jaffe at the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health […]
Anticholinergic drugs are commonly prescribed to patients to manage muscle spasms and other involuntary muscle movements – it works by blocking a neurotransmitter used by the brain to tell any specific group of muscles to contract. But, a UK study has found that long-term use of certain anticholinergic drugs increases dementia risk, thus complicating the use of such drugs […]
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory neurological disease of the nervous system, which degrades the protective sheath around nerves and causes scar tissue. The brain has a harder time signaling the body and this will later result in mental impairment and physical disability. MS affects about 2.5 million people worldwide and a few hundred Malaysians […]
Select, formerly paralysed young adults in Australia are now able to perform everyday tasks independently thanks to a combination of nerve and tendon transfer surgeries. A nerve transfer is known to restore natural movement and fine motor control to the affected limb while a tendon transfer restores more power and heavy lifting ability. These allow for different styles of reconstruction and exhibit the innate […]
Teenagers are likely to develop muscularity-related eating disorders if they already have trouble with perceived body image.They may eat more/less, use supplements/anabolic steroids or exercise excessively to achieve the body shape they want, according to US researchers […]
Painful periods are distressing for many women and are a deterrentto many activities as well – a study now suggests that the cramps/pains can be more manageable with weekly exercise on the treadmill. Leica Claydon-Mueller, from UK’s Anglia Ruskin University explains that women with painful […]
Breast cancer care has very little progress with immunotherapy, as only a small number of patients can undergo treatment, which can sometimes be unsuccessful. However, researchers at Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina, US, have identified an enzyme responsible for the growth and spread […]
Anticholinergic drugs are commonly prescribed to patients to manage muscle spasms and other involuntary muscle movements – it works by blocking a neurotransmitter used by the brain to tell any specific group of muscles to contract. But, a UK study has found that long-term use of certain […]
Prolonged sedentary time has been tied to adverse health effects –sitting in front of a television after hours may be worse than working a desk job in the day, according to an extensive US study led by Jeanette Garcia, a researcher at the University of Central Florida, Orlando […]
The elimination of the HIV virus requires clearance and removal of infected DNA from cells and tissues but, current treatment can only suppress its replication. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is then required to stall the virus' spread […]
Prosthetics technology has come a long way from brain implants or external sensing systems that are needed to control the robotic appendage – motions can be smooth or jerky depending on the type of control system used […]
Accurate detection of circulating tumour cells (CTC) inpatients’ blood can offer insight into the underlying tumour and predict metastases; their elimination is key to containing widespread cancer. Recently, American and Russian scientists have together developed a new kind of laser that can pinpoint and destroy CTCs without surgical interventions […]
Much of rehabilitation for paralysing injuries is repetitive and tiring. In a changing approach, the island Republic has adopted new technology for better rehab programmes. Using the US-made robotic exoskeleton suit, EksoGT, was found to improve rehabilitation therapies by a significant margin […]
Surgical options so far involve cutting the skin, patching it up and leaving it to heal. This process may soon be redundant as researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, have recently developed a specialised laser microscope that dually diagnoses and performs precise surgical removals without breaking the skin’s surface. […]
Older adults are easily susceptible to major depressive disorder. Data points to some 15-20% of people aged 65 and above, who live independently, deal with serious symptoms, and those in nursing homes face depression rates of up to 50%.However, researchers caution against the harmful effects of antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder in older adults […]
There may be a way to treat sensitive brain aneurysms, traditionally only addressed through delicate surgery and slim success, with an existing drug. The joint effort by scientists from UK’s University of Sussex and US’s University of Washington School of Medicine involves a receptor tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor – a class of drug currently used to treat cancer. […]
UK’s Institute of Cancer (ICR) recent £75million investment on a centre to develop drugs against treatment-resistant cancer could idealise a breakthrough within the next decade. The ICR’s new Centre for Drug Discovery at its south London campus is intended to bring together almost 300 scientists from different disciplines to overcome/redirect cancer evolution. […]
HIV remains a global health concern despite numerous treatment methods, but a new drug promises better outcomes over a similar treatment used for the past decade […]
Recent figures report a marked rise of deadly malaria cases after nearly a decade of fighting the disease – mostly in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die yearly; the WHO records a total of 435,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2017. Numerous campaigns advocate for effective malaria treatment, thus, in a landmark immunisation project, according to Dr. Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunisation and Vaccines at the WHO, the world’s first malaria vaccine has been administered in Malawi. […]
Reducing fat around the heart is more likely through resistance training instead of aerobic exercise – researchers have observed that weight lifting reduced a type of heart fat linked to cardiovascular disease, and aerobic exercise (endurance training) likewise reduced another type of heart fat […]
Acai berries are a class of superfood rich in antioxidants and fibre. The acai palm is native to South America, producing a small, black-purple fruit which is edible. In an uncontrolled pilot study, overweight adults who took 100g of acai pulp daily for a month reported reductions in fasting glucose and insulin levels, indicating that consumption of the bitter acai fruit […]
A daily diet of nut helpings may promise better heart health for diabetics - just one extra serving of nuts a week is associated with a 3% lower risk of developing cardiac conditions and 6% lower risk of dying from heart problems. […]
A rapidly ageing population and rising healthcare costs have led experts to estimate that healthcare spending will continue growing. However, the US has healthcare programmes that support certain groups of marginalised people, including those with limited income and resources. Medicare and Medicaid are the two largest healthcare […]
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is likely to develop in ageing, with symptoms such as forgetfulness and a gradual decline in cognitive functions including language, attention span and perceiving objects. Seniors who eat a more generous serving of mushrooms however, may not be as likely to develop MCI. […]
Australian coasts teem with numerous seagulls –the birds could now be dangerous to human health. Research on silver gulls found more than 20% of the species nationwide carry bacteria that causes urinary tract/blood infections and sepsis, contracted from scavenging in rubbish and sewage […]
Smoking’s secondhand effects are better known than alcohol’s – a new US study suggests the latter’s effects are much more dangerous and varied. Women were likely to be harmed by a spouse, partner or family member who is inebriated while men were more likely to be harmed by a drunken stranger […]
Natural killer cells are a component of white blood cells, which are crucial to our immune system’s detection/destruction of abnormal cells before they develop into cancerous tumours. Recently, Thai researchers have successfully used these natural killer cells in their national cancer therapy, for high-risk leukaemia (blood cancer) patients.[…]
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory neurological disease of the nervous system, which degrades the protective sheath around nerves and causes scar tissue. The brain has a harder time signaling the body and this will later […]
Pakistan, population 200 million, has recently been hit by an HIV endemic where some 680 people are reported to have been infected. In Ratodero, Sindh Province, unease grew as 537 children aged 2-12 years were tested positive for the disease […]
A medical student need not spend 100-hour work weeks to know their art. A new US study found no significant difference in patient safety or costs when comparing results from doctors trained before and after the caps of 80 hours of duties per week – reassuring to both doctors and patients […]
Smoking is an acquired habit, and while it may cause major heart attacks in men and women who smoke, it has been found to especially affect young women under 50. They risk a more deadly type of heart attack by a whopping 13 times. However, these risks can be eliminated by quitting smoking and so ensure longevity and good health […]
Smoke exposure from a pregnant mother has been a causative risk for childhood asthma, and it is now evident that the same exposure from fathers may likely lead to early asthma development in their kids. This comes from Taiwanese research of DNA methylation, where three genes along the DNA strand that influences gene activity […]
Eggs, consumed in large quantities daily, has been found to bode ill health – new research data has highlighted that every additional 300mg of cholesterol-in-eggs consumed over the usual was associated with a 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% higher risk of death. Study data accounting for the American participants […]
Radiotherapy is known to effectively destroy and shrink cancer cells, but will also affect/damage the surrounding healthy cells, leading to toxicity in about 60% of treated patients. For patients with gastrointestinal tumours, intensive radiation therapy could result in gastrointestinal syndrome -characterised by intestinal cell death […]
Vitamin D is known to have many health benefits, save for its apparent inability to reduce cardiovascular disease risks. The recent discovery was made by clinical researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) in the US – vitamin D supplements were not observed to decrease the incidence of heart attacks, strokes or other adverse cardiovascular events. Mahmoud Barbarawi, a clinical instructor in the MSU […]
Natural killer cells are a component of white blood cells, which are crucial to our immune system’s detection/destruction of abnormal cells before they develop into cancerous tumours. Recently, Thai researchers have successfully used these natural killer cells in their national cancer therapy, for high-risk leukaemia (blood cancer) patients […]
With the steady growth of elderly consumers in the Asia Pacific region, Singapore’s trade and development agency, Enterprise Singapore, together with the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), will be supporting about ten local food companies to exhibit at the Food for Elders Pavilion at the inaugural showing of ELDEX ASIA exhibition, to be held from 8-10 November […]
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria, and is the world’s leading killer due to infection according to the WHO. The BCG (bacille-Calmette-Guerin) vaccine – delivered by an intramuscular injection in the upper arm – is made to use against Mtb infections; […]
Left atrial pressure (LAP) is a specific physiological indication for heart failure. Approximately 90% of cardiac patients admitted to the hospital have had pulmonary congestion related to elevated LAP- the earliest sign of impending heart failure exacerbation, long before clinical symptoms occur.[…]
Adolescents who used e-cigarettes or tried vaping before trying any other tobacco product were more likely to be smoking traditional cigarettes sooner than those who had never tried any, a US study team reported in JAMA Network Open. Andrew Stokes, senior study author of the Boston University School of Public Health has said that it […]
Breakfast helps to jump start the day for most, but not necessarily if you want to lose weight. While breakfast eaters consumed more calories per day and gained 1lb more than those who skipped it, a healthy breakfast has benefits: Can be a good source of calcium and fibre Improves concentration and attention levels, particularly […]
The flu virus is quite common and usually spreads via air droplets from coughing, sneezing or talking infected individuals; or picked up from surfaces like doorknobs, where these droplets can linger.Symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, aches and pains, chills and fatigue. The flu strain H1N1 can affect anyone, but […]
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