Orange chemical hailed as a treatment for AIDS
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An Australian pharmaceutical company said on Tuesday a naturally occurring chemical extracted from oranges can be used to treat HIV/AIDS, influenza, SARS and the common cold.
Citrofresh International Ltd. said Europe’s Retroscreen Virology Laboratory had found its Citrofresh bioflavanoid compound to be effective against the HIV-1 virus, the human influenza A virus including Avian influenza or bird flu, the Urbani SARS virus and the human rhinovirus.
Singapore scientists invent quick bird flu test
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Scientists in Singapore said on Tuesday they have developed a test kit that can detect bird flu infections in poultry within four hours - a tool that could help health officials control the spread of the deadly virus.
In the absence of a vaccine, early identification of the virus is especially important, and current tests used by laboratories take two to three days and sometimes up to a week.
Scientists find wider uses for cholesterol drugs
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Cholesterol-lowering drugs could help to prevent diabetics and people at high risk of heart disease from suffering a heart attack or stroke even if their cholesterol level is not high, scientists said on Tuesday.
Millions of patients around the world are prescribed the drugs, known as statins, to reduce their cholesterol, but an international team of researchers said an even bigger group of people would benefit from the treatment.
Indonesian children targeted in anti-polio drive
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Indonesia on Tuesday kicked off the final round of a massive campaign to immunise more than 24 million children against polio in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in the world’s fourth most populous country.
Unlike a previous immunisation round where the government employed dozens of pop stars and celebrities to lure fearful mothers and their howling infants, the latest was more subdued.
Los Angeles study finds higher pollution death risk
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The risk of dying in parts of traffic-clogged, polluted Los Angeles appears sharply higher than previously believed, according to a study comparing the risks of living in affluent, beachfront neighborhoods to the hazy and fast-growing inland area.
The study was a first to attempt to look at how chronic health problems are linked to the degree of pollution across the neighborhoods of a major U.S. city, lead author, Michael Jerrett said.
Some Common Diet Tips That Really Work
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Losing weight is a national preoccupation. I challenge anyone to turn on the television or radio, surf online or open a magazine without finding an advertisement for a weight loss product or an endorsement for a new diet or eating plan. Everyone wants to be healthy and look their best, and for possibly the first time in the last half century, those two things happen to coincide. The current ideal of beauty is far closer to what’s attainable by a ‘real’ person than it has been in decades. Thanks to the recent popularity of actresses and singers who aren??™t rail thin, coat hangers are out and healthy muscles and curves are in.
If you’ve been working toward that comfortable ideal body weight, chances are that you’ve read the same diet and weight loss tips time and time again. In some cases, it’s because someone said it and it got repeated endlessly. In others, though, it’s because the tip really works. Here are five of the most common diet tips that really work - and why.
Pomegranate juice promising for prostate cancer
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Pomegranate extract may prevent prostate cancer or slow its growth, if results of lab experiments conducted at the University of Wisconsin in Madison translate to real-world benefits.
Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and his colleagues note in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition that pomegranates are high in polyphenolic compounds, making its juice higher in antioxidant activity than red wine and green tea.
‘Statin’ drugs reduce fracture risk in men
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Men who take a cholesterol-lowering ‘statin’ drug (such as Lipitor or Zocor, for example) may be protecting more than their heart. A large study comprised mostly of elderly men shows that the drugs reduce the risk of suffering a bone fracture.
Previous research investigating the link between statins and fracture risk, conducted primarily among women, has yielded mixed results.
Injured players shouldn’t risk second concussion
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For high school athletes who sustain a head injury, playing hurt “for the team” is more often dangerous than heroic.
That’s one of the main messages contained in Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports, a multimedia educational tool kit developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to raise awareness and help coaches of high school teams prevent concussions, spot symptoms, and know what to do should an athlete show signs of a concussion.
Low-fat vegan diet may spur weight loss
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A diet free of animal products and low in fat may help trim the waistline without the task of strict calorie watching, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of 64 postmenopausal, overweight women, those assigned to follow a low-fat vegan diet for 14 weeks lost an average of 13 pounds, compared with a weight loss of about 8 pounds among women who followed a standard low-cholesterol diet.
Welsh E. coli cases expected to rise
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The number of people hit by an outbreak of potentially fatal E. coli food poisoning in Wales is likely to rise on Monday from the 115 already reported to have been affected, health officials have warned.
So far 25 people have had hospital treatment since the outbreak was first detected on September 16, with cases reported in 32 schools in South Wales.
Kidney transplantees face higher melanoma risk
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People who’ve undergone a kidney transplant have an increased risk of developing melanoma, according to a new report.
“There is evidence from previous studies that the immunosuppression regimen (used after a kidney transplant) affects the risk of melanoma,” Dr. Christopher S. Hollenbeak told Reuters Health. “We are currently working to identify specific regimens in the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) data in order to determine whether risk is associated with specific agents.”
Kidney transplantees face higher melanoma risk
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In some cases, with the right choice of patients, surgical removal of the thyroid gland or part of it can be safely performed using local anesthesia—with advantages over doing the operation under general anesthesia, a new study indicates.
Thyroidectomy, as the procedure is called, may necessary if someone has cancer or other diseases of the thyroid.
Panic disorder seems to raise heart disease risk
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People with a history of panic disorder may have a higher risk of developing heart disease, particularly if they’ve also suffered from depression, a new study suggests.
Using medical records from a U.S. health insurance database, researchers found that adults who had been diagnosed with panic disorder were nearly twice as likely as those without the disorder to develop coronary heart disease. The risk was higher still among patients diagnosed with both panic disorder and depression—two psychiatric conditions that are often seen together.
South Africa labour boss slams Mbeki on AIDS
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South Africa’s top trade unionist has attacked President Thabo Mbeki in the latest sign of discord between the ruling party and its labour allies, accusing him of failing to stem a raging AIDS pandemic.
“This lack of government leadership on HIV is a betrayal of our people and our struggle,” Zwelinzima Vavi, secretary general of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), was quoted as saying in local newspapers on Monday, prompting an angry reaction from the health ministry.
