Blood Pressure App Gives False Readings

Tens of thousands of people downloaded an app in their smartphones to check their blood pressure. However, the blood pressure app developed by AuraLife gave false readings to the hypertension patients, since the readings showed that their vital statistics were absolutely fine, even when they were actually at an alarming level, according to a US study.

The app called Instant Blood Pressure from AuraLife measured the blood pressure of a person when the smartphone’s top edge was placed on the left side of the chest and the right index finger was held over the camera on the phone.

However, the readings given out by the app were incorrect in four out of five cases with hypertension.

Unforeseen Gaps Revealed During Ovarian Cancer Study

A new research, commissioned by Congress, into ovarian cancer has revealed that it is not actually just one kind of cancer and it does not initiate in the ovaries. The new report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine reveals the existence of ‘surprising gaps’ in the insights about the ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the fifth largest type of cancer responsible for deaths, despite accounting for only 3% of the total number of cancer cases detected in females.

Cell Phone Coop Challenge by Chick-fil-A Restaurant

Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant has issued a challenge for its customers, which requires them to keep their phones aside while eating food at their restaurant. If the customer manages to stay from his phone during the entire meal, the restaurant will give free ice cream.

The challenge has been termed as ‘Cell Phone Coop Challenge’ and the customers are required to keep their electronics in a wired box of white color, called coop, and are not allowed to take them while having their meal.

The idea of this challenge was given by Brad Williams, an operator of Chick-fil-A in Georgia. He stated that the purpose of the challenge is to offer customers a sense of community, so that they can spend some quality time with their friends and family.

DNA behind Graying Hair identified By Researchers

Those irritating grey hairs may now have a permanent solution as researchers have found a DNA that is responsible for turning hair grey. They found it after analyzing DNA of thousands of people from five Latin America countries. The gene is IRF4, which is responsible for regulating melanin.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. It involved DNA testing of more than 6,300 men and women from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Through the research, the researchers were able to identify the DNA responsible for changing hair color to grey. With this new discovery, may be in future, a treatment would make its way into people’s life, which would either reverse or prevent graying. The DNA is already associated with pale hair.

NY Attorney General Asks Insurers to Reveal Coverage of Hepatitis C Drugs

New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman has issued subpoenas to 16 health insurance companies demanding documents to explain how they decide who should be included in treatment for hepatitis C. According to a person involved with the investigation, some insurers are restricting coverage of treatment because of costly medication.

The hepatitis C medications, made by Gilead Sciences Inc. and AbbVie Inc., have been in controversies for their high price. The drugs can cure a patient in just 12 weeks. A pill costs about $1,000, while full treatment can be accounted for about $84,000.

Rate of Unintended Pregnancy Falls in US

Over the past one decade, the United States has experienced a fall in number of unintended pregnancies, according to a new study which analyzed thousands of pregnancies. It is good news for United States as the rate of unintended pregnancies is still very high compared to other countries. During the research, an unintended pregnancy was referred to a pregnancy which was not either planned or needed.

Researchers studied a data of 2000 pregnancies which included responses from women to know whether they wanted to get pregnant. The data was originally collected by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for National Survey of Family Growth. The rate of unintended pregnancies between 2009 and 2013 was compared with similar kind of pregnancies from 2006 to 2010.

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