Health & Fitness
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How much is stress costing you?
Stress-related problems cost companies millions of working days each year. In the current economic climate, many individuals take on increased workloads without speaking out for fear of being stigmatised, judged, or fear their position might be...
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Kids get stressed out too
As adults, we usually look back at our childhood through rose-tinted glasses, nostalgically wishing we could return to those days of games, candy and fun. But Thea Dimech from the Malta Medical Students’ Association finds that, as time passes,...
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Drops may save sight
Cholesterol-lowering eye drops could be used to treat a common cause of blindness, research suggests. Scientists found a link between high cholesterol levels in immune system cells and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In experiments with...
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Unlocking the brain’s mysteries
New research to map the human brain in hopes of unlocking some of its mysteries is being backed by US President Barack Obama. He is to propose a $100 million investment for next year after mentioning the idea in his State of the Union address,...
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Swallowed magnet threat to children
Magnets small enough to swallow pose an increasing threat to young children, scientists have warned. When the objects stick to each other it can cause life-threatening problems such as perforations of the bowel, say experts. Doctors writing in the...
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Protein in diabetes-obesity link
A link between type 2 diabetes and obesity has been discovered, research shows. The study by King’s College London has discovered a mechanism in the immune system that causes the relationship. It has been identified as a protein called T-bet. The...
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Experimental sleep drug may cause fewer side effects: Merck study
A study in rats and monkeys suggests an experimental Merck & Co. sleep drug may help induce sleep without causing the memory loss and attention problems sometimes seen in the commonly used drugs Ambien and Lunesta, company researchers...
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Smokers have worse colon cancer prognosis
Smokers are less likely to be alive and cancer-free three years after having surgery for colon cancer than people who have never smoked, according to a new study. Out of about 2,000 people who had part of their colon surgically removed, researchers...
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Baldness linked to heart disease
Bald men have a higher risk of developing heart disease than men with a full head of hair – but only those who are thinning on top rather than men with a receding hairline, a study suggests. Researchers from Japan found that men who had lost most of...
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Sharp increase in children smoking in the UK
According to The Guardian, the number of children taking up smoking in the UK has risen by 50,000. In 2011 the figure stood at 157,000 and for 2012 it was 207,000. This means there has been a sharp spike in the amount of children aged between 11 and...
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Would-be fathers 'more depressed'
Men are more depressed and sad than women if they are unable to have children, research has shown. A survey of 27 men and 81 women without children found that 59 per cent of the men wanted to be fathers – almost as many as the 63 per cent of women...
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Painful itch of eczema sufferers
A fifth of people who suffer from eczema cannot resist the temptation to scratch an itch at least 10 times a day, a poll suggests. A survey of 500 sufferers in the UK found that 19 per cent scratch at least 10 times a day. A third of those...
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Drug patent case to help the poor
India’s highest court has rejected a drug firm’s attempt to patent a cancer treatment in a landmark decision that health activists said ensures poor patients worldwide will continue to get cheap versions of life-saving medicines. Swiss drugmaker...
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Experts fear UK women could be living with undiagnosed ovarian cancer
Women across the UK are being urged to check their family medical history, in light of a new study which shows widespread ignorance on the symptoms of ovarian cancer, one of the most deadly forms of cancer in women. The study also finds that a large...
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Nearsighted children may get worse in winter
Nearsighted children had their vision deteriorate faster when days were shortest and more slowly during the summer months, according to a Chinese study investigating whether daylight may slow the worsening of children’s vision. “Most likely it is...
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Childhood ADHD may lead to troubles later on in life
Nearly a third of people diagnosed as children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still have the condition in adulthood, according to a US study of thousands. The researchers, whose findings appeared in Paediatrics, also found that...
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Chewing gum aids concentration
Chewing gum really does help you concentrate, a recent study has shown. Volunteers were tested on their ability to spot odd-even-odd sequences in lists of numbers which were randomly read to them. They were quicker and more accurate at the task when...
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Exercise improves brain function
Lifelong exercise can lead to improved brain function in later life, a study has shown. People perform better in mental tests at the age of 50 if they have engaged in regular intense activity, such as playing sport, running, swimming or working out...
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Less-frequent Pap smears may miss cancer precursors
Certain types of abnormalities that can lead to cervical cancer may be missed when young women go years between Pap smears, according to a US study. Last year, the government-backed US Preventive Services Task Force said women under 21 don’t need to...
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Baldness linked to prostate cancer
Baldness is linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer in men of African descent, a study has found. The threat of advanced cancer rose with younger age and receding hairlines rather than thinning on the crown of the head. Men of African descent...
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