New Disease Control Center to Develop Ebola Response Model
“By this time last year we were down in the trenches”, recalled Winnie Scott-McDonald, the Administrator of Liberia’s largest referral hospital, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center. She was speaking at the signing ceremony of a grant agreement between the U.S.-based energy company, Chevron, and the JFK Medical Center for the launch of the […]
Human Rights Activists in Kenya Want HIV Data Destroyed
Human rights activists have gone to court to get Kenya’s government to destroy data which lists children who are HIV positive. They argue it violates the constitution that prohibits the recording of details about people living with HIV. The president ordered the collection of the data in February, to help the provision of health services. […]
Dundee University Develops New Anti-Malaria Drug
Researchers at Dundee University have discovered a new compound which could treat malaria while protecting people from the disease and preventing its spread, all in a single dose. The compound, DDD107498, was developed by the university’s Drug Discovery Unit and the Medicines for Malaria Venture. Scientists said the “exciting” new drug could work well against […]
Here’s your excuse to drink coffee
The claim: Upping your daily coffee intake by 1.5 cups—or roughly 12 ounces—can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, finds new research from the Harvard School of Public Health. The research: The study team examined 20 years of health and diet data on more than 100,000 people in search of links between diabetes […]
The Psychopath – Inside A Revolution
After every horrific crime that shocks us, the next question we often ask is, “How could anyone do such a thing?” If the criminal is a psychopath, the answer is very simple. They don’t feel empathy or guilt. So instead of asking, “How could they do this horrible thing?” the more pertinent question might be, […]
Dentures Made From The Teeth of Dead Soldiers
In 1815, dentistry as we know it today was in its infancy – and the mouths of the rich were rotten. So they took teeth for their dentures from the bodies of tens of thousands of dead soldiers on the battlefield at Waterloo. In the late 18th and early 19th Centuries “everyone was dabbling in […]
Nuts Reduce ‘Early Death’ Risk
Eating half a handful of nuts every day could substantially lower the risk of early death, a Dutch study suggests. Previous studies had already indicated a link with cardiovascular health, but this is the first to look at specific nuts and diseases. Maastricht University researchers found a 23% lower chance of death during the 10-year […]
South Korea Begins Plasma Treatment Trial For Mers
South Korea is to begin trials of an experimental plasma treatment for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) which has now killed 19 people. The treatment – which has already proved useful for tackling other deadly diseases, including Ebola – uses blood from patients who have successfully fought off the same infection. To date, more than […]
Older Women Face Risk of Cervical Cancer
There is a perception that cervical cancer is a young woman’s disease, but half of deaths occur in women over 65, a British Medical Journal report says. It argues that the age limit for cervical screening should be raised to 70 and older women should be targeted in health campaigns. There was an average of […]
Blood Chemical Predicts Alzheimer’s Disease
Scientists have discovered a chemical in blood that indicates whether people will have declining brain function. Looking for the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease, they analysed levels of 1,129 proteins circulating in the blood of more than 200 twins. These were compared with data from cognitive-function tests over the next decade, in Translational Psychiatry. And […]