Health News

Older men more likely to die after pneumonia than women

Older men more likely to die after pneumonia than womenWashington, April 30 : Old men are more likely do die after being hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) than women, according to a new study, which suggests that the reason may be differing biological response to infection between males and females.

The findings may have important implications for understanding sex differences in life expectancy.

Genetic risk for anxiety, depression not predestined: Study

Genetic risk for anxiety, depression not predestined: StudyWashington, April 30 : Previous studies have provided a strong basis of support for hypothesis that individuals with particular genotypes are predestined to negative life outcomes such as depression, anxiety disorders. But now, a new study has challenged this view.

Researchers studied infant monkeys from four different rearing conditions to examine how social context and different forms of early adversity interact with genotype to influence behaviour.

Switzerland confirms first swine flu case

Switzerland confirms first swine flu caseGeneva - A man who recently returned from Mexico has been confirmed as having Switzerland's first case of swine flu, medical officials said Thursday.

The announcement about the 19-year-old man's condition, which was deemed stable, was made by a hospital in the canton of Baden overnight following a laboratory confirmation.

The case had initially been misdiagnosed earlier in the week, media reports said, and the man was sent home from hospital only to return.

He was being held in isolated and treated with the anti-viral Tamiflu.

Bangkok fight swine flu scare with free face masks

Bangkok fight swine flu scare with free face masksBangkok - In an effort to prevent swine flu from spreading to the Thai population, Bangkok authorities on Thursday announced plans to hand out 100,000 free face masks to taxi drivers and foreign tourists in the capital.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra will start handing out the face masks to the city's 70,000-strong taxi fleet and to foreign tourists staying at guesthouses, The Nation online news service reported.

"Taxi drivers should wear face masks while driving their passengers," Bangkok's deputy governor Malinee Sukavejworakit said.

Preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes found

Bristol could be new hope for diabetics  Washington, Apr 30 : In a major breakthrough, scientists have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes— by making the body''s killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious autoimmune condition, in which the body attacks its own insulin producing cells and is characterised by a sudden and dramatic onset, usually in youth.

Controlling cholesterol, BP may help prevent stroke

blood pressureWashington, Apr 30 : Reaching optimal levels for cholesterol and high blood pressure in stroke patients could help prevent chances of a second stroke or heart attack, says a new study.

The study is to be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology''s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2,
2009.

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