Gay capital reeling with rising HIV infection
The gay capital? of the world, San Francisco is now reeling under the shock waves of a rebound epidemic of HIV infection. In the past one-year the rate of infection has actually doubled in most areas and in some select high-risk pockets of gay men, who are also intra venous drug users, the rates are even higher. And what is the cause for this sudden spurt? Hold your breath! The successfu...Surprising Cystic Fibrosis Finding That Could Be A Helpful Treatment Option
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease where the patient has frequent respiratory infections, breathing difficulties and eventually permanent lung damage. // It’s believed that patients with CF have too much mucus in their airways. But new research shows patients actually have too little mucus. Researchers say that may studies have been done in the past , but it has never proven, that CF...A new and surprising insight on AIDS
Dr. Roberto Giraldo, an American physician who addressed a Southern African Development Community (SADC) claimed that malnutrition was one of the key factors that was at the centre of the AIDS menace. His website (www.robertogiraldo.com) says, "Aids is neither an infectious disease nor// is sexually transmitted. It is a toxic-nutritional syndrome caused by the alarming worldwide increment of immu...Early rising from sleep can run in families
Scientists have found out that the pattern of rising early from bed in the mornings have a genetic component// and thus may run in families. The behavior is called familial advanced sleep phase syndrome (FASPS) and involves sleeping early and rising early. This is said to be the phenotype of the gene PER2. The pattern is exhibited when there is a mutation in the phosphorylation site i...Research reports that c-section deliveries are rising
A new research that was published in the recent issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology said that there// had been an increase in the number of cesarean delivery in US by about 44% of the total births being recorded for the year 2004. In an attempt to find out the national trend, the researchers had targeted 12 causes for caesarian delivery. These included malpresentation, antepar...With More Appearance Conscious Consumers The Need For Slimming Products Is Rapidly Rising
With the increase in concern of ones appearance, their a large demand for slimming products among consumers shows a latest survey conducted in Belgium.// The survey also shows that slimming products in Belgium grew by 14 per cent in value over 2004 to reach a retail value of €29 million. Despite the drive by both doctors and government authorities to increase awareness of...Infertility rate in UK men increasing at an alarming rate with numbers rising over 2.5 million
Infertility can be defined as the inability to conceive following 1 year of unprotected intercourse and affects nearly 15 % of all couples trying to conceive. Approximately one in every 6 couple attempting // to have a baby have trouble with the conception. Infertility has long been regarded as a women’s issue until the scientific community has established that a male factor is held res...Strategies to prevent the rising tide of the epidemic of chronic diseases
The Lancet Early Online Publication, released on the 5th of October, which comprises of a Series of four papers about chronic diseases, has a comprehensive report on the threat of chronic diseases in India. In an article, co-authored // by Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the need to provide an effective public-health response to the growing challenge of chronic diseases in India was h...Rising Rates of Whooping Cough in Idaho
This year patients with whooping cough/Pertussis have tripled in Idaho (central) and health officials are advising people to get themselves revaccinated against infectious respiratory disease. 72 cases have been // reported totally by central district health department so far in Ada (55 cases), Boise, Elmore (17) and Valley counties in southwest Idaho. Statistics shows that the numbers of case...Rising Rates Of C.Difficile Infection Among Non-Hospitalized Patients
Report of the rising rates of infection with C.difficile among the general public has led to concerns regarding the mutation of the microorganism into a more virulent form.// It was previously thought that the infection could only manifest in individuals with resistance to antibiotics. The high incidence of the infection even among non-hospitalized patients has created much panic amo...Breast Cancer In India Rising Rapidly
The incidence of breast cancer in India is on the rise and is rapidly becoming the number one cancer in females pushing the cervical cancer to the second spot. The seriousness of the situation is apparent after going through recent data from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). // The rise is being documented mainly in the metros, but it can be safely said that many cases in rura...Blood Pressure Levels Across The Globe Show Surprising Drop
In a huge study involving 38 populations across 21 countries, reserachers have found that blood pressure levels across the globe are inexplicably dropping.// "Blood pressure did not go down in all of the populations, but it went down in most of them," said Prof Tunstall-Pedoe, who led the World Health Organization MONICA study conducted between 1980s and 1990s. . "The change was not gre...Rising in career top charts is Medical transcription
India is a country that wakes up to new things and accepts them, although medical transcription is not so popular it is fast catching up.// Here doctors maintain there records in papers and are not well stocked in most cases. It is treated as just a job to document doctors’ patient records. In contrast, in the US, medical case files are dictated by the doctors and maintained in the ele...Rising Number of Preterm Births Cause Concern
Doctors from British Medical Association have expressed their concern over the apparent increase in preterm births as reported by a research from Denmark, published on bmj.com in February. // The study found that preterm deliveries increased by 22% from 1995 to 2004 in Denmark. The study found that even among low risk women aged 20-40, there was a 51% increase in early delivery. <...Doctors Said – ‘Stop Pressurising NHS Advisory Bod’
The NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) carried out study regarding whether if new drugs and technologies are cost effective or not//....Rising Rates of Obesity and Diabetes Puts Pressure on the Australians
There is an increase rise in the obesity and diabetic rate among the Australians. This has resulted in a drop in their life expectancy. //This has also pressurized the already stretched health system. Statistics show that the death rates from cancer declined about 14 % and also from that of cardiovascular disease decreased drastically. Research said that that average life expectancy for Australia...UN Sounds Alarm Over Rising Cocaine Consumption In Europe
The United Nations has sounded alarm over rising cocaine consumption in Western Europe and warned that opium production could rise again in Afghanistan this year reversing the decline witnessed last year. // Releasing a new report, the world body urged European Union governments not to ignore this peril. "Too many professional, educated Europeans use cocaine, often denying their addic...Deodorising Products may be Harmful to the Lungs
Certain deodorising products, including air fresheners and toilet bowl cleaners, contain a chemical compound which scientists say may be harmful to the lungs.// Stephanie London and her colleagues at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) examined 953 adults exposed to various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and found that one compound called 1,4 dichloroben...Heart Disease, a rising trend among developing nations.
Cardiac experts are concerned about the heart disease trend, once thought to be a curse of the westerners, seems to be trickling down to the developing countries as well.// Professor Stephen Leeder, from the university of Sydney, has commented about heart disease becoming the single most cause of death of many women, in the developing countries, compared to deaths due to child birth and AIDS. <br...Government Failed to Prevent Rising Teen Pregnancies
The Government's campaign had failed to hand out morning-after pills to teenagers.This was revealed by the rising number of teenage pregnancies.// The campaign has neither reduced conception nor abortion rates. Besides this the government has been accused of fuelling record levels of sexually transmitted diseases. From 2002 it has been reported that the Government has spent...Drug Prices Rising Faster Than Inflation
A recent report has revealed that the prices of brand-name prescription drugs that are commonly used by older Americans are rising// faster than the rate of inflation. However AARP's quarterly Rx Watchdog Report shows that prices of the 75 generic drugs commonly used by older Americans remain unchanged. AARP survey of around 200 brand-name prescription drugs found that there wa...Rising numbers indicate looming cocaine epidemic
Researchers at the University of Florida have reported that the rise in the numbers of cocaine users is likely to lead to an epidemic. Cocaine known as the champagne of// drugs is responsible for the deaths of "Saturday Night Live" comedian John Belushi and basketball star Len Bias in the 1980s, after which there was a decrease in its use in the 1990s. Now new data from UF and the F...Surprising Interaction Between Genes, Gender, and Hypertension
In surprising results, a study of more than 1,200 patients with extremely low or high blood pressure by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of// Medicine showed that the influence of genes on blood pressure may vary based on gender. “Sex is like a prism that refracts the effects of the gene very differently for men and women,” said Daniel T. O’Connor,...Tamoxifen Discontinuation Rates Surprisingly High
A new study, published in the March 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society,// says early termination of this highly effective breast cancer drug may negatively affect treatment efficacy. At 3.5 years, the study also reveals that over one third of women have ceased tamoxifen treatment. In the clinical practice setting almost a quarter of women tr...Experts Warn of Rising Incidence of Rotavirus in Pakistan
Karachi: Rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoea and gastro-enteritis among infants and children worldwide, and is said to be responsible for 20 per cent of acute watery// diarrhea in children younger than five years of age. According to the latest surveillance data, a total of 20 percent and 38 per cent cases in Pakistan were tested positive in 2006 for rotavirus at NICH and Kharad...Increases in Autism Rates Not Surprising to Education Expert
The new national study showing higher-than-expected incidences of autism comes as no surprise to special education personnel// and autism advocates, says a special education professor at the University of Indianapolis. 'We have seen the rates of autism increase dramatically over the last seven years,' notes Dr.John Somers, director of graduate programs and coordinator of special educa...Infant Mortality Rising in Deep South in US
Infant mortality rates rose sharply to 11.4 per thousand in the southern state of Mississippi in the United States, up from 9.7 the previous //year, according to figures released recently. Smaller rises also occurred in 2005 in Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee. Louisiana and South Carolina saw rises in 2004 and have not yet reported on 2005. There is a disturbing raci...Breast Reduction Surgery Among Boys Rising in US
As boys go obese in the US, so does their sense of shame over enlarged breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. So they undergo the surgeons knife readily . In 2006, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, nearly 14,000 boys age 13 to 19 underwent surgery to reduce the size of their breasts. That represents 70 percent of all the male patients who had such surgery last year, an...Hunger Awareness Day to Shed Light on Surprising Face of Hunger June 5
CHICAGO, Today America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network kicks-off Hunger Awareness Day 2007 with 200 food banks and more than 20,000 food service agencies participating in events across the country. Also, as legislators in Washington D.C. begin to consider drafts of a new Farm Bill and the critically important federal nutrition programs it supports, America's Second Harvest rel...Global Emission of CO2 Rising Three Fold Than Anticipated
Global emissions of carbon dioxide are increasing three times faster than previously thought, and the bulk of the rise coming from developing countries , a new study by a an international team of scientists from the US, Britain, France and Australia has found. According to the study, carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing by three per cent a year this decade, compared to a 1....Workplace Stress Leads to Rising Suicide Rate in Japan
Kamikaze soldiers or not, suicide rates among Japanese have generally tended to be high. Now a government study has found the number of employment-related suicides hit a record 65 in 2006, compared to 42 the previous year, Health Ministry official Junichiro Kurashige said. The number of workers who received compensation for work-induced mental illness was 205, also a record and up 61...Lyme Disease Cases Rising In The U.S
Health officials are sounding the alarm as cases of Lyme disease increase in regions of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and neighboring regions. The disease is spread through the bite of its insect vector or carrier- the deer tick. Lyme disease is at its peak between May and October. That is when deer ticks invade yards, underbrush and woods. Accordingl...Number of Syphilis Cases Rising Among MSM in U.S.
The number of syphilis cases is increasing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S., which could boost the population's risk of contracting HIV , CDC officials said on Friday, Reuters Health reports. According to the officials, the number of syphilis cases in the U.S. reached an all-time low in 2000. However, the number of cases has risen annually from 2000 to 2005, the most recent year...Hate Crimes Against Gays and Lesbians Rising in US
Reputation of liberal attitudes notwithstanding, violent hate crimes on the rise against those with unconventional sexual orientation. Nearly four in 10 gay men and about one in eight lesbians and bisexuals in the United States have been the target of violence or a property crime because of their sexual orientation, according to a new study. "This is the most reliable...Rising Sea Levels Could Disintegrate Antarctic Ice Sheet
Rising sea-levels could cause the Antarctic ice sheet to break up, even though the air over it will remain chilly enough to prevent significant melting for at least a century, according to a new study by a researcher from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. As part of their study, the team led by Andrew Mackintosh gauged the ice sheet's past thickness by measuring how hi...China Cannot Be Blamed for Rising CO2 Emissions: Britain Official
A top British climate change official said Wednesday there was no point blaming China for rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions after a new report suggested that China may have already become the world's biggest polluter. In an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), John Ashton of Britain's Foreign Office was quoted as saying: "It is a fact China is now building a...Panther Population Rising in Rajasthan
The tigers may be disappearing in Rajasthan but the number of panthers is slowly on the rise . R.N. Mehrotra, chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan, said early estimates of the census figures indicated an increase in the panther population in the sprawling desert state. According to the 2004 wildlife census, there were over 550 panthers in the state. Sawai Madhopur, which...