MEDICINE & HEALTH

Strict Pollution Regulations Around Beijing Olympics Produced Bigger Babies

Thanks to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China may find another generation of star athletes on its hand. No, it’s not thanks to the facilities or the experience of bringing together the world’s best athletes in its large port-city—rather it has everything to do with the pollution around the event. Researchers are aware of the fact that high levels of air pollution can significantly impact fetal growth and development, and when it comes to air pollution few nations are quite as bad as China. But with the arrival of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and mandates reducing pollution levels courtesy of the Chinese government, researchers were given the perfect setup for a case study. And what they happened to find is that children born from mothers pregnant during the games had higher birth weights than those born before or after the games.

New ‘Chemoimmunotherapy’ Proves Potent Against Prostate Cancers

In spite of aggressive chemotherapy treatments, advanced prostate cancers have proven to be quite difficult to treat. As a heterogeneous mass of different cancerous mutations, prostate tumors often evade cellular death, and have even been known to accumulate cells capable of suppressing a body’s immunological defenses. But in a new study published this week in the journal Nature, researchers have found that chemotherapy, when paired with immunotherapy, is a potent duo that has already proven successful in achieving prostate cancer remission in mouse models—now they think that the strategy may be ready to treat humans.

Removal of Ovaries Can Decrease Breast Cancer Death in Women

In a new study published online in JAMA Oncology, researchers have discovered that the removal of the ovaries can reduce breast cancer death by 62 percent in women diagnosed with breast cancer and carrying a BRCA1 gene mutation.

Ringing Ears from Tinnitus Results in Extensive Brain Activity

Have you ever dealt with that constant ringing in your ears that just won’t seem to go away? You are not alone, according to researchers one in every five people is affected with the problem. The medical condition, known as Tinnitus, causes patients to hear a constant ringing in their ears. However, researchers have now discovered that tinnitus varies greatly from person to person and in some cases the ringing may not actually be there at all.

Not So Sweet—‘Spice’ Use Skyrockets and Poison Control Points to Many Recent Deaths

A potent new drug has hit the city streets nationwide and medical officials are finding that the backlash is anything but sugary sweet. The new street drug, popularly known as “Spice”, are synthetic substances mimicking the effects of marijuana but with far more lethal consequences. As police officers nationwide are cracking down and finding more of the synthetic “Spice” on the streets, medical officials and health agencies are also seeing an increase in life-threatening cases involving the drug, and they think that this Spring could be the apex of the killer drug.

Can the Air You Breathe Cause Your Brain to Shrink?

According to a new study published this week in the journal Stroke, researchers found the first link directly correlating changes in brain volume to exposure to air pollution, and during the 10-year monitoring period found that brains exposed to areas of dense air pollution were smaller leading to poorer cognitive function—poorer thinking and memory problems just being the start.

Tanning Salons Sued by New York Over Cancer Risk

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit against two tanning salon franchises - Portafino Spas, LLC and Total Tan, Inc., saying there is "nothing safe about indoor tanning." He has also served notice that intends to sue Beach Bum Tanning Salons and Planet Fitness as well. Together, the four franchises operate 155 tanning salons around the state.

Leading Malaria Vaccine Has Disappointing Results

The leading malaria vaccine candidate has shown disappointing results, the final study showing that in many cases it simply doesn't work very well and that the initial protection fades with time.

Bottoms Up: Americans Are Drinking Way More Than Ever Before

Heavy drinking is on the rise in many parts of the United States with researchers reporting that it is up by 17 percent since 2005, pushing the amount of alcohol consumed higher than ever before with rates rising faster among women than among men.

Do Mosquitos Prefer You? Your Genes May Tell You.

Have you thought for some time now that mosquitos seem to be attracted to you over everyone else? According to a new study, you may be right and your genes could actually tell you if mosquitos prefer your blood over someone else's.
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