HCA eNews

Mystery Of South American Trophy Heads Solved

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

A recent study using specimens from Chicago’s Field Museum establishes that Nazca trophy heads came from people who lived in the same place and were part of the same culture as those who collected them.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Adult-onset Diabetes Slows Mental Functioning In Several Ways, With Deficits Appearing Early

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought processes.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Gold Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Delivery

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

Using tiny gold particles and infrared light, MIT researchers have developed a drug-delivery system that allows multiple drugs to be released in a controlled fashion.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Gene Expression And Splicing Vary Widely From One Tissue To The Next

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

Genes talk to themselves and to each other to control how a given cell manufactures proteins. But variation in the control of the same gene in two different tissues may contribute to certain human traits, including the likelihood of getting a disease, said a team of geneticists and neuroscientists.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Grazing Animals Help Spread Plant Disease

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

Researchers have discovered that grazing animals such as deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease—quadrupling its prevalence in some cases—and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threaten more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Teens Girls Smoke Now, Pay Later With Larger Waistlines As Adults

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 -0000

Remember the cool girls, huddled together in high school restrooms, puffing their cigarettes? Well, here’s consolation for the nerds in the crowd: Those teen smokers are more likely to experience obesity as adults, according to a new study from Finland.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Scientists doubt Europe can wipe out measles by 2010

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:13:54 -0000

LONDON (Reuters) – Too many children remain unvaccinated against measles for Europe to have any realistic hope of eliminating the disease by 2010, researchers said on Wednesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Medicare proposes wider cancer scan coverage

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:12:35 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health officials proposed paying for wider use of PET scans to help doctors decide the initial course of treatment in some cancer patients, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Study raises hope for obesity treatment

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:11:59 -0000

CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers may have found an obesity treatment that unlocks the fat-fighting promise of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone once hailed as the answer to the battle of the bulge.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Study shows how sleep apnea may cause stroke

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:33:57 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A dangerous type of snoring known as sleep apnea can cause stroke by decreasing blood flow, raising blood pressure and harming the brain’s ability to modulate these changes, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Children's teasing is an 'essential' part of growing up, expert says

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:03:00 -0000

According to an American psychologist children’s teasing is an ‘essential’ part of growing up and should not be seen as a form of bullying.

Full Article : Medical News

Experts warn Australia is surrounded by a ring of disease hot-spots

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:00:00 -0000

Australian biosecurity experts have warned that Australia is surrounded to its north by a ‘ring of fire’ where new human and animal plagues could appear with very little warning and with potentially dire consequences.

Full Article : Medical News

Detox theory a myth and a waste of money

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:56:00 -0000

A group of scientists in Britain say beyond the clinical treatment of drug addiction and poisoning, the ‘detox’ theory is a myth and the general public is being misled.

Full Article : Medical News

Sun and surf among top summer hazards for Australians

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:39:00 -0000

An Australian expert has warned that among the top ten hazards for people in Australia this summer the beach culture plays a big role.

Full Article : Medical News

Recovery coaches reduce the number of babies exposed to drugs

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:36:00 -0000

Of the 4 million babies born in the United States each year around 11% have been exposed to alcohol or illicit drugs in the womb.

Full Article : Medical News

Bulimia linked to brain circuit abnormalities

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:32:00 -0000

Scientists in the U.S. are suggesting that women who suffer from bulimia nervosa may have an abnormality in the brain circuit.

Full Article : Medical News

Aboriginals in remote areas will feel the brunt of climate change

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:29:00 -0000

Australian researchers have warned that the impact of climate change on human health will be particularly felt by Indigenous people living in remote areas of the country and they say resources are needed now to deal with the problem.

Full Article : Medical News

Study backs deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:07:26 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Deep brain stimulation dramatically improves Parkinson’s disease symptoms such as trembling and slowness of movement, offering hope to many with the incurable ailment, researchers said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Medicare proposes wider cancer scan coverage

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:56:09 -0000

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Implantable defibrillators save older patients too

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:27:09 -0000

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Implantable heart defibrillators—which have been found to save lives in younger patients—appear to have the same benefit for people over 70, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Hepatitis A vaccine gives long-lasting protection

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:17:02 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Hepatitis A infections, usually transmitted via contaminated food, can cause debilitating illness, but protection afforded by the hepatitis A vaccine last more than a decade, a new study shows.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Some kids leave ER without getting needed care

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:16:10 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Because of long waits, some children who are brought to an emergency room never get treated before they and their caretakers have to leave.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

U.S. government sets infection control goals

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:05:35 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Urinary infections caused by improper use and placement of catheters are the top cause of infections among hospital patients, but simple measures can prevent them, the U.S. government said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Obesity Linked To Elevated Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Increased Risk Of Pneumococcal Disease In Asthma Patients

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

Adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, the most common bacteria causing middle ear infections and community acquired pneumonia.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Stars Forming Just Beyond Black Hole's Grasp At Galactic Center

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

The center of the Milky Way presents astronomers with a paradox: It holds young stars, but no one is sure how those stars got there. The galactic center is wracked with powerful gravitational tides stirred by a 4 million solar-mass black hole. Those tides should rip apart molecular clouds that act as stellar nurseries, preventing stars from forming in place. Yet the alternative—stars falling inward after forming elsewhere—should be a rare occurrence.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Amazon Deforestation Trend On The Increase

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon forests has flipped from a decreasing to an increasing trend, according to new annual figures recently released by the country’s space agency INPE.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

New Methods For The Environmental Chemistâ€™s Toolbox

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

Organic compounds exhibit specific isotopic compositions that can be used as their “fingerprint“. Environmental chemists nowadays exploit changes of isotopic compositions to identify the origin of organic pollutants and to assess their (bio)degradation in the environment by compound-specific stable isotope analysis.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

â€˜Magnetic Braâ€™ Gives Independence Back To Disabled And Older Women

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:00 -0000

Researchers have developed a new bra for older and disabled women which replaces traditional fastenings with magnets.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Breathing problems beset kids born very preterm

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:58:05 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children who were born much too early continue to have poor respiratory health when they reach school age, UK researchers have found.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Miscarriage may spell trouble in next pregnancy

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:57:03 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Some women have the misfortune to suffer numerous miscarriages and are known to have risky pregnancies, but women who suffer even one miscarriage seem to be more likely to have complications in their next pregnancy, Scottish researchers report.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

China confirms woman died of bird flu in Beijing

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:13:16 -0000

BEIJING/HONGKONG (Reuters) – A 19-year-old woman has died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Beijing after coming into contact with poultry, health authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Coffee may protect against oral cancers

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:48:13 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – New research indicates that drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity or throat, at least in the general population of Japan.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Home visits may cut risk of low birthweight

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:28:28 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A program that offers home visits to low- income pregnant women may lower their risk of delivering an underweight baby, according to a study published Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Homeopathy patients often say health improved

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:25:01 -0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Many people who opt for homeopathic therapy for their chronic ills report lasting improvements in their health, a new study finds.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Smoking ban in cafes puts French off cigarettes

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:22:55 -0000

PARIS (Reuters) – Cigarette sales in France dropped to a record low in 2008, research by British American Tobacco (BAT) shows, challenging old cliches of Parisians hooked to their Gitanes in smoke-filled cafes.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Zimbabwe cholera death toll tops 1,700: WHO

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:54:06 -0000

GENEVA (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic is picking up speed, with a total of 1,732 deaths out of 34,306 cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Scientists find a gene that makes cancer spread

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:33:31 -0000

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A single gene appears to play a crucial role in deadly breast cancers, increasing the chances the cancer will spread and making it resistant to chemotherapy, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

More Americans getting multiple chronic illnesses

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:13:25 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More Americans are burdened by chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, often having more than three at a time, and this has helped fuel a big rise in out-of-pocket medical expenses, a study released on Tuesday showed.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Alternative Way To Save Brain Cells After Stroke Or Head Trauma, New Finding Suggests

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Shredded extracellular matrix is toxic to neurons. Researchers reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study suggests that drugs that block KA1, one subunit of the kainate receptor, might provide an alternative way to save brain cells after stroke or head trauma.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Early Family Depression Has Lasting Effects On Teens, Young Adults

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

A new study on 485 Iowa adolescents over a 10-year period (1991–2001) found that early socioeconomic adversity experienced by children contributes to poor mental health by the time they become teens—disrupting their successful transition into adulthood.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Genetic Modification Turns E. Coli Bacteria Into High Density Biofuel

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Scientists have successfully pushed nature beyond its limits by genetically modifying Escherichia coli, a bacterium often associated with food poisoning, to produce unusually long-chain alcohols essential in the creation of biofuels.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Possible Abnormality In Fundamental Building Block Of Einstein's Theory Of Relativity

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Physicists have developed a promising new way to identify a possible abnormality in a fundamental building block of Einstein’s theory of relativity known as “Lorentz invariance.” If confirmed, the abnormality would disprove the basic tenet that the laws of physics remain the same for any two objects traveling at a constant speed or rotated relative to one another.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Defensive Protein Killed Ancient Primate Retroviruses, Research Suggests

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Retroviruses are the worst sort of guest. Over eons, these molecular parasites have insinuated themselves into their hosts’ DNA and caused a ruckus. The poor hosts can’t even be rid of the intruders by killing them, because they stubbornly remain after death.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

New Park Protects Penguins And Other Marine Life In Argentina

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0000

A new coastal marine park has recently been signed into law by the Government of Argentina. The park protects half a million penguins along with several species of rare seabirds and the region’s only population of South American fur seals. It is the first protected area in Argentina specifically designed to safeguard not only onshore breeding colonies but also areas of ocean where wildlife feed at sea.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

China confirms woman died of bird flu in Beijing

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:32:12 -0000

BEIJING/HONGKONG (Reuters) – A 19-year-old woman has died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Beijing after coming into contact with poultry, health authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong said on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

More Americans getting multiple chronic illnesses

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:55:50 -0000

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Swarm Of Small Earthquakes Rattles Yellowstone National Park, U.S.

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

A notable swarm of earthquakes has been underway since December 26, 2008 beneath Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, three to six miles south-southeast of Fishing Bridge, Wyoming.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Power Of Wilderness Experiences As A Catalyst For Change In Young Offenders

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

Researchers have been working with young offenders to help them turn their lives around. Findings of the self-reported measures of self-confidence, trust, belonging and connectedness to nature showed that after each wilderness experience, feelings increased and during the months in between levels fell, as participants had less contact with nature. The final value at the end of the project was substantially higher than the initial starting value.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Common Gene Variant Linked To High Blood Pressure Identified

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

Researchers have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people’s risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The STK39 gene is the first hypertension susceptibility gene to be uncovered through a new technique called a genome-wide association study and confirmed by data from several independent studies.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Organic Plant Waste Proves Effective Weed Control For Citrus Trees

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

Interest in organic crop production is increasing around the world. Organics are healthy for consumers while adding environmental benefits and decreasing the amount of synthetic herbicides in foods, soil, and water. While organics gain popularity with consumers, organic farmers are faced with new production challenges, especially managing and reducing invasive weeds.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Acute Gastric Injury Due To High-dose Analgesics?

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

A new study has documented the gastrointestinal complications of high dose acetaminophen, a commonly used drug. The study investigated the acute high dose ingestion of analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, with suicidal intent. The study results surprisingly indicated that acetaminophen induces gastric lesions.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Better Predictions Of Share Yields

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0000

It is not easy to predict stock market trends. Two financial researchers at BI Norwegian School of Management have identified a target indicator that can predict future return on shares.

Full Article : ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

More Americans getting multiple chronic illnesses

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:19:41 -0000

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Cancer cells pull off 'Houdini' escape to evade chemotherapy

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:18:00 -0000

Scientists have revealed for the first time that cancer cells can reverse a process which irrevocably commits normal cells to die, in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Full Article : Medical News

Scientists find new way to 'track' response to cancer drugs

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:17:00 -0000

Scientists have found a new way of accurately measuring the success of experimental cancer drugs, according to a study published in Cancer Research.

Full Article : Medical News

U.S. health spending hits $2.2 trillion in 2007

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:14:06 -0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans spent $2.2 trillion on healthcare in 2007, or $7,421 per person, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday.

Full Article :
Reuters: Health News

Pollen Index And Temperature Are Main Factors Influencing Olive Production