Category: Community
‘World’s first urine test for cancer’ to start in Japan
A Japanese company is set to carry out the world’s first experiment to test for cancer using urine samples, which they hope would enable better screening for the deadly disease. Engineering and IT conglomerate Hitachi developed the basic technology to detect breast or colon cancer from urine samples two years ago. It will now begin testing the [...]
Damage to people’s health in China already done even as the country cuts smog
China is cutting its smog, but damage to millions of people’s health has already been done, the US-based research agency Health Effects Institute (HEI) said In its report, HEI said China faces about 1.6 million premature deaths a year as a result of air pollution, based on data going back to 1990. China cut concentrations [...]
Salmonella fears in the US cause 200 million eggs to be recalled
The US is recalling nearly 207 million from nine of its state over the threat of Salmonella which has caused 22 people to fall ill, the federal Food and Drug Administration has said. It is the largest recall of eggs in the United States since 2010, the Food Safety News website reported. The eggs may [...]
Britain slaps sugar tax on soft drinks; aims to reduce obesity
Britain has introduced sugar tax on soft drinks as the country seeks to reduce obesity, particularly among the young. The tax, announced in March 2016, has already cut sugar content in drinks by 45 million kg per year, Britain’s Treasury said, as over 50 % of manufacturers have reformulated their products to be below the [...]
Hong Kong hospital probe: blood tool infected liver patient with Hepatitis C virus
In a worldwide first, an investigation at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, has found that a common reusable blood collection tool could have led to the virus being spread from its source, a drug addict who later died. The hospital will screen 58 patients for hepatitis C to rule out an outbreak of the infectious [...]
Less social media use tied to better emotional wellbeing among tween girls
A UK study says for tweens, less social media is best. The research found that girls who spend the most time on social media at age 10 may be unhappier in their early teens than peers who use social media less during the ‘tween years. Researchers looked at social media use and scores on tests [...]
Among the elderly in Japan, robots provide friendship and care
Robots are becoming more and more important in proving care to the elderly in Japan. Various types of robots are in the market: there is Paro the furry seal who cries softly when you pet it, Pepper, a humanoid, who waves while leading group exercises and then there is the upright Tree who guides a [...]
Most people living with back pain receive the wrong treatment – Australian-led study
An international study led by Melbourne-based Monash University’s Professor Rachelle Buchbinder has found that most people who live with lower back pain receive inappropriate tests and treatments, including opioids and surgery. “The majority of cases of lower back pain respond to simple physical and psychological therapies that keep people active and enable them to stay [...]
Cure for Macular degeneration, the most common form of blindness in the UK, has been found
In a groundbreaking breakthrough, doctors in the UK have found the cure for the most common form of blindness in the country: age-related macular degeneration. “I can now read the newspaper,” patient Douglas Waters, 86 said. Previously, he could not see out of his right eye. He was one of two patients given pioneering stem [...]
Chinese woman suffers stroke after using mobile phone for 20-hours straight
A woman in China suffered a stroke after using her mobile phone for 20 hours straight in a crowded train. The 47-year-old woman was travelling for work from China’s Henan Province to the city of Guangzhou, according to local media reports. But as soon as she alighted from the train, she fainted and had to [...]
