Tag: featured
Increased oesophagus cancer risk with hot tea or coffee
The World Health Organisation (WHO) International Agency For Research has classified drinking “very hot” beverages – above 65 ° C, such as hot tea or coffee – as “probably carcinogenic” to humans. A recent study has suggested that hot tea drinkers risk oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who drank cooler and less tea […]
Women in Malaysia more prone to kidney disease
Kidney or renal function is typically measured by the glomerular filtration rate, with kidney failure and chronic kidney disease (CKD) staged accordingly: stages 1-3 do not show any symptoms; stages 4-5 requires maintenance of remaining kidney function; and patients at late stage 5 normally cannot survive without dialysis. The latest data from World Health Organisation […]
Singapore ‘Wheelchair Brigade’ ropes in seniors
Wheelchairs are a key mobility device for frail seniors, who regularly need some help with their wheelchairs – sometimes dirt and hair is trapped in the wheel with regular use, or the tyres deflate, or the nuts and bolts loosen, or the wheelchair just doesn’t move well. Hence, a pilot programme that enables active seniors […]
Weekly stroll can save your life, Chinese study observes
Researchers from northern Chinese Shandong University have reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that active people or frequent walkers had 18% lower risk of death as compared to full-on couch potatoes. Professor Bo Xi from the Department of Epidemiology at the university led researchers as they sifted through survey data from 1997-2008 on […]
WHO advocates safer listening practices to avoid hearing loss
Neurological hearing loss is a typical health problem due to exposure to unsafe noise levels according to Pan Tao, an otologist from the Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing. His department receives more and more patients with the impairment, including teenagers. Data from the WHO has indicated that nearly 50% of teenagers and young adults […]
School children suffer in toxic waste dumping case in Malaysia
An easy discharge of chemical waste believed to contain heavy metals into a river has escalated into a respiratory hazard for residents along the Straits of Johor, Malaysia. There have been three consecutive waves of air pollution as the chemicals got washed along Sungai Kim Kim, where at least seven schools are located. A local […]
Polymer coating to protect catheters from infections
A staggering 150 million intravascular catheters are implanted yearly in the US alone, and fatal infections can develop regularly. Antibacterial coatings have then been used to prevent colonisation and kill harmful bacteria, but often lose effectiveness after only two weeks. Most antibacterial coatings also use traditional antibiotics, raising concerns about antibiotic resistance over long term […]
Precision drugs and DNA repair effective for cancer treatment
The advancements in immunotherapies boast some 10-20% of patients who are responsive to treatment, though many cancers still evade detection by the immune system. But, recent studies have suggested that treatment with PARP inhibitors in precision drugs cause cancer cells to stimulate immune responses against the tumour. When cancer cells with defective repair systems are […]
Japanese devices can help with odour management in hospitals
The digital scent technology market is expected to grow annually by 30% from 2017 to reach USD1 billion by 2023, with Asia-Pacific projected to grow at the fastest rate according to market research. Previously, many organisations were not as particular about this aspect of their facilities -but odour control in healthcare is notably essential to […]
New TB vaccine tested on mice shows promise
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; some 70-80% effective against more severe forms such as […]
