News Articles
New gene therapy hope for spinal injuries
Last Updated: 07-02-2017
A new gene therapy that may restore some movement function to people with recent spinal cord injuries is the focus for spinal cord injury researcher, Jarred Griffin. The new technique involves using gene therapy technology to insert genes into dam Read More...
Major cuts to allied health scholarships
Last Updated: 07-02-2017
Allied health has been dealt a $72.5 million blow, with the Federal Government slashing its funding for health workforce scholarships over four years. Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), the peak body for rural and rem Read More...
Artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes
Last Updated: 07-02-2017
A team of engineers and scientists from the US and Switzerland have developed an artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes. A venomous snake has inspired the development of an artificial skin capable of sensing heat.[subscribe] A Read More...
Study shows people with schizophrenia die 25 years earlier
Last Updated: 07-02-2017
Research shows poor heart health is to blame for a 25 year-life expectancy gap between those with schizophrenia and the general population. Australians with schizophrenia die 25 years earlier than the general population, according to a new study.[ Read More...
Premature babies are at greater risk of developmental and behavioural delays
Date of Posting: 07-02-2017
Moderate-to-late preterm babies are three times more likely to have language delays and delayed motor skills by the age of two, a study has found. Premature babies born at 32-to-36 weeks are at greater risk of developmental and behavioural delays Read More...
A call for better labelling of herbal medicines sold in Australia
Date of Posting: 06-02-2017
There are call for better labelling of herbal medicines sold in Australia after a review identified a risk of adverse interactions with conventional drugs. Some commonly used herbal medicines may contain "toxic" ingredients that interact Read More...
Concerns healthy older women may be unnecessarily labelled as 'diseased'
Last Updated: 06-02-2017
New research has revealed women think osteoporosis might be better labelled as a “risk factor” rather than a “disease”, with a low threshold for diagnosis potentially causing excessive use of medication, which for some will ca Read More...
Emergency nurse saves lives abroad
Date of Posting: 06-02-2017
Melbourne emergency nurse Jean-Philippe Miller may have left the developing country of Myanmar but there’s little doubt his work continues to have an impact, saving lives in the country plagued by civil war. The Alfred Hospital nurse has spo Read More...
Some SA nurses will be trained to provide colonoscopies
Date of Posting: 03-02-2017
The number of people seeking colonoscopies in South Australia is expected to rise so some nurses in the state to will be trained to perform the procedure. Some South Australian nurses will be trained to provide colonoscopies to people at a low ris Read More...
Taking drugs to treat back pain isn't worth it
Date of Posting: 03-02-2017
Taking drugs to treat back pain isn't worth it, according to a new Australian study that's found the side-effects far outweigh the benefits. Drugs commonly used to treat back pain are causing millions of Australians more harm than good, ac Read More...
Breakthrough study proves diet can treat depression
Date of Posting: 02-02-2017
A new Deakin study proves simple dietary changes can be used as a possible treatment for depression. Previous research has shown a link between diet and mental health disorders but the latest study is the first of its kind to confirm a healt Read More...
Federal Government must act on stroke: Stroke Foundation
Date of Posting: 02-02-2017
The Stroke Foundation has today called for the Australian Government to take action on stroke to reduce the burden of this terrible disease on the Australian community. Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sharon McGowan said the Governm Read More...
Poverty most powerful risk factor for premature death
Date of Posting: 02-02-2017
Poverty should be regarded as a major risk factor for premature death, scientists have concluded after analysing data on 1.7 million people. Low socio-economic status is the third most powerful risk factor for premature death after smoking and phy Read More...
Australians are missing out on seeing their GP due to expenses
Date of Posting: 01-02-2017
A Productivity Commission report shows that thousands of Australians are missing out on seeing their GP and skipping medications due to cost worries. Nearly one million Australians put off visiting their GP in the past year because they were worri Read More...
Dr Google will now show accurate information
Date of Posting: 01-02-2017
Health-related Google searches will now provide information fact-checked by a team of doctors. Australians can now trust that Dr Google is providing them with reliable information.[subscribe] Google search results will now show accurate informa Read More...
Call for psychology student trainees in aged care
Last Updated: 01-02-2017
Psychology postgraduate student trainees could improve the mental health and functioning of older people living in residential aged care facilities while reducing the use of pharmacological treatments, under a proposal from the Australian Psychologic Read More...
Deaths from melanoma have peaked in Australia
Date of Posting: 31-01-2017
By 2050 the death rate from malignant melanoma will have decreased but the number of people dying from the disease will have increased, new modelling shows. Deaths from melanoma have peaked in Australia with research clearly showing the UV-protect Read More...
Free meningococcal vaccine for teens in WA
Date of Posting: 30-01-2017
A free meningococcal vaccine will be provided to teenagers aged 15 to 19 in WA after a "disturbing" increase in cases of the W strain, and the health minister hopes the rest of the nation will follow the state's lead. The vaccination Read More...
Date of Posting: 30-01-2017
Sjogren's syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease, affects mainly women and in 2011 halted the career of Australian Open 2017 finalist Venus Williams. WHAT IS SJOGREN'S SYNDROME?[subscribe] An autoimmune disease where the tear and saliva Read More...
Smartphones can be used as cancer scanners
Date of Posting: 27-01-2017
US researchers say a Google algorithm could be a powerful tool in catching deadly skin cancers. A computer algorithm can catch skin cancer with the same accuracy as a doctor, a study has found.[subscribe] Researchers say the "exciting" Read More...
12 hour shifts linked to more nurse errors
Last Updated: 27-01-2017
Nurses who work at least 12 hours on a single shift face a greater risk of making errors that can injure themselves or their patients, research shows. New Zealand nursing researchers Dr Jill Clendon and Dr Veronique Gibbons, who published their sy Read More...
Study shows Lithium better at treating bipolar disorder
Date of Posting: 26-01-2017
An Australian study has found lithium to be better at protecting the brains of bipolar patients than that of a newer and more popular antipsychotic drug. A treatment for bipolar disorder introduced in the 1970s is much more effective at protecting Read More...
Here are ways to keep your heart healthy
Date of Posting: 26-01-2017
Middle-aged Australians are encouraged to get their heads out of the sand and adopt some healthy lifestyle measures to ensure a healthy heart. THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AFTER YOUR HEART - A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE[subscribe] Quit smoking - Smoking Read More...
New research points to breast cancer prevention
Date of Posting: 25-01-2017
New research in Adelaide has pointed to what may cause breast cancer in some women, raising hope the disease may be prevented. New research has identified what causes increased breast density in women, identified as a key factor in breast cancer r Read More...
Flat head syndrome at heightened risk of developmental delays
Date of Posting: 25-01-2017
An Australian study has for the first time found a link between flat head syndrome and developmental delays in children. Babies with flat head syndrome may be at heightened risk of developmental delays, a study has found.[subscribe] A review of Read More...
Can the way we move after injury lead to chronic pain?
Last Updated: 25-01-2017
Siobhan Schabrun, Western Sydney University When people suffer musculoskeletal pain – that is, pain arising from muscles, ligaments, bones or joints – they change the way they move. Sometimes these changes include completely avoidi Read More...
What is heart failure? It's not as common a cause of death as reports would have us believe
Last Updated: 25-01-2017
Frank Bowden, ACT Health When George Michael died last year news reports all over the world announced the cause as heart failure. The same condition was cited as the cause of death of 61 year old Devo band member Bob Casale, 27 year old Ec Read More...
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
Australian women often find themselves feeling isolated as they grieve after losing a baby, with up to one in four pregnancies ending in miscarriage. Rebecca sits in an emergency department for five hours bleeding and crying, feeling a life and th Read More...
Australian scientists discovered treatment for pre-eclampsia
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
An international team of scientists have found a treatment that could save many of the 60,000 lives lost each year to pre-eclampsia. Australian scientists have discovered a drug used to treat reflux has the potential to "wipe out" pre-ec Read More...
Human error blamed for the loss of embryos at a fertility clinic in Adelaide
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
A report has found human error was the likely reason a back-up power unit at an Adelaide hospital failed during last year's statewide blackout. Human error has been blamed for the loss of embryos at a fertility clinic in Adelaide in September Read More...
Study shows birth date linked to ADHD diagnosis
Date of Posting: 23-01-2017
The validity of ADHD diagnosis in Australia is again being questioned with a WA study showing the youngest children are more likely to be receiving medication. The youngest children in class are more likely than their older classmates to receive m Read More...
White spot disease remains a threat to prawns in Queensland
Date of Posting: 20-01-2017
Treatment to eradicate white spot disease has finished at five prawn farms in southeast Queensland where the infection was detected late last year. White spot disease remains a threat to prawns in Queensland despite the state's unprecedented a Read More...
A new camera-fitted brain needle unveiled at the University of Adelaide
Date of Posting: 20-01-2017
A new camera-fitted brain needle has been unveiled at the University of Adelaide and it is expected to make neurosurgery safer and save lives. A camera-fitted brain-probing needle might sound like something to steer well clear of.[subscribe] Bu Read More...
NT government will legalise abortion drugs outside hospitals
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
The NT government is moving to legalise the use of abortion drugs outside hospitals but advocates say the reforms don't go far enough. Medical abortions are still a crime in the Northern Territory, but likely not for much longer thanks to new Read More...
Queenslanders are urged to cover up as UV reaches extreme levels
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Queenslanders are being urged to cover up as ultraviolet radiation hits extreme levels across much of the state. Brisbane is expected to reach a top of 17 on Thursday, more than five times the safe limit.[subscribe] The Bureau of Meteorology pr Read More...
Boosting mental health patients' physical health
Last Updated: 19-01-2017
New international research has cast a spotlight on the unmet physical health needs of patients with severe mental illnesses. Obesity, smoking, lack of exercise and high blood cholesterol levels are prevalent in people diagnosed with schizoph Read More...
Youngest in class more likely to be medicated for ADHD
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Curtin University researchers have established that the youngest children in West Australian classrooms are more likely than their older classmates to receive medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The results raised conce Read More...
Call to step up management of legionella disease risks
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Occasional testing for Legionella bacteria in hot water services, air-conditioner cooling towers and other potable water is not an adequate safeguard against a disease outbreak, a public health expert warns. Flinders University researcher Dr Harri Read More...
How to recognise a stroke and what you should know about their treatment
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Caleb Ferguson, University of Technology Sydney One in every six people will experience a stroke during their lifetime. And by the time you have read this article, it’s likely that someone in Australia will have experienced one. Stroke k Read More...
Can marijuana treat MS symptoms? It's hard for researchers to find out
Last Updated: 19-01-2017
Thorsten Rudroff, Colorado State University An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune cells attack a fatty substance called myelin in the nerves. Common sym Read More...
