Why predicting suicide is a difficult and complex challenge

Date of Posting: 12-06-2018

Joseph Franklin, Florida State University Who is going to die by suicide? This terrible mystery of human behavior takes on particular poignance in the wake of suicides by high-profile and much-beloved celebrities Kate Spade and Anthony Bour Read More...

The faster you walk, the better for long term health - especially as you age

Date of Posting: 12-06-2018

  Some of us like to stroll along and smell the roses, while others march to their destination as quickly as their feet will carry them. A new study out today has found those who report faster walking have lower risk of premature death. Read More...

Flavoured milk contains as much sugar as a can of soft drink

Date of Posting: 08-06-2018

Analysis shows some flavoured milk contains as much as nine teaspoons of added sugar per bottle. A carton of flavoured milk can contain as much sugar as a can of soft drink, consumers have been warned.[subscribe] Analysis of more than 90 popula Read More...

Researchers say an evaluation of tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies in children is needed

Date of Posting: 08-06-2018

Removing a child's tonsils and adenoids is associated with significant long-term risks of respiratory, allergic and infectious diseases, a study has found. Researchers analysed the medical records of nearly 1,190,000 children born in Denmark b Read More...

Victorian parents will get real time information about ED wait times

Date of Posting: 07-06-2018

Victorian parents can now check a website to see how busy Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital's emergency department is at any time of day. Victorian parents will get real time information about wait times at the emergency room of Me Read More...

Critical insights into managing the care of extremely preterm babies

Date of Posting: 07-06-2018

A new Australian-led study has provided doctors with critical insights into managing the care of extremely preterm babies. Researchers have come up with a more precise and safe level of oxygen a very premature baby should receive, to optimise its Read More...

Broccoli lattes are now on the menu

Date of Posting: 06-06-2018

Scientists and agriculture experts have developed a broccoli powder that can be stirred into coffee and mixed into foods to give Aussies a health boost. Move over turmeric and almonds. Broccoli lattes are now on the menu as part of a push to get A Read More...

An Australian-developed 'bionic eye' receiving ethics approval to start human trials

Date of Posting: 06-06-2018

Researchers at the Monash Vision Group have received ethics approval to start patient trials of their bionic eye. A major step towards helping the blind to see again has been taken, with an Australian-developed 'bionic eye' receiving ethic Read More...

Dermatologists are urging men to stop ignoring their risk of skin cancer

Date of Posting: 06-06-2018

A survey shows less than one in three Australian men consider themselves at risk of skin cancer, raising concern among dermatologists. Australian men are being urged to stop ignoring their risk of skin cancer, after new research showed most blokes Read More...

Hope for patients with advanced skin cancer

Date of Posting: 05-06-2018

A clinical trial has shown patients with advanced skin cancer respond well to immunotherapy drug Cemiplimab. Australian doctors have made a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with advanced skin cancer.[subscribe] Patients with this type Read More...

Hand-washing and mask-wearing is a must this flu season

Last Updated: 04-06-2018

Australians have been warned against complacency when it comes to hand-washing and told of the importance of mask-wearing this flu season. A push to protect people against the flu with a "weak" vaccine is overshadowing effective preventi Read More...

New hope for drug resistant cancers as Griffith drug goes on trial in Czech Republic

Date of Posting: 04-06-2018

Patients with drug resistant forms of breast cancer and some forms of pancreatic cancer may have new hope, thanks to a new drug first developed at Griffith and now being trialled in the Czech Republic. Clinical trials of the experimental drug Mito Read More...

Mandatory flu vaccination for medical staff in NSW

Date of Posting: 01-06-2018

It is now mandatory for NSW hospital doctors and nurses who work in high-risk patient wards to be vaccinated against the flu. Winter is here and so are strict new rules that make it mandatory for all doctors and nurses in "high-risk" hos Read More...

A new report shows bowel cancer screening is saving lives

Date of Posting: 31-05-2018

A new report shows people who don't participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening program are 13 per cent more likely to die from the disease. People who are not regularly screened for bowel cancer are significantly more likely to die fro Read More...

Women who are obese face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Date of Posting: 31-05-2018

Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease regardless even in the absence of high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, a study has found. Women who are obese face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, even if they have m Read More...

Hope for a deadly form of brain cancer

Date of Posting: 30-05-2018

Interim results from a clinical trial into glioblastoma - a deadly form of brain cancer - are encouraging, the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation says. Australia's peak organisation for brain cancer research has been buoyed by a "promising" Read More...

Women who had pre-eclampsia are encouraged to monitor their heart health

Date of Posting: 30-05-2018

Women who had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and are encouraged to actively monitor their heart health. Mother-of-two Jo Dean had no clue complications during her pregnancies put her at greater risk of hear Read More...

A call for people to be more savvy about where they source their diet advice

Date of Posting: 30-05-2018

A survey shows nearly as many adults turn to a social media influencer for weight loss advice as a dietitian or nutritionist. More people are turning to the internet for diet and weight loss advice ahead of doctors and dietitians, a new survey sug Read More...

A mobile life saving app launched in Victoria

Date of Posting: 29-05-2018

A mobile app has been launched in Victoria that will alert off-duty paramedics and professionals to nearby medical emergencies, potentially saving many lives. Whether they're out with friends, walking the dog or at home in their pyjamas, off-d Read More...

Calls for a rethink on how depressed kids are treated

Date of Posting: 29-05-2018

A research review reveals widespread cognitive difficulties in young people with depression, leading to calls for a rethink on how they are treated. Young people with depression are more likely to experience cognitive difficulties such as poor con Read More...

Study shows vitamin pills don't protect heart

Date of Posting: 29-05-2018

Doubt has been cast over the use of vitamin and mineral supplements, with new research finding they don't protect the heart against disease. Not only are vitamin and mineral supplements a waste of money, they can in some instances actually har Read More...

Nearly one in 10 gluten-free meals sold in Melbourne were found to contain gluten

Date of Posting: 28-05-2018

A study has detected potentially harmful levels of gluten in foods sold and served as 'gluten-free' across Melbourne. People with coeliac disease have been warned many eateries are still serving meals containing harmful levels of gluten de Read More...

Prostate cancer curable when diagnosed early

Date of Posting: 28-05-2018

Men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer may miss out on being cured of the disease because they are not monitoring their condition closely. Almost three-quarters of Australian men diagnosed with "low risk" prostate cancer are not bei Read More...

A world-first online mental health program for Australian high school students

Date of Posting: 25-05-2018

The Health4Life program targets the common 'big six' unhealthy behaviours of young people, shown to contribute to chronic disease. Experts in mental health, drug and alcohol prevention and nutrition have teamed together to develop a world- Read More...

Consumers want control of their own health data

Date of Posting: 25-05-2018

Australians want ownership and control of their own health data and want to be asked for consent when their data is used by either government, private companies or researchers. This stand-out finding was revealed today in the Engaging Consumers in th Read More...

A growth hormone treatment, hope for Australian stroke survivors

Date of Posting: 25-05-2018

A growth hormone treatment, already used on children with growth issues, has now been shown to improve learning and memory in mice affected by stroke. Australian scientists have discovered a promising new treatment to improve the memory of stroke Read More...

Australians encouraged to join available clinical trials

Date of Posting: 25-05-2018

Professor Ian Frazer, the 2006 Australian of the Year, has encouraged Australians to ask about available clinical trials every time they visit the doctor. Meg Viskovich knows what it's like, with a baby on the way, to spend time fearing for th Read More...

A simple identification tool can help countries control the spread of Zika virus

Date of Posting: 24-05-2018

University of Queensland researchers are hoping a simple identification tool can help countries control the spread of Zika virus. A cost-effective tool developed in part by University of Queensland researchers to quickly identify mosquitoes infect Read More...

Health experts call for graphic labelling on junk foods

Date of Posting: 24-05-2018

Health experts say it's time for junk foods to carry graphic warnings similar to cigarette packets to combat the obesity epidemic. An image of a damaged human heart covered in yellowish fat from too much junk food would turn people off eating Read More...

An over-sterile germ-free environment in the first year of life is linked to childhood leukaemia

Date of Posting: 23-05-2018

An over-sterile germ-free environment in the first year of life is one of the major causal factors behind childhood leukaemia, a controversial study suggests. Children are now exposed to less bacteria than usual in their first years of life becaus Read More...

Life-threatening post-birth bleeding on the rise

Date of Posting: 23-05-2018

Concerning research has shown a significant rise in the number of Victorian women suffering postpartum haemorrhage. The number of women at risk of excessive, potentially life-threatening bleeding immediately following childbirth is rising.[subscri Read More...

Dietary intervention is a cost-effective way to treat people with depression

Date of Posting: 22-05-2018

Health experts say depression treatment needs to change to incorporate healthy eating and are calling for the government to subsidise the cost of a dietitian for people with the debilitating mental condition. Over the last decade, researchers have Read More...

A common heartburn drug will be trialled on women at risk of pre-eclampsia

Date of Posting: 22-05-2018

Heartburn medication nexium will be trialled on hundreds of Australian women at risk of potentially deadly pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia. Women at high risk of pre-eclampsia will take part in a landmark Australian trial to test whether a co Read More...

This season the demand for the influenza vaccine has increased

Date of Posting: 21-05-2018

Demand for the influenza vaccine has soared by 25-30 per cent this season over the same period last year, authorities say. Unprecedented demand for the influenza vaccine has created a shortage of the potentially lifesaving injection across Austral Read More...

Innovative program recognised in HESTA awards

Date of Posting: 21-05-2018

Deanna Ward is one of 12 midwives and nurses to have been named a finalist in the 2018 HESTA Australian Nursing & Midwifery Awards, for the development of an innovative midwifery program. Believing there was a better way to support women on th Read More...

Researchers have found suicidal teens suffer poor sleep, bullying and family trauma

Date of Posting: 21-05-2018

Researchers have identified poor sleep, bullying and family trauma as common risk factors among suicidal teens admitted to hospital. Poor sleep, bullying, sexual abuse and living in a single parent home have been identified as common risk factors Read More...

Tobacco plant protein could be part of a new wave of antibiotic drugs

Date of Posting: 18-05-2018

A team of scientists at La Trobe University in Melbourne have discovered a protein in a tobacco plant could be part of a new wave of antibiotic drugs. A team of Melbourne-based scientists has discovered a protein in an ornamental tobacco plant whi Read More...

Study has shown hypnosis can be use to treat chronic back pain

Date of Posting: 18-05-2018

A small international study has shown hypnosis can help reduce the intensity of chronic lower-back pain when combined with the right education. It sounds like a kind of magic but hypnosis has been identified as an effective drug-free treatment for Read More...

Australian researchers have developed a new drug to treat an aggressive form of breast cancer

Last Updated: 17-05-2018

Scientists at the Centenary Institute hope to trial a new drug on triple-negative breast cancer patients in the next three years. Australian researchers have developed a new drug to treat an aggressive form of breast cancer that works by starving Read More...

Experts says autistic adults need more help

Date of Posting: 17-05-2018

There is concern older Australians on the autism spectrum are being let down by mental health professionals who lack awareness of the developmental condition. Researchers are calling for urgent training of psychiatrists on the diagnosis and manage Read More...