International Health News 07/03/2009
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Dementia is greater risk for single people in later life, study finds – The Guardian 2nd July 2009
Divorcees, widowers and middle-aged people who live alone are much more likely to develop dementia than those who are married or who live together, researchers say.
The findings, from a Swedish team and published online by the British Medical Journal, suggest that being in a steady relationship helps insulate people against mental decline, while singletons and those who lack regular social contact are at greater risk of developing a brain-wasting condition such as Alzheimer’s.
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Young victims continue to receive treatment in Cuba two decades after Ukrainian nuclear disaster
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Legacy of the Chernobyl disaster – The Guardian 2nd July 2009
Exposure to radiation in an incident like the 1986 Chernobyl disaster ruins the health of several generations of people, not just those who lived in the vicinity at the time.
“The effects of Chernobyl on human health will continue for many years to come in the form of anything from an abnormal limb to an extremely severe cancer,” explained Dr Tony Nicholson, the vice-president of the Royal College of Radiologists and dean of its clinical radiology faculty.
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Full list of swine flu cases, country by country – The Guardian 2nd July 2009
Get all the cases, suspected and confirmed, in our up-to-date spreadsheet
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Is the EU in the sway of Big Tobacco? – The Guardian 2nd July 2009
The EU’s timid anti-smoking legislation shows it is incapable of standing up to the lobbying might of the tobacco industry
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Discovery of fertility ‘fingerprints’ could answer IVF questions – The Guardian 1st July 2009
Simple test could help women decide whether or not it is worth undertaking expensive IVF treatment, say scientists
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UK student sparks Kenya swine flu alert – The Independent 2nd July 2009
A Nottingham medical student who travelled through some of the poorest parts of Kenya after contracting swine flu in the UK has sparked a state of national alarm in the East African country, The Independent can disclose
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Lung cancer drug Iressa licenced in Europe – The Times 2nd July 2009
A targeted treatment for terminal lung cancer could help to improve the lives of thousands of patients who carry a specific gene mutation, experts say.\n\nThe drug Iressa (gefitinib), which gained its European licence yesterday is designed to treat “non-small” cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This form of the disease is very hard to treat, but accounts for 80 per cent of lung cancers in Britain – about 30,000 cases a year.
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Blood test to predict chances of IVF success – The Times 2nd July 2009
A simple blood test that can predict whether IVF is likely to work for infertile women has become a realistic possibility as a result of new research.\n\nA set of biological markers in women’s blood that are linked to the success of fertility treatment has been identified by scientists in Ireland.
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Divorcees and widows ‘face three times the risk of Alzheimer’s’ – The Telegraph 3rd July 2009
People who are divorced or widowed are three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s in later life, according to a study which suggests loneliness is a significant cause of the condition.
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Obesity on the rise in half of US states – The Telegraph 2nd July 2009
Obesity rates continued to climb in the past year with 23 US states reporting that their adult residents are fatter now than they were a year ago, two advocacy groups said on Wednesday.
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Schizophrenia and manic depression: new link that could help millions – The Telegraph 2nd July 2009
Scientists in three studies have identified similar genetic causes behind both schizophrenia and manic depression in a discovery that could lead to new treatments for millions with the illnesses.
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Purple sweet potato ‘new superfood to prevent cancer’ – The Telegraph 2nd July 2009
A purple sweet potato is being developed as the new superfood, with scientists saying the vegetable may stop people from getting cancer.
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Blood test could predict success of fertility treatment – The Telegraph 1st July 2009
A simple blood test could be used in the future to predict whether fertility treatment will be successful, scientists have announced.
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Regenerating your own amputated arms and legs, broken spines and even damaged brains is the stuff of superheroes – but it could one day be a reality, claim scientists.
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Women with common womb condition at risk of having premature birth – The Telegraph 1st July 2009
Women with a common womb condition are at risk of having a premature birth, a new study shows.
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How being married can cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in later life – Daily Mail 3rd July 2009
Being married protects you against Alzheimer’s in later life, claim researchers.
People who have a partner in middle age are at half the risk of developing dementia as those who live alone, says a study.
Getting divorced and becoming widowed in mid-life raises the risk three-fold.
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Orange juice acid ‘can wash away enamel on your teeth’ – Daily Mail 2nd July 2009
It may not just be breakfast you wash down with a morning glass of orange juice, researchers warned yesterday.
Some juice is so acidic, it can take part of your teeth with it.
Fruit beverages can cut enamel hardness by 84 per cent causing teeth to erode more than previously thought, according to one U.S. expert.
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Solo life ups gene dementia risk – BBC Health News 2nd July 2009
People who have a particular gene flaw and live alone in middle-age are at highest risk of developing dementia, researchers suggest.
The risk affects those who split up or were widowed from their long-term partner before the age of 50, Sweden’s Karolinska Institute found.
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Gene clues to schizophrenia risk – BBC Health News 1st July 2009
Scientists have identified thousands of tiny genetic variations which together could account for more than a third of the inherited risk of schizophrenia.\n\nThey also showed the condition is genetically similar to bipolar disorder also known as manic depression.
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US obesity problem ‘intensifies’ – BBC Health News 1st July 2009
Obesity rates in the US have surged over the last year, a report shows.
The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found adult obesity rates rose in 23 of the 50 states, but fell in none.
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‘IVF success blood test hope’ – BBC Health News 1st July 2009
Researchers have raised the prospect of a simple test to help women decide whether to keep using fertility treatment to try for a baby.
They have uncovered markers in a woman’s blood which predict the success or failure of IVF treatment.
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Obesity is a true problem in the US. According to newsy.com, the US can not continue to be a world power if the obesity epidemic continues. http://www.newsy.com/videos/the_obesity_epidemic It will weigh us down. Mainly because of the health issues associated with it and the cost for health care. Potentially our economy could run dry due to this problem. And, who says the US has reached its peak?