Flu, Fever in Pregnancy Tied to Autism Risk - Study

Women who had the flu or ran a fever for more than a week during their pregnancy face a greater risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder, Danish researchers said Monday.

The study was based on a survey of mothers of nearly 97,000 children aged eight to 14 and born between 1997 and 2003 in Denmark. Only one percent (976) of the children were diagnosed with autism.

Researchers said that mild and common respiratory, sinus, urinary tract or genital infections, as well as feverish episodes or use of antibiotics in mothers during pregnancy were not a strong risk factor for autism.

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Breast Cancer, A Curable Disease

At present, the Philippines has the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia, and the ninth highest in the world. With about 10,000 new cases discovered every year, the disease is already the most common form of cancer among Filipinos, having overtaken lung cancer in recent years. It accounts for 16% of all reported cancer cases in the country and nearly 30% of all female cancers.

 

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New Breast Cancer Therapy Tied to More Complications

Women about to have breast cancer surgery may want to pay extra attention to the radiation treatment they could be offered afterward.

A new study shows a new and increasingly popular treatment called brachytherapy is tied to more wound and skin complications than the standard radiation technique.

Yet as many as one in six women on Medicare, the government's health insurance program for people over 65, end up getting the new therapy following breast-conserving surgery, researchers found.

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Mobile Phone Use Linked To Tumor

Italy’s supreme court has upheld a ruling that said there was a link between a business executive’s brain tumor and his heavy mobile phone usage, potentially opening the door to further legal claims.

The court’s decision flies in the face of much scientific opinion, which generally says there is not enough evidence to declare a link between mobile phone use and diseases such as cancer and some experts said the Italian ruling should not be used to draw wider conclusions about the subject.

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Tomatoes Can Lower Stroke Risk – Study

Eating tomatoes can dramatically reduce the risk of having a stroke, according to a new study out Monday that provided more support for diets rich in fruits and vegetables.

The key factor appears to be the powerful antioxident lycopene, according to the Finnish study published in the Neurology journal.

The research -- based on data from more than 1,000 middle-aged men, followed for an average of 12 years -- indicates that people with the highest levels of lycopene in their blood have a 55 percent lower chance of suffering a stroke.

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US Man Dies After Cockroach-Eating Contest

A US man died after winning a cockroach and worm eating contest at a Florida reptile house over the weekend, police said.

Edward Archbold, 32, had eaten several dozen roaches and worms Friday as part of the contest to win an exotic python.

He later began vomiting and was picked up by an ambulance in front of the shop, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

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Why Heart Attack Victims Are Getting Younger

Heart attacks or myocardial infarctions used to occur almost exclusively in older people, but, as you rightfully noted, we are now witnessing an increase inits occurrence among young people.In fact, in industrial countries, possibly as many as 10% of all heart attacks occur in people, mostly men, who are below 45 years of age, and some of the victims are only in their 20s.

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Suspected Vomiting Virus Sickens 4,000 German Kids

German health authorities say at least 4,000 children have fallen ill with vomiting and diarrhea after eating food from school canteens and daycare centers.

The Robert Koch-Institut says it was alerted to a sudden surge in gastroenteritis cases that began late Tuesday in Berlin and surrounding regions.

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How To Keep A Normal Blood Pressure

When can you say a person is hypertensive and what are the cause and treatment for this condition?

 Blood pressure refers to the force that blood exerts against the walls of arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the tissues. It has two components: systolic blood pressure, the force on the arteries when the heart beats; and, diastolic blood pressure, the force on the arteries between heart beats. In a blood pressure reading, which is usually expressed as a fraction (e.g., 120/80 mmHg), the numerator is the systolic while the denominator is the diastolic blood pressure.

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World's First Mom-To-Daughter Uterine Transplants In Sweden

Two Swedish women received new uteruses at the weekend in the world's first mother-to-daughter uterine transplants aimed at helping them have babies, Gothenburg University announced on Tuesday.

Uterine transplants are new, with the first successful one conducted in Turkey in 2011.

"One of the women had previously had her own uterus removed after undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. The other woman was born without a uterus. Both women are in their 30s," a statement from Gothenburg University said.

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The Truth About Stem Cells

Stem cells are primitive or unspecialized cells that exist in the different tissues and organs of the body. They are versatile cells that can replicate very fast and transform into a variety of cell types. In case of damage to the tissues and organs where they are present, they serve as source of new functional cells.

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Study Bares Heavy Drinking Risks

People who drink heavily – at least four drinks a day – may be at risk of suffering a brain hemorrhage at a relatively early age, according to a French study.

Researchers whose findings were published in the journal Neurology focused on drinking habits among people who had suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage, a type of stroke where ruptured blood vessels leak blood into the brain.

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Marijuana Smoking Tied To Testicular Cancer

Young men who had smoked marijuana recreationally were twice likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer than men who have never used marijuana, according to a US study.

Researchers whose findings appeared in the journal Cancer said the link appeared to be specific to a type of tumor known as nonseminoma.

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8 Eat-Healthy Tips

Most moms have a common mealtime struggle: getting their kids to eat their veggies. And who can blame the kids? There are more malasa options out there, from fried chicken, to instant noodles, and ice cream or cakes for dessert. There are few kids who would opt for a crunchy carrot stick, if there is anything breaded and deep fried within a five –mile radius.

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Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is an infection that is caused by a bacteria, Leptospirainterrogans. It is primarily an infection of lower animals such as cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rats and other rodents. It affects humans only occasionally.In their animal hosts, the leptospira bacteria rarely cause symptomatic disease. Hence, these animals often serve as healthy carriers of the infection.

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Menopause Starting to Give Up its Mysteries

How come women in their 50s stop having babies? And could it be that so many older mothers nowadays is evidence that evolution is working in reverse and menopause is now coming later rather than sooner?

Research from Britain's Sheffield University published this month bolsters the theory that menopause evolved so that older women could focus on being grannies rather than having babies that would compete for finite resources with the offspring of their daughters and daughters-in-law.

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US Approves New Once-A-Day Pill To Treat HIV

A new pill to treat HIV infection – combining two previously approved drugs plus two new ones -- has been approved for adults living with the virus that causes AIDS, US regulators said Monday.

The single daily dose of Stribild provides a complete treatment regimen for HIV infection, the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement, and is meant for people who have not already received treatment with other HIV drugs.

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What Causes Hair Loss In Women?

There are many causes of falling hair in women including hormonal disturbances brought about by pregnancy and some endocrine diseases; psychological stress and disorders; crash dieting; infections (fungal or bacterial); skin diseases like seborrhea and psoriasis; systemic illnesses like cancer and lupus erythematosus; drugs like some anti-cancer medications; physical and chemical trauma to the scalp as in excessive hair brushing or chemical burning of the scalp during a visit to the beauty parlor; and, alopecia areata, a condition of unknown cause that is characterized by well-circumscribed patches of baldness. But the most common—and this is most probably what causes your problem—is androgenetic alopecia, a hereditary condition that is more pronounced in men than in women that is why it is otherwise called male pattern baldness.

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Snoring Preschoolers At Risk Of Behavioral Problems

Preschoolers who habitually snore may be at greater risk of behavioral problems than other kids their age, a study published Monday suggests.

Researchers found that two- and three-year-olds who snored loudly at least a couple of times per week tended to have more problems with inattention and hyperactivity.

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Climbing as post-stroke therapy

The grips and footholds of climbing can help patients recover more quickly from a stroke in which one side of the body has suffered paralysis.

Therapy based on climbing may also help multiple sclerosis sufferers retain control over their muscles, as climbing demands coordination of movement and concentration, Ute Repschlaeger of the association of German physiotherapists says.

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