French supplier of seasonal flu vaccines acknowledges delay in producing doses for USSeasonal flu vaccine delayed for some US providers The biggest manufacturers of seasonal flu vaccines for the U.S. said they are delaying or reducing the number of doses shipped to health care providers — partly because of the crunch to produce millions of doses of the swine flu vaccine. Consciousness is the brain’s Wi-FiWASHINGTON - Our consciousness resolves many of ours dilemmas by serving as the brain’s Wi-Fi network, mediating competing requests from different parts of the body, suggests a new study. Computational models can help study exactly how brain reacts to fearWASHINGTON - Using computational models of the brain, University of Missouri researchers have found new evidence on how the brain reacts to fear, including important findings that could help victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). US readies unprecedented tracking for swine flu shot side effects _ to sort true from falseSwine flu shot: Intense tracking for side effects WASHINGTON — More than 3,000 people a day have a heart attack. If you’re one of them the day after your swine flu shot, will you worry the vaccine was to blame and not the more likely culprit, all those burgers and fries? Health care issues: Medical cost inflationHealth care issues: Medical cost inflation A look at key issues in the health care debate: HEALTHBEAT: With swine flu’s clear threat, will more pregnant women finally get vaccinated?Pregnant? Get a flu shot _ but it may be a hassle WASHINGTON — It’s hard for pregnant women to escape the message: You’re at extra risk from swine flu — it could trigger premature labor, hospitalize you for weeks, even kill you — so be among the first in line for vaccine next month. But only about one in seven pregnant women gets a flu shot each winter. Meltdown retirement lessons: Investment ignorance is expensive, so is retirementLesson: The best-laid retirement plans melt down DES MOINES, Iowa — Planning for retirement has never been as complicated — or as important — as it is now. Study: Flu shot more effective than nasal spray among healthy adultsStudy: Flu shot better than nasal spray in adults LOS ANGELES — Hate to get flu shots? A new comparison of flu vaccines gives adults a good reason to roll up their sleeves and get a jab in the arm instead of a squirt in the nose. Review: Rubik’s new TouchCube is a little too touchy to re-create the original funReview: Rubik’s TouchCube a little too touchy ATLANTA — Thirty years ago Erno Rubik took a puzzle he had been tinkering with and turned it into the must-have brain twister toy, the Rubik’s Cube. About 39,000 given swine flu vaccine shots in ChinaBEIJING - In their bid to control the fast spreading swine flu epidemic, authorities in China have so far administered H1N1 vaccine shots to more than 39,000 people, an epidemic control expert said Wednesday. Brain mechanisms of cocaine addicts may pave way for future therapiesWASHINGTON - A team of Indian researchers at University of Missouri is exploring how brain reacts to cocaine addiction - something that would open up new avenues for developing future therapies. Living under a dusty black cloud near Raipur (Letter from Raipur)SILTARA - Every morning as the sun rises, you can see a thick layer of black dust over 40 villages on the outskirts of Chhattisgarh capital Raipur. That is probably all the proof you need about the spread of industrial pollution in the area. Short-term stress ‘boosts anti-tumour activity’WASHINGTON - In a study on laboratory mice, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that bouts of relatively short-term stress can boost the immune system and protect against one type of cancer. Authorities investigate rare possible plague-linked death of UC scientist; spread unlikelySpread unlikely after possible plague-linked death CHICAGO — There’s no sign of any spread after the rare, possibly plague-related death of a University of Chicago scientist, public health officials said Monday as federal authorities flew in to help investigate. Short-staffed hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir to get reliefJAMMU - Concerned over the shortage of doctors and para-medical staff in Jammu and Kashmir’s medical colleges and hospitals, state Minister for Medical Education Rajinder Singh Chib said the assisting staff will soon be hired on contract basis. Image-guided therapy boosts long-term improvement for thrombosis patientsWASHINGTON - Image-guided interventional radiology procedures could improve long-term treatment in patients with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT), a serious condition that involves the formation of a blood clot inside of a deep vein usually in the legs. Gates Foundation gives seed money for alliance to bring banking to the poorGates Foundation helps bring banking to the poor SEATTLE — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, best known for its work combating malaria, AIDS and other diseases, this week announced an effort to bring banking, including savings accounts, to the poor. Genetic variations behind increased prostate cancer risk identifiedLONDON - Taking a major step in prostate cancer research, scientists have found a host of genetic variations that could tell which men are at the highest risk of contracting prostate cancer. Now, a series of superhero comics to help kids understand diseases, treatmentsLONDON - A pair of health experts have produced a series of superhero comics to educate children about diseases and their treatments. Doctors diagnose coughing problem, pull fragment of Wendy’s plastic utensil from NC man’s lungNC doctor removes plastic fragment lodged in lung RALEIGH, N.C. — Doctors say a North Carolina man who was plagued with coughing fits should be OK now that they have removed a 1-inch piece of plastic from his lung, where it had rested since he apparently inhaled it nearly two years ago while sucking down a soft drink at a Wendy’s restaurant. CDC: Rhode Island has highest HPV vaccination rate, Mississippi the lowestCDC: 1 in 3 teen girls got cervical cancer vaccine ATLANTA — One in three teenage girls have rolled up their sleeves for a vaccine against cervical cancer, but vaccination rates vary dramatically between states, according to a federal report released Thursday. Bereaved adults vulnerable to heart attacksSYDNEY - People traumatised by the loss of a loved one are more susceptible to a heart attack, says a new study. Genetic mutation makes some people to rid hepatitis CLONDON - A collaborative study led by Johns Hopkins researchers has uncovered a genetic mutation that gives a person the ability to get rid of Hepatitis C without any treatment. Broken heart ‘ups heart attack risk’LONDON - A broken heart can prove to be a serious health threat, say Australian researchers who found that people mourning the loss of a loved one are six times more likely to suffer cardiac arrest. Loss of loved one make grievers vulnerable to heart attacksSYDNEY - People traumatised by the loss of a loved one are more susceptible to having a heart attack, says a new study. Delay in becoming a mum may be riskyLONDON - Women who have their first baby at an advanced maternal age may be more at risk of complications, says a recent UK study. People with smaller ligaments more prone to knee injuriesWASHINGTON - An Indian-origin scientist has found that people with smaller anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are more vulnerable knee injuries. Coughing may be a better sign than fever of when people can spread swine flu, studies suggestStudies: Swine flu spreads long after fever stops SAN FRANCISCO — When the coughing stops is probably a better sign of when a swine flu patient is no longer contagious, experts said after seeing new research that suggests the virus can still spread many days after a fever goes away. HEALTHBEAT: Flu season starts early with new swine strain _ what your family needs to knowEarly flu season _ what you need to know WASHINGTON — Flu season’s in full swing two months early this year — and nearly all the cases are the new swine flu strain that so far is targeting mostly children and younger adults. Brain prods you into gorging on good foodWASHINGTON - The brain prods you into splurging on an extra ice-cream scoop or that second burger, practically sabotaging your efforts to get back into shape, a new study says. Second child within a year ‘increases breast cancer risk’LONDON - Having a second child within a year of the first birth can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, finds a new study. Layoffs, buyouts by US businesses means fewer workers are donating blood at corporate drivesLayoffs lead to fewer corporate blood donors in US JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Before the recession hit, Jacksonville’s blood bank would pull its buses up to the Anheuser-Busch brewery and pump 300 units of blood from employees. As you age, muscles get hard to build, easy to loseLONDON - Why do people’s arms and legs get thinner as they age? According to a team from Nottingham University (N-U) Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine, it could be due to the body’s failure to deliver nutrients and hormones to muscle because of poorer blood supply. 13yr-old UK schoolgirl hit by dementiaLONDON - She is just 13 years old, but displays the same symptoms as a 70-year-old suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Kids with fatter midsection at increased cardiovascular disease riskWASHINGTON - Kids who have more fat around their midsections are at a greater risk of suffering heart disease in later life, suggests a new study. Influenza is spreading nationwide unusually early this year; most cases are swine varietyFlu season comes early; most are swine variety WASHINGTON — Influenza is circulating unusually early this year with cases in all 50 states — nearly all the swine flu variety, government health officials said Friday. Train food not to blame for students’ illness: railway officialsKOLKATA - The food served in the Ernakulam-Guwahati Express was not responsible for the illness of 39 college girls travelling on the train, as the students were carrying their own food also and also drank water at Chennai station, a railway official said Friday. Why pandemic swine flu causes more severe symptoms than seasonal fluLONDON - Scientists at Imperial College London have warned that pandemic swine flu can infect cells deeper in the lungs than seasonal flu can. Mental disorders may be more common than previously believedWASHINGTON - An international study suggests that the prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe. Russia starts testing anti-swine flu vaccineSt.PETERSBURG - Russian researchers Thursday said they have begun clinical testing of a swine flu vaccine in the northwestern city of St. Petersburg. Nicotine plays “tricks” on the brainWASHINGTON - Nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, “tricks” the brain into creating memory associations between environmental cues and smoking behavior, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine. Scientists decode genome of mold that causes potato infectionWASHINGTON - An international team of scientists has decoded the full genetic sequence, or genome, of Phytophthora infestans, which is a water mold that causes the serious potato disease known as late blight or potato blight. How addictive drugs influence learning and memoryWASHINGTON - In a new study on mice, researchers have found why and how the use of addictive drugs take control of reward signals and influence neural processes associated with learning and memory. NJ urging tests for nearly 5,000 patients in hepatitis B outbreak linked to one doctorNJ: 29 hepatitis cases tied to 1 doctor’s office TRENTON, N.J. — Several thousand patients of a New Jersey doctor should get tested for blood-borne diseases because of an outbreak linked to his office that has led to more than two dozen being diagnosed with hepatitis B, state health officials said. Seeing the world through someone else’s eyesNEW DELHI - Sixty-four-year old Sudha Jain looked into the eyes of Rajendra Kumar, a stranger, and couldn’t stop herself from crying. Kumar was the recipient of her dead husband’s eye. Brain’s face processing ability does reduce with ageWASHINGTON - A British study suggests that the ability to identify a face, when it is shown for only a fraction of a second, reduces as people age. Health care workers under more pressure to get vaccinated against flu; half of them skip shotsHealth workers under pressure to get flu shots ALBANY, N.Y. — Tens of thousands of health care workers who typically avoid flu shots are under more pressure than ever to get vaccinated as hospitals and clinics prepare for a spike in swine flu cases this fall and winter. Animals that use one side of their brains more successful than two-sided onesSYDNEY - A new study has determined animals that process information using a preferred hemisphere of the brain fare better those who use both sides of their brain simultaneously. Brain training’s efficacy in preventing dementia being tested in UKLONDON - British people would be put on test to see if brain-training can help to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s. 20 years later, former teenage cocaine kingpin in Chicago now deals hot dogs instead of drugsFormer cocaine kingpin now serves dogs, not drugs MARKHAM, Ill. — Two decades after customers clamored to buy cocaine from a teenager named John Cappas, they’re lined up again to buy what he has to sell: Hot dogs. Why broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower are good for heartWASHINGTON - Here’s why broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are good for the heart - a chemical found in these vegetables can boost a natural defence mechanism to protect arteries from disease. Spare gene in fish provides raw materials for evolution of new TraitsWASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have discovered that a duplicate copy of a gene involved in embryonic development of fish has taken up a newer role in the evolution of fish scales. Public health response to swine flu may be seen as alarmist, says US expertLONDON - A US expert says that the public health measures taken in response to swine flu may be seen as alarmist, overly restrictive, and unjustified. Here’s how exposure to diesel fumes causes cancerWASHINGTON - American scientists have for the first time shown how exposure to diesel fumes causes cancer. Why do doctors think swine flu might need 2 shots? The answer is in the immune systemSingle flu dose or two? Why doctors aren’t sure WASHINGTON — Why do scientists warn it may take two doses of vaccine to protect against swine flu when one dose is the norm in a regular flu season? Blame your naive immune system. Rs.60 crore awareness campaign to check spread of H1N1NEW DELHI - With the swine flu claiming over 100 lives and infecting nearly 4,000 people in India, the government has planned a Rs.600 million (Rs.60 crore) campaign on street corners, health facilities, schools, cinema halls, television and radio to spread awareness about the virus. Playing Tetris could boost brain powerLONDON - Playing Tetris may help increase brain efficiency, says a new research. Researchers from Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, New Mexico, examined the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques. Fight against blindness in Ethiopia also may prevent some childhood deaths, study suggestsFighting blindness may prevent deaths in Ethiopia CHICAGO — An antibiotic widely used in Africa to treat eyesight-robbing infections seems to help prevent Ethiopian children from dying of other diseases. A study in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association suggests an unintended benefit from efforts to wipe out trachoma, the world’s leading preventable cause of blindness. Brain region responsible for our sense of personal space identifiedLONDON - A new study led by neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) may help improve the scientific understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in social behaviour, for it has pinpointed the brain structure that is responsible for our sense of personal space. Study shows experimental drug cuts stroke risk in patients with irregular heartbeatsStudy shows experimental drug cuts stroke risk BARCELONA, Spain — An experimental drug reduces the stroke risk in patients with irregular heartbeats by more than three times, compared with the popular drug warfarin — but possibly at a cost, according to new research released Sunday. |
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