Health is a unity and harmony within the mind, body and spirit which is unique to each person, and is as defined by that person. The level of wellness or health is, in part, determined by the ability to deal with and defend against stress. Health is determined by physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, spiritual, and developmental stage variables.
Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease, revealed by researchers at the Society for General Microbiology’s Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. – People with poor dental hygiene and those who don’t brush their teeth regularly end up with bleeding gums, which provide an entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in our mouths.
Genetic variation can be used to predict an individual’s pair-bonding behavior; Gene associated with pair-bonding in animals has similar effects in human males. – Variation in the gene for one of the receptors for the hormone vasopressin appears to be associated with how human males bond with their partners, according to an international team of researchers.
Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? – Mosquitoes flee from DEET-based insect repellent because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.
FDA approved Amgen’s Nplate (romiplostim), the first product that directly stimulates the bone marrow to produce needed platelets in patients with a rare blood disorder ITP that can lead to serious bleeding. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Nplate (romiplostim), the first product that directly stimulates the bone marrow to produce needed platelets in patients with a rare blood disorder that can lead to serious bleeding.
Drinking grapefruit juice, orange and apple juices with certain drugs could lower their effectiveness by decreasing the absorption of drugs, potentially wiping out their beneficial effects. – Grapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange and apple, decrease the absorption of drugs, potentially wiping out their beneficial effects.
A new declaration opposes transplant commercialism, transplant tourism and organ trafficking; Governments and international organizations urged to safeguard against these unethical practices. – All countries should take steps to govern organ donation and transplantation, thereby ensuring patient safety and prohibiting unethical practices, according to an article appearing in the September 2008 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
Xenazine (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea i.e. jerky, involuntary movements in people with Huntington?s disease. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Xenazine (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea in people with Huntington’s disease. Chorea is the jerky, involuntary movement that occurs in people with this disease.
Contraceptive pills may cause change in women’s natural ability to choose a right partner, result in difficulties when trying to conceive, an increased risk of miscarriage and long intervals between pregnancies. – The contraceptive pill may disrupt women’s natural ability to choose a partner genetically dissimilar to themselves, research at the Universities of Liverpool and Newcastle has found.
The final results of Phase I Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-based AIDS vaccine trial conducted at the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC) in Chennai are promising. – A second Phase I AIDS vaccine clinical trial in India was successfully completed, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organization and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative announced.
A major medical report by the Canadian Medical Association is warning the number of deaths related to air pollution is set to rise in the coming decades and a strategy for lung health is needed. – The National Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) study, released by the Canadian Medical Association, is clear evidence that action is required on air pollution and that a national strategy for lung health is needed now more than ever.
