Health Newstrack

Surgical mask on flu patients can reduce spread of infectious virus

UMD study provides new clues to how flu virus spreads — Shows that using a surgical mask on flu patients can reduce the release of even the smallest droplets containing infectious virus – People may more likely be exposed to the flu through airborne virus than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. The study also found that when flu patients wear a surgical mask, the release of virus in even the smallest airborne droplets can be significantly reduced.

Bed nets use could eradicate malaria

Net advantage — Study finds use of bed nets by 75 percent of population could eradicate malaria – Malaria, the leading cause of death among children in Africa, could be eliminated if three-fourths of the population used insecticide-treated bed nets, according to a new study from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS).

Bee venom nanoparticles may destroy HIV

Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
– Nanoparticles carrying a toxin found in bee venom can destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while leaving surrounding cells unharmed, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown. The finding is an important step toward developing a vaginal gel that may prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

20$ financial incentives get greater weight loss

Program that pays for weight loss seems to pay off — Rewards, penalties get better participation, greater weight loss than program without incentives – Modest financial incentives offered over an extended period of time were significantly more likely to encourage sustained participation in a weight-loss program and long-term maintenance of weight loss than an identical program that did not offer financial rewards.

Cholesterol levels vary with changing seasons

Cholesterol levels rise, fall with changing seasons — Shifts in metabolism, behaviors and other factors at work – Cholesterol levels seem to fluctuate significantly with the turning seasons, which may leave some people with borderline high cholesterol at greater cardiovascular risk during the winter months, showing heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter months.

Women have efficient brains with great inductive reasoning

Women are better at inductive reasoning: the ability to arrive at general principles from the study of detailed facts – Women may have smaller brains than men, but they are more efficient at completing a task. It has been a mystery for scientists and reasearchers why women show no difference in intelligence, although their brains are eight per cent smaller than men’s.

Prevent colon cancer with colon cancer awareness

Work with your health care provider to find out what your personal risk is and how often you should be screened. Have you had your colon cancer screening test? – March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in US. “Colon cancer can be prevented with screening and removal of any polyps before they develop into cancer” says Sheryl M. Ness, R.N., Mayo Clinic nurse educator.

HIV infected child appears to have been cured of HIV infection

Toddler ‘functionally cured’ of HIV infection, NIH-supported investigators report — Discovery provides clues for potentially eliminating HIV infection in other children – This is the first well-documented case of an HIV-infected child who appears to have been functionally cured of HIV infection. A two-year-old child born with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral drugs beginning in the first days of life no longer has detectable levels of virus using conventional testing despite not taking HIV medication for 10 months.

Medicare hospice benefit – better care at a lower cost

Medicare patients who use hospice receive better care at a lower cost to the government – Medicare patients who enrolled in hospice received better care at a significantly lower cost to the government than those who did not use the Medicare hospice benefit. The data indicate that annual savings to Medicare could amount to $2.4 million to $6.4 million.

Cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold in US hospitals

U of M researchers find wide variation in cesarean delivery rates among US hospitals – Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. The latest study, appearing in Health Affairs, shows that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold across U.S. hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent.

Option B+ prevents mother to child transmission of HIV

Innovative policy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV shows positive impact — New approach in Malawi dramatically increases the number of mothers on treatment – The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Malawi with HIV who started life-saving antiretroviral treatment increased by more than 700 percent in one year. The new treatment option, called Option B+, offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women infected with HIV lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), regardless of the stage of their HIV infection.

Blocked heart arteries can cause stroke

Clogged heart arteries can foreshadow stroke — American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report – Blockages in your heart arteries could mean you’re more likely to have a stroke, even if you’re considered low risk. A new study raises the need for intensified interdisciplinary efforts for providing adequate disease prevention and management strategies for stroke.