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Medical
Tai Chi, a form of Chinese martial arts often practiced for its health benefits, may be an effective treatment option for patients who suffer from dizziness and balance disorders (also known as vestibular disorders).
Read more >>Cardiology
Strong links have been uncovered between stress and ischemic strokes. Researchers writing in the open access journal
BMC Medicine have carried out the first study into the correlation between self-reported feelings of prolonged psychological stress and different stroke subtypes.
Read more >>Chronic diseases
South African artists will address the fight against cancer at an exhibition in October in a show of support for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). CANSA will host its fourth group art exhibition with the theme 'Cancer a 2nd Chance' at the William Humphreys Art Galley in Kimberley from 1 - 22 October 2009 to help spread awareness about the fight against cancer.
Read more >>CSI
The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) Children's Programme is a community-based empowerment project aimed at teaching healthy habits to crèche and primary school aged children throughout South Africa.
Read more >>Dental disease
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that paediatricians provided with the proper communication, educational and information technology tools and training could reduce the rates of children developing early childhood caries (ECC) or cavities by 77%. This study appears in the October issue of the
Journal Medical Care.
Read more >>Infectious diseases
Worldwide, there are estimated to be 10 million cases of measles and 197 000 deaths from the disease each year. While vaccines exist to protect children against measles, the vaccines are often difficult to store, costly to transport and may be prone to contamination when shipped to developing countries. Research to be presented at the 2009 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition will reveal new methods for delivering measles vaccines that could potentially reduce costs and improve safety.
Read more >>Malaria
Insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITN) reduce the chances of developing life-threatening malaria in Africa. However, recent research shows that older children, between the age of 5-19 years are the least well protected by nets.
Read more >>Medical Research
A new study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) of McGill University reveals that different patterns of training and learning lead to different types of memory formation. The significance of the study, published in the
Journal of Neuroscience, is that it identifies the molecular differences between spaced training (distributed over time) and massed training (at very short intervals), shedding light on brain function and guiding learning and training principles.
Read more >>Exposure to radon gas in homes is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to a study carried out by researchers from the University of Cantabria and the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. The team has studied data on exposure to this element in a uranium mining area in Transylvania and in an area of granite in Torrelodones, Madrid.
Read more >>A study by Monash University researchers has shed new light on the microscopic antennas in the kidney that are involved in the organ's repair process.
Read more >>For fathers coming home from work and find it impossible to connect with their autistic child, it can typically be the straw that breaks the family's back. Where most children will greet Daddy with a hug, many autistic children aren't capable of affectionate interactions that keep a family intact.
Read more >>Mental health
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month (October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October),
Psychologies magazine will include a breathing ‘kit,' to encourage readers to breathe consciously for emotional and mental health.
Read more >>Neurology
South African surgeon and migraine researcher Dr Elliot Shevel has been invited to Prague to lead a multi-national neurological debate on 'The Origin of Migraine Pain'. The debate takes place from the 8 - 11 October 2009 at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic.
Read more >>Nutrition
Executive chef Reuben Riffel plans to visit two Western Cape schools during October 2009, to prove that nutritious low cost meals can be imaginative and tasty too. The Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA), in partnership with Pick ‘n Pay, have invited Riffel and some of his colleagues to visit the schools on 7 and 8 October as part of National Nutrition Week which runs from 9 until 13 October.
Read more >>Obstetrics and Gynaecology
When costs outweigh benefits, successful pregnancies are less likely to occur.
Read more >>Oncology
When it comes to the prostate cancer, the disease known as the "silent killer" because it often exhibits no symptoms, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. It is the second leading cancer killer in men, just behind lung cancer.
Read more >>Acute lymphatic leukaemia is the most common form of blood cancer in children. Even though chemotherapy is improving, the cancer often returns. Johan Jansson's research at Kalmar University in Sweden shows that cancer cells that have been exposed to chemotherapy and survived are less vulnerable to chemotherapy, and more aggressive as well. But this research also yielded discoveries that should be able to enhance our treatment of the disease.
Read more >>Paediatrics
Burns are a common cause of paediatric injury worldwide, typically resulting from hot water, flames, hot surfaces, chemicals and electrical appliances. In South Africa, many children fall victim to burns and scalds every year. Many of these accidents are preventable.
Read more >>A comparison of breast milk samples from Denmark and Finland revealed a significant difference in environmental chemicals which have previously been implicated in testicular cancer or in adversely affecting development of the foetal testis in humans and animals. This finding is published today in the
International Journal of Andrology.
Read more >>Pharmaceuticals
[Kgomotso Mathe] Customers may be paying more on dispensing and administration fees at independent pharmacies than at their in-store corporate counterparts.
Read more >> Public health
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases have been advised to postpone their pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in November 2009 amid concerns that there may be a swine flu outbreak.
Read more >>Women's health
Researchers at Rush University Medical Centre have found that a program of pelvic floor muscle exercises, combined with pelvic health education, can be an effective way to manage urinary incontinence in elderly women.
Read more >>On the eve of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cancer Research UK has sent out a warning that if thousands of women continue to ignore invitations to breast screening they could be putting their lives at risk.
Read more >>A recently published study determined that women who make poor shoe choices early in life suffer with foot pain in later years. Research shows that men do not experience the same foot pain as women, due to type of shoes they wear. Details of this study appear in the October issue of
Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.
Read more >>
