Healthcare, The NHS, People & Training
US scientists have claimed to have developed chemicals which interfere with a mosquito’s ability to sniff out humans. They are hoping to use these chemicals to develop the next generation of mosquito traps and repellents. Experts say that it could be a major break through if the chemicals are safe and cheap. Female mosquitoes detect [...]
I recently saw a documentary about a boy called Morad who had been tortured because he was suspected of trying to seduce a girl. As a result he lost the ability to speak and disconnected himself from reality. In order to avoid hospitalisation he was sent for dolphin therapy. It was really interesting to see [...]
Smoking damages the body in minutes rather than years, according to research in the US. A report, published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, shows that chemicals which cause cancer form rapidly after smoking. Scientists involved in the small-scale study described the results as a stark warning to people considering smoking. Anti-smoking charity Ash described the [...]
Expectant mums who are low in a hormone made by the thyroid gland in the neck are more likely to struggle in labour, findings suggest. Too little of the hormone thyroxine is already known to complicate pregnancy, increasing the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and pre-eclampsia. Now a Dutch team has found even “low to [...]
Hospitals are fiddling a four-hour A&E wait target by using other wards as dumping grounds, the Conservatives say. Data from 114 NHS trusts in England found many patients faced long waits in assessment units which did not count towards the waiting time. Over a fifth of units reported keeping patients longer than the recommended 24 [...]
Sedentary lifestyles are making children less fit – even among those who are not obese, a study suggests. Essex University staged fitness tests on 600 10-year-olds a decade apart in an area with low levels of obesity. They found significant falls in fitness levels, concluding the average 10-year-old in 1998 could beat 95% of youngsters [...]
A 30-year-old man thought to have died in January from vCJD belonged to a genetic group that had not shown any signs of the disease, scientists say. In the UK, 166 people have died of variant CJD, linked to eating BSE-infected beef, and all were thought to have shared a certain gene. Writing in the [...]
High levels of a hormone that controls appetite appear to be linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, US research suggests. The 12-year-study of 200 volunteers found those with the lowest levels of leptin were more likely to develop the disease than those with the highest. The JAMA study builds on work that [...]
A Study suggest that a widening class gap is likely to be seen in the coming years in childhood obesity. Previous research suggested rates in England may be levelling off, however the University College, London team found this was happening most in children aged two to 10 from wealthier backgrounds. Research suggests that obesity rates [...]
A major trial of a vaginal microbicide has produced no evidence that its use reduces the risk of HIV infection in women. The gel, PRO 2000, is intended for use before sexual intercourse to help reduce HIV infection. It was tested in a trial involving 9,385 women in four African countries. The risk of HIV [...]