Health News

Diabetics at a higher risk of kidney and nerve damage

Diabetics at a higher risk of kidney and nerve damageHamburg  - Diabetics are not only at higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, they are also more susceptible to diseases of the eyes, kidneys and nervous system.

But in cases where blood-sugar levels are well controlled, and blood pressure and blood fat levels reduced, the risk is lower, according to Jens Kroeger from Germany's Centre for Diabetology in Hamburg.

Avoid strong UV light during pregnancy

Avoid strong UV light during pregnancyMunich  - Extra-strong ultraviolet (UV) light rays are best avoided during pregnancy, according to an association of German doctors.

Pregnant women should pay particularly close attention to the duration and strength of UV rays in tanning studios, the BVF Professional Association of Gynaecologists advises.

Due to the extra hormones in their system, pregnant women sometimes report that their skin takes on a darker pigmentation. Additional UV light can increase the number of liver spots and freckles.

Viral infections carry lingering heart risks

Viral infections carry lingering heart risksCologne, Germany  - Exercise usually helps strengthen the heart but after a bout of flu or another viral infection, it can have deadly consequences.

It's advisable to three or four days pass before resuming your workout routine.

The condition, myocarditis, slows down the return to the gym. The heart muscle tissue can become infected "more often than you'd think," says Hans-Georg Predel, head of the Institute for Circulatory Research and Sports Medicine at the German Sports Academy in Cologne.

Anorexia drugs on the anvil

AnorexiaLondon, Mar 29 : Anorexia treating drugs could be developed following study which found that subtle differences in brain development in the womb can be responsible for the condition.

In a research, scientists have found that 70 per cent of anorexic individuals show signs of problems with neurotransmitters, chemicals which help brain cells communicate, reports The Telegraph.

Novel stem cell therapy may treat deafness

stem cell therapyWashington, Mar 29 : In a breakthrough study, researchers have developed a new stem cell therapy that may help in treating hearing impairment.

Deafness typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their "tufts" of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons.

Led by Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta of the University of Sheffield, researchers have has successfully isolated human auditory stem cells from foetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found that they could be differentiated into sensory hair cells and neurons.

High-dosage brachytherapy shows promising results in head and neck tumours’ treatment

brachytherapy Washington, March 29 : Researchers at the University of Navarra Hospital say that high-dosage perioperative brachytherapy can prove very useful in the treatment of head and neck tumours, and for reducing the period of radiation.

Brachytherapy is a radiotherapy treatment involving the placing of radioactive sources within the tumour or nearby.

The scientists say that their work describes the application of this new radiotherapy technique to 40 patients between 2000 and 2006.

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