Tips on how to stay safe in the sun

OK, it's winter now, but spring and summer are on the way - so do you intend on getting a healthy tan this summer? You may want to rethink your plans. Tan skin is the body's reaction to sun damage, along with freckles, wrinkles and brown spots. So unless your tan comes from a bottle, it's probably not healthy. Read more >>

Virtual heart surgery helps plan child's surgery

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, collaborating with paediatric cardiologists and surgeons at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, have developed a tool for virtual surgery that allows heart surgeons to view the predicted effects of different surgical approaches. Read more >>

Reduce your cancer risk with rooibos

Statistics show that one in four South Africans will be affected by cancer in his or her lifetime, and according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), this disease will be the leading cause of death globally in 2010. With 12 million new cases of cancer diagnosed last year alone, the pressure is mounting to better understand the development of cancer and ways in which you could protect yourself against it. Rooibos, a tea grown exclusively in South Africa, may just hold some of the answers. Read more >>

Warning signs of hearing loss in kids

When you think back on your childhood, chances are there's a rich montage of sights and sounds that comes to mind. But, imagine if you couldn't have heard the ding of the ice cream truck or the sound of a barking dog - how would that have impacted the experiences of your youth? Read more >>

H5N1 avian influenza leaves people at increased risk for Parkinson's disease

At least one strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus leaves survivors at significantly increased risk for Parkinson's disease and possibly other neurological problems later in life, according to new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Read more >>

Scientists find key to strengthening immune response to chronic infection

A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute has identified a protein that could serve as a target for reprogramming immune system cells exhausted by exposure to chronic viral infection into more effective "soldiers" against certain viruses like HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B, as well as some cancers, such as melanoma. Read more >>

Smoking marijuana has toxic effects on cells

In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smoking marijuana, like smoking tobacco, has toxic effects on cells. Read more >>

Emerging technology the focus of Healthtech Africa 2010

The main focus of the Health Technology Exhibition to be hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre on 18, 19 & 20 February 2010, will be emerging technology and its role in health care, not only in South Africa, but globally. Endorsed by CEASA, it will underline the importance of technological developments in the health-care industry. Read more >>

Facebook fuels jealousy?

The more time college students spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to feel jealous toward their romantic partners, leading to more time on Facebook searching for additional information that will further fuel their jealousy, in an escalating cycle that may become addictive, according to a study reported in CyberPsychology & Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The article is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/cpb. Read more >>

Depression among preschoolers - may continue into childhood

Depression among preschoolers appears to be a continuous, chronic condition rather than a transient developmental stage, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Read more >>

Exercise for the brain may slow dementia

People who engage in activities that exercise the brain, such as reading, writing, and playing card games, may delay the rapid memory decline that occurs if they later develop dementia, according to a study published in the August 4, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Read more >>

Seizures during pregnancy linked to pre-term, small or low-birth-weight babies

Women with epilepsy who have seizures during pregnancy appear more likely to give birth to pre-term, small or low-birth-weight babies than women without epilepsy, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology. Read more >>

Breastfeeding appears to reduce risk of breast cancer among women with family history

Women with a family history of breast cancer appear to have a lower risk of developing the disease before menopause if they have ever breastfed a child, according to a report in the August 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Read more >>

Seed implants suitable prostate cancer treatment for men of all ages

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have a number of treatments to choose from, but it's a daunting task to figure out the right mix of therapies for an individual patient. Read more >>

Accidental childhood poisonings mostly due to medicines

More than two-thirds of all emergency department visits for childhood poisoning involve prescription and over-the-counter medications, more than twice the rate of poisonings from consumer products, reports a new study from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more >>

Economic downturn will worsen obesity epidemic

Levels of debt have been associated with an increased risk of being fat. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health blame the trend on the high price of healthy food, and a tendency for people worried by debt to comfort eat. Read more >>

Many women at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer choose surgery as a precautionary measure

Many women at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer are choosing to undergo surgery as a precautionary measure to decrease their cancer risk, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Read more >>