Archive for May 2008
Avian influenza has spread and, while it has not reached pandemic proportions, constant vigilance is still crucial.
Avian flu is in the news so much nowadays that some of us may have become desensitised to the urgency of the matter. When news about avian flu first broke in 1997, there was much concern when it revealed that the virus, having transmitted from chickens to humans, had infected 18 people and killed six.…
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If you have the moolah, head for these Caribbean islands, the playground of the seriously rich and often famous. Lendary rocker Keith Richards was out of uniform. No dangling cigarette, no wailing guitar, no stormy look. As a matter of fact. he was grinning. And scratching he tummy of a shaggy black munchkin of a…
Read MoreIs lack of sleep bad for the brain?
I need sleep Is lack of sleep bad for the brain? Both nightshift work and chronic sleep deprivation increasingly are implicated in mental and cognitive problems. AIzheimer’s risk: Abnormal insulin levels (common in shift workers and sleep-deprived people) might increase the risk for certain neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, scientists at the University of…
Read MoreDoes circumcision help protect a man from developing a sexually transmitted disease ?
Circumcision against STDs? DOES circumcision help protect a man from developing a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? A study analysed data on 499 men; 201 had been circumcised before age three. By age 32, 117 of the men reported that they’d had a sexually transmitted infection, most often genital warts, chlamydia or genital herpes. The infection…
Read MoreBABIES born before they’ve been in the womb 37 weeks face a higher risk of complications very early in life
Being premature BABIES born before they’ve been in the womb 37 weeks face a higher risk of complications very early in life. as they grow up, though, do people born prematurely continue to exhibit differences from those carried full-term? A study analysed data on more than a million people born in Norway during a 20-year…
Read MoreTell your doctor – Hormonal dietary supplements might promote prostate cancer progression.
Tell your doctor Hormonal dietary supplements might promote prostate cancer progression. HORMONAL components in over-the-counter dietary supplements may promote the progression of prostate cancer and decrease theeffectiveness of anti-cancer drugs, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. The findings, which appeared in the most recent issue of Clinical Cancer Research, reaffirm that patients should…
Read MoreProgramme uses acupuncture to treat addiction – Needle that addiction
Needle that addiction Programme uses acupuncture to treat addiction As New Age music fills the room, 19 men and women settle into four rows of plastic chairs. They swab their ears with alcohol towelettes and sit quietly. Slowly, another man and a woman move among the rows. With quiet precision, they insert five sharp needles…
Read MoreHeath Ledger and Brokebock Mountain are names that ring a hell for many people
His legacy One to be remembered: Father of Angiogenesis, Dr Judah Folkman -1933 to 2008. HEATH Ledger and Brokebock Mountain are names that ring a hell for many people who have been following the recent entertainment news. Few would recognise, much less have heard of, Dr Judah Folkman. Though both men died in the same…
Read More3,000 Malaysians are diagnosed with endstage kidney failure and have to go for dialysis
Living with dialysis Every year, more than 3,000 Malaysians are diagnosed with endstage kidney failure and have to go for dialysis. Today, over 15,0O0 Malaysians are on dialysis. This is expected to reach 20,000 by 2010. LIFE is not easy for wheel-chair bound Sellamah Sinakanu, 68, who has to depend on people like her grandson…
Read MoreOptimistic about lungs – Nihilistic no more about lung cancer
Nihilistic no more about lung cancer-treating the lung cancer patient optimally and effectively WE approached the patient with advanced lung cancer nihilistically until about 10 years ago. Back in the sad old days, the patient was largely given what was euphemistically called “best supportive care”. Often, all that meant was paiukillers and a comforting hug.…
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