Number of Japan child abuse cases soar
|
|
The number of cases of child abuse reported in Japan soared nearly a quarter in the year that ended on March 31, rising above 30,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
Stricter laws on reporting abuse contributed to the rise, but the main factor was several notorious cases in which children died as a result of abuse by their parents, horrifying a nation that has boasted that its stable family structure made such abuse inconceivable.
WHO probes China’s reported use of flu drug on birds
|
|
The World Health Organisation is seeking clarification from China about reports it urged farmers to use a human antiviral drug to treat birds infected with a deadly strain of avian flu, breaking international guidelines.
Scientists fear the bird flu, which is infectious in birds but does not spread easily among humans, could mutate into a form capable of generating a pandemic in which millions of people without immunity could die.
Dengue fever kills 3 in Yemen, 58 others infected
|
|
Dengue fever has killed three people since appearing in Yemen early this month and 58 others have been infected, a Health Ministry official said on Sunday.
Ministry Under-Secretary Abbas al-Metwakel told the official news agency Saba that there were 423 suspected cases in three Yemeni provinces, particularly in eastern Shabwa province.
He said authorities had launched a campaign to kill mosquitoes to prevent a spread of the tropical disease.
Oregon’s top lawyer OKs medical marijuana use
|
|
Oregon’s attorney general gave the state the go-ahead on Friday to resume issuing cards that allow sick patients to smoke marijuana despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling the federal government could prosecute medical use of the drug.
“The (Supreme Court) decision has no legal impact on the operation of Oregon’s program,” according to a statement by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers’ office.
Embryos cloned from human eggs matured in lab
|
|
Belgian scientists said on Monday they have cloned the first human embryos from unripe eggs matured in the laboratory, an achievement that could help to overcome a stumbling block in stem cell research.
Until now, scientists who have managed to clone human embryos have used donated mature eggs, which are in short supply.
Pelvic inflammatory disease linked to pelvic pain
|
|
Researchers have identified a range of factors that increase the risk of developing chronic pelvic pain from pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which results from vaginal infection, often sexually transmitted, that ascends into the pelvis.
“Recurrent PID repeatedly damages the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, increasing the likelihood of chronic pelvic pain and infertility,” warned the team leader Dr. Catherine L. Haggerty.
Friends may be key to living longer
|
|
Looking for the secret of a long life? Look closely at your friends. New research suggests that having a strong network of friends helps people live longer.
“Older people with better social networks with friends were less likely to die over a 10-year follow-up period than older people with poorer friends networks,” Lynne C. Giles of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, told Reuters Health.
But in what may come as a surprising finding to older people who rely on their children and other relatives, having a large network of relatives was not associated with longer life, Giles and her colleagues report in the July issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
US lawmakers urge emergency contraception for rape
|
|
Under bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday, hospitals that receive federal funds would have to advise rape victims of the availability of emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy.
“The idea that someone cannot prevent an unwanted pregnancy that’s the result of an assault is just inconceivable to me,” said Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine of New Jersey, referring to hospitals that do not routinely provide rape victims with access to emergency contraception, a two-pill regime that can reliably prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after unprotected intercourse.
Somalia to begin anti-polio drive this week
|
|
Volunteers in anarchic Somalia this week will launch a United Nations-backed polio immunization drive to prevent the disease from spreading to the country from nearby Ethiopia and Yemen. Both of those countries are the latest two of 16 previously polio-free west and central African nations where the paralysis causing disease has re-appeared.
“The outbreaks of polio in Ethiopia and Yemen, coupled with large population movements between Somalia and its neighbours have put Somali children at risk of polio,” Dr. David Heymann, the U.N. World Health Organization’s (WHO) polio eradication representative, said in a statement.
US speeding deaths up as speed limits rise
|
|
Speeding-related deaths have gone up gradually on many major U.S. roads since Congress abolished the mandatory 55 mph (88.5 kph) per hour speed limit in 1995, an analysis of federal safety data showed on Wednesday.
A report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed about a third of all traffic deaths were related to speeding between 1983 and 2002, the last year figures were analyzed for speeding.
New whitener bleaches teeth with less sensitivity
|
|
A new type of tooth whitener contains extra ingredients that reduce the sensitivity that often follows bleaching, according to new study findings.
Dr. Frederick Eichmiller, based at the American Dental Association’s Paffenbarger Research Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, explained that people often complain of tooth sensitivity to cold and brushing over the few days following bleaching.
Sensitivity occurs because bleach cleans teeth extremely well, he said, and in the process, helps open pores found in the surface of teeth.
Brazilian doctors uncover ‘Michelangelo code’
|
|
Two Brazilian doctors and amateur art lovers believe they have uncovered a secret lesson on human anatomy hidden by Renaissance artist Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.
Completed nearly 500 years ago, the brightly colored frescoes painted on the Vatican’s famous sanctuary are considered some of the world’s greatest works of art. They depict Biblical scenes such as the “Creation of Adam” in which God reaches out to touch Adam’s finger.
No plan for Italy abortion campaign, cleric says
|
|
A leading cleric has dampened speculation that the Vatican could campaign to change Italy’s abortion law after its victory in defence of the country’s highly restrictive fertility legislation.
Low voter turnout on Sunday and Monday sank a hard-fought referendum aimed at dismantling the fertility law as Italians heeded the Roman Catholic Church’s call for a boycott.
“We are certainly opposed to abortion, but we don’t want to change the law,” said Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian bishops’ conference who spearheaded the boycott campaign.
Limited medical insurance not much help
|
|
A little health insurance is not much better than none at all, according to a study released on Tuesday.
Officially, about 45 million people in the U.S. go without health insurance, but 16 million people pay for limited coverage that puts them in about the same boat financially and medically as those with no insurance at all, the study found.
These “underinsured” individuals are nearly as likely to be the target of medical bill collectors and to forego needed medical care, the study published in the journal Health Affairs found.
Catholic Church victorious in Italy fertility vote
|
|
An emotionally charged referendum intended to dismantle Italy’s strict law on assisted fertility failed on Monday due to low turnout, in what was widely seen as a victory for the Roman Catholic Church.
Just under 26 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot during two days of voting—leaving the referendum far short of the quorum of 50 percent plus one.
