Smoking linked to earlier menopause

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota By Genevra PittmanNEW YORK | Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:38pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than those who don't light up, according to a new look at past research.That's important because the age at which women stop getting their periods may influence their risk of bone and heart diseases as well as breast cancer.Study author Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong, said that women "should be aware of this effect and possible health consequences" of smoking, in addition to its other known...

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'Refer more for epilepsy surgery'

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota 14 October 2011 Last updated at 00:44 GMT Surgical treatment for epilepsy is being used more and more People who cannot control their epilepsy with medication should be referred sooner for surgery, suggests a study in The Lancet.The University College London study found that 47% of patients who had surgery were free of seizures after 10 years.It tracked 615 adults annually over an average of eight years.But experts say people should be realistic about...

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Why It's So Hard to Tell If Your Kid Is Being Bullied

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota It's National Bullying Prevention Month, and until really recently, I was feeling pretty smug that my kids — ages 4, 6 and 8 — had largely escaped either being a bully or being bullied.To be a bully, it seemed you had to torment your peers. To be bullied, it seemed you had to be the tormentee. But what I've learned is that the definitions are not always so clear-cut. Moreover, they're almost beside the point: if a kid — or his mom — feels like another child is being mean for the sake of being mean, it's time to pay attention.A few weeks ago, my son,...

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Do hospitals do enough to help smokers quit?

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota A man smokes next to a ''No Smoking'' sign in downtown Shanghai April 27, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Carlos BarriaBy Kerry GrensNEW YORK | Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:19pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly every smoker hospitalized in the United States is given advice or counseling on how to quit, according to a new study of hospital records.But that finding belies what researchers consider a failed attempt, initiated nine years ago, at getting hospitals to...

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Naked Mole Rat's Genetic Code Laid Bare

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota Joerg Sarbach/AP Researchers hope the naked mole rat's newly sequenced genome may offer insights not only into aging but also cancer and other diseases.Lists of the world's ugliest animals sometimes include the naked mole rat. But scientists who have just analyzed its entire genetic code say this bizarre little creature has an inner beauty — unique traits that could aid research on cancer and aging.Naked mole rats are neither moles nor rats, although...

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Rare transplant gives quadruple amputee two new hands

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota 1 of 4. Doctors perform a double-hand transplant at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital Plastic Surgery Transplantation Program last week, in a photo released to Reuters on October 14, 2011.Credit: Reuters/Brigham and Women's HospitalBy Lauren KeiperBOSTON | Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:44pm EDT BOSTON (Reuters) - A 65-year-old quadruple amputee has received two new hands in a rare double transplant operation, Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital said on...

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Imagined smells can precede migraines

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota By Amy NortonNEW YORK | Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:17pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hallucinated scents can, rarely, be a part of the "aura" that some people perceive before a migraine attack, a new study finds.About 30 percent of people with recurrent migraines have sensory disturbances shortly before their headache hits.Those disturbances, known as aura, are usually visual -- such as seeing flashes of light or blind spots. They can also include problems like tingling sensations or numbness, or difficulty speaking or understanding language.But disturbances...

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Osamu recalls frozen tuna over decomposition and histamine

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota WASHINGTON | Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:38am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osamu Corp is recalling up to 1,800 cases of frozen ground tuna because of histamine that has sickened three people who ate tainted sushi, the Gardena, California, company said.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found decomposition in several samples of the product as well as high levels of histamine in samples at one retail location, the company said in a statement dated October 12 and circulated by the FDA on Friday.Decomposition can promote formation of histamine, which can cause...

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More Reasons To Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota October 14, 2011Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ETIn a new study, researchers from McMaster University found that in people with a certain gene that elevates heart attack risk, a diet high in fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk. Dr. Sonia Anand explains the study, and what still needs to be learned about the gene.Health ManagementEducation Informat...

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Using Magnets Aimed at the Brain to Influence Whether People Lie

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota Zap one part of the brain with a magnetic pulse and people become more likely to lie. Stimulate the opposite side of the region and truth-telling increases, according to new research.In the study, 16 participants were asked to view red or blue colored disks on a computer monitor and, at their own discretion, to sometimes lie about the color and identify red as blue, or vice versa.While the volunteers made these choices, researchers applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to their brains. The small rTMS device uses magnets to generate...

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When Politics Meets Science

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota October 14, 2011Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ETIn his new book, Fool Me Twice, writer Shawn Otto tells why he thinks science is under assault in America. Otto, CEO and co-founder of Science Debate 2008, also explains why his "American Science Pledge" for candidates might bring more science into political decision making.Health ManagementEducation Informat...

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NHS trust facing £38m funding gap

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota 13 October 2011 Last updated at 13:02 GMT A Surrey hospital trust is facing a spending gap of £38m this year which is predicted to get worse, it has emerged.Epsom and St Helier NHS has balanced its books for the past four years but is facing a future shortfall.Spokesman Antony Tiernan said the trust was facing two challenges - increased care costs and fewer people being treated in hospital.The National Audit Office (NAO) has named the trust as one of 20 not able to achieve foundation status.'Other options' needed Mr Tiernan, director of communications...

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The digested Health Bill debate

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota One hundred peers lined up to speak in this week's two-day debate on the government's plans to reform the NHS in England. If for some reason you were unable to find time to watch it all, fear not: Democracy Live has compiled this selection of highlights.Watch the unedited first part of the Health and Social Care Bill debate above or click on the links in the text below to go directly to each peer's speechOpening the debate, Lord Howe sought to pre-empt criticism that the responsibility of the secretary of state for health for the NHS would be watered...

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Camouflaged Cuttlefish: Don't Mind Me; I'm Not Here

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota This is Camo Week at this blog, when we celebrate varieties (hunting, eating) of camouflage, so I can't not mention the champs: cuttlefish. Here's why: Take this cuttlefish, who lives in a lab in Porto, Portugal...He's a little odd-looking, for those of you who aren't familiar with this animal. A relative of the octopus and the squid, cuttlefish have tentacles, squishy bodies, no bones and a remarkable talent for mime. Place this guy next to a plastic underwater "plant," and in no time, he will assume the guise of his neighbor. He will pucker his...

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Contest Seeks To Launch Student Space Projects

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota October 14, 2011Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ETThe YouTube Space Lab competition is asking high school students to submit video proposals for space-based science experiments. Zahaan Bharmal, a Google executive who envisioned the competition, says that the winning entry will be performed on the International Space Station and streamed live on YouTube to the world.Health ManagementEducation Informat...

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New tests for cosmetic surgery

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota By Adina CampbellNewsbeat reporter Sian Welsh says she was too young when she had breast implants at 18New assessments are being introduced at some private clinics to try to stop people having cosmetic surgery they may later regret.The test has been developed by psychologists who say patients are being put at risk by firms who don't carry out enough checks. They are also being backed by the UK's biggest plastic surgery group. Some clinics in The British...

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Seeing A Cephalopod In Ancient Bones

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota October 14, 2011Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ETThe origins of a stash of 220-million-year-old, 40-plus-foot-long ichthyosaur bones at a Nevada site have long puzzled paleontologists. Paleontologist Mark McMenamin explains his controversial theory that the bones were put there by a giant, ancient octopus-like creature.Health ManagementEducation Informat...

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No Excuses! A Brief Guide to the Flu Shot

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota We got our flu shots at TIME Healthland HQ this week, which reminds us to remind you to do the same. A few flu shot basics to follow.What it is: The seasonal influenza vaccine is formulated to protect against the three strains of flu that public health researchers believe will be the most common during the upcoming season. That calculation is based on flu trends observed in the previous year and usually includes two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B subtype.The 2011-12 flu vaccine protects against two influenza A strains: H1N1, the infamous...

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Searching For Meaning In A Cheap Toaster

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota October 14, 2011Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ETCarl Sagan once said that if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. In his book The Toaster Project, author and artist Thomas Thwaites describes his effort to build a cheap plastic toaster from scratch, and what the project taught him about material goods, self-reliance, international commerce, and globalization.Health ManagementEducation Informat...

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In African Cave, An Early Human Paint Shop

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota Enlarge Science/AAAS This abalone shell was found with ocher and a grinding stone. The iron oxide was used as a pigment to paint bodies and walls, as well as to thicken glue. Science/AAAS This abalone shell was found with ocher and a grinding stone. The iron oxide was used as a pigment to paint bodies and walls, as well as to thicken glue.Apparently one of the earliest human instincts was to paint things, including bodies and cave walls. That's the...

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House debates abortion-funding bill

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pennsylvania, sponsored the Protect Life Act, which would bar federal subsidies for health plans that provide abortion services.Bill passes with overwhelming Republican supportHouse Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi condemns measureAmendment would bar funding for health plans providing abortion servicesSenate unlikely to take up measure; Obama promises vetoWashington (CNN) -- The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would amend the...

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Guidelines of the ultrasound can diagnose wrongly miscarriage

As if anxiety about potential error were not quite stressful for newly pregnant women, research published Friday shows that the current guidelines for using ultrasound to determine that a pregnancy is completed can not always be accurate.Four new studies looked at ultrasound U.K. specifications, but when the results are extrapolated to the guidelines of the U.S., researchers suggest that 1 in 23 women diagnosed with error could still have a viable pregnancy.That could mean for the future of such incorrectly doomed pregnancies is not known. Researchers analyzed not if women in the studies that...

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Worried about vitamin safety? Experts offer advice

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota In this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 photo illustration, multivitamins are poured from a bottle in Philadelphia. Two studies released in Oct. 2011 raised gnawing worries about the safety of vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Vitamins have long had a "health halo" - many people think they won't hurt and at worst might be unnecessary. The industry calls them an insurance policy against bad eating. But our foods increasingly are pumped full of them...

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Now wash your hands - and your mobile

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota 14 October 2011 Last updated at 00:55 GMT Often not as clean as it looks... It is the sort of news story that will have left many feeling queasy over their breakfast cereal - a study which suggests one in six mobile phones is contaminated with faecal matter.Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London took nearly 400 samples from mobile phones and hands in 12 British cities.They found 16% of...

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Authorities perplexed by drug shortage spike

AppId is over the quotaAppId is over the quota A customer leans against a pharmacy counter at a Sam's Club store in Arkansas, May 31, 2007. Credit: Reuters/Jessica RinaldiBy Anna YukhananovWASHINGTON | Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:17pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two years into an escalating shortage of life-saving cancer drugs, regulators and lawmakers are still unable to identify why it is happening, let alone how to solve the problem.Hospitals and doctors across the country are postponing care or using...

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