News Articles
Long courses, confusion and culture: why we're losing the fight against antibiotic resistance
Last Updated: 10-03-2016
Allen Cheng, Monash University Doctors often tell patients to take a “course” of antibiotics, because a partially treated infection may result in relapse with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But where does this advice come from? Read More...
In a world with no antibiotics, how did doctors treat infections?
Last Updated: 10-03-2016
Cristie Columbus, Texas A&M University The development of antibiotics and other antimicrobial therapies is arguably the greatest achievement of modern medicine. However, overuse and misuse of antimicrobial therapy predictably leads to resi Read More...
Interactive body map: what really gives you cancer?
Last Updated: 10-03-2016
Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation and Sasha Petrova, The Conversation There’s abundant advice out there on what you should or shouldn’t eat, drink, swallow, or stand next to, to avoid cancer. But it’s often lacking in evidenc Read More...
Baby formula doesn't reduce eczema risk
Date of Posting: 09-03-2016
Claimed benefits that hydrolysed baby formula reduces the risk of eczema and allergies are unfounded, new research reveals. Special baby formula sold in UK supermarkets does not reduce the risk of eczema and allergies, a new study shows.[subscribe Read More...
Sexual transmission of Zika virus more common than thought
Date of Posting: 09-03-2016
The UN health agency has revealed more details about the Zika virus following a meeting of its emergency committee. The sexual transmission of the Zika virus is more common than previously thought, the World Health Organization has said, citing re Read More...
ANMF calls for around-the-clock registered nurses in aged care
Date of Posting: 09-03-2016
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) wants a registered nurse on duty around-the-clock in all of the nation’s aged care facilities to improve care for vulnerable older patients with complex and chronic conditions. The ANMF Read More...
Vic government accused of 'sneaky' accounting
Date of Posting: 08-03-2016
A spat between Victoria and the federal government over health funding continues with the state accused of sneaky accounting. Victoria has been accused of trying to take millions of dollars in federal hospital funding from other states and territo Read More...
Vic ambos told to 'walk away' if threatened
Last Updated: 07-03-2016
Victoria's health minister says the state is adopting a culture where it is acceptable for paramedics to refuse treatment if threatened with violence. Paramedics instinctively help people but they should refuse care and walk away if their safe Read More...
Happy events can literally break your heart
Date of Posting: 03-03-2016
Sad and distressing events can trigger a potentially fatal heart condition, but now scientists believe joyous ones can as well. Hearts can be broken by happy events as well as those causing grief and sadness, a study has found.[subscribe] Since Read More...
Parents get health info online but don't trust it
Date of Posting: 03-03-2016
Australian parents use and trust GPs the most for child health information while online sources are consulted but not trusted. Many Australian parents go online for child health information but a third of them don't trust the sources.[subscrib Read More...
UN warning over sedative dementia link
Date of Posting: 03-03-2016
A UN body has warned against overuse of sedatives by older people, warning of links with developing dementia. The United Nations has raised concerns about the overprescribing of insomnia and anxiety drugs, warning older patients who use them could Read More...
Vitamin D bone strength benefit for winter babies
Date of Posting: 02-03-2016
The bones of babies born in the winter months could be strengthened if their mothers took vitamin D, scientists say. Taking vitamin D during pregnancy may strengthen the bones of babies born in the winter months, a British study has found.[subscri Read More...
Geriatric health issues hit younger homeless
Date of Posting: 02-03-2016
Geriatric health conditions are very common for homeless people in their 50s, a study has found Homeless people in their fifties suffer more geriatric health conditions than non-homeless people who are decades older, say researchers.[subscribe] Read More...
Cancer vaccine tested on terminal patients
Date of Posting: 02-03-2016
A UK trial is examining whether a vaccine can help the body's immune system destroy cancer cells in terminally ill patients. A trial has been launched in the UK to test a new vaccine for terminal cancer.[subscribe] The immunotherapy trial w Read More...
Do Wi-Fi and mobile phones really cause cancer? Experts respond
Date of Posting: 01-03-2016
Simon Chapman, University of Sydney; Darren Saunders, UNSW Australia; Rodney Croft, University of Wollongong, and Sarah Loughran, University of Wollongong On 16th February, Catalyst aired an episode on the ABC titled “Wi-Fried”, ho Read More...
Five ways to get a better night's sleep
Date of Posting: 01-03-2016
Chin Moi Chow, University of Sydney We devote around seven to eight hours to sleep each night in adulthood and ten to 12 hours in childhood. This amounts to around 200,000 hours in our first 60 years of life. Not getting enough sleep does Read More...
What happens to your body when you're dehydrated?
Date of Posting: 01-03-2016
Toby Mündel, Massey University Water is essential for human life. It accounts for for 50-70% of our body weight and is crucial for most bodily functions. Any deficit in normal body water – through dehydration, sickness, exercise Read More...
3 dead and 60 sick in Cairns nursing home flu outbreak
Date of Posting: 29-02-2016
A flu outbreak has killed three residents at a Cairns nursing home, which is now in lockdown. Another deadly virus outbreak at a far north Queensland health facility has killed three residents.[subscribe] A flu outbreak has forced the Mercy Pla Read More...
More rehab beds needed to beat ice addiction in NT
Date of Posting: 29-02-2016
A Darwin rehab clinic predicts there will be a need for 50 more beds across the NT by October to cope with demand from ice addicts seeking treatment. The Northern Territory cannot arrest its way out of the ice drug problem, says the head of a Darw Read More...
Staff who snoop on medical records to be fired
Date of Posting: 29-02-2016
SA Health workers caught snooping on patient medical records will be fired on the spot after employees were found to have accessed information on Cy Walsh. South Australian health workers caught snooping on patient records in the future will be sa Read More...
Australia's nursing, midwifery and allied health stats revealed
Last Updated: 29-02-2016
The latest figures are out on Australia’s nursing, midwifery and allied health workforce. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s (AHPRA) March 2013 registration data shows Australia is now home to 346,508 practising nur Read More...
Nurse, midwife and pharmacist numbers grow
Last Updated: 29-02-2016
Australia has more registered nurses, midwives, pharmacists and other allied health professionals, according to new registration data. The Nursing and Midwifery Board’s December 2014 data, published this month, reveals there are 5640 new nur Read More...
WA moves closer to pharmacist vaccinations
Last Updated: 29-02-2016
Pharmacists in Western Australia are another step closer to providing vaccinations after their immunisation training was given the green light. The state’s Department of Health has approved the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PS Read More...
Australia's first medicinal cannabis trial announced
Last Updated: 29-02-2016
The NSW government has announced the first trial into medicinal cannabis will begin in early next year at a Newcastle hospital. Australia's first medicinal cannabis trial will begin next year at a Newcastle hospital.[subscribe] About 30 adu Read More...
Drug driving: are your meds affecting you?
Last Updated: 29-02-2016
Warning labels on medications about the dangers of driving are not enough to stop people getting behind the wheel with most driving while affected by drugs, according to QUT road safety researcher Dr Tanya Smyth. Dr Smyth, from QUT's Centre fo Read More...
Anti-ageing breakthrough as key enzyme identified
Date of Posting: 26-02-2016
UK scientists say the discovery of a key skin cell enzyme will help produce tailored anti-ageing treatments, and could be used in other parts of the body. A breakthrough in the study of human skin cells could pave the way for powerful anti-ageing Read More...
From farm to pharmacy: regulating medicinal cannabis in Australia
Date of Posting: 26-02-2016
The Commonwealth government announced plans on the weekend to legalise growing cannabis for medicinal and research purposes in Australia. The news follows the Victorian government’s announcement earlier this month that it will legalise acces Read More...
How nutritionists are helping solve the world's biggest problems
Last Updated: 25-02-2016
Malnutrition affects 1 in 3 people around the world, with nearly half of all countries facing serious social and public health burdens as a result, a recent report has found. The Global Nutrition Report 2015, released in September, highlights how nut Read More...
Progesterone not effective for preemie prevention
Date of Posting: 25-02-2016
Scientists want the use of progesterone therapy to prevent premature births to be reviewed while alternative solutions are found. A widely used hormone therapy that is supposed to prevent premature births does not work, researchers claim.[subscrib Read More...
Crosswords and brain games not enough to stop Alzeimer's
Date of Posting: 25-02-2016
Keeping the brain active in older age can reduce the risk of dementia for some - but is unlikely to help those with the Alzheimer's gene, researchers say. Crossword puzzles, serious reading material and stimulating conversation are unlikely to Read More...
Breaking the Mould - Physiotherapy's new advanced role in critical care
Last Updated: 25-02-2016
It’s no surprise that Dr Scott Bradley can’t envisage working outside the walls of The Alfred Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). “I can’t imagine working anywhere else and I can’t imagine doing anything else Read More...
Melb school excludes unvaccinated kids
Date of Posting: 24-02-2016
Twenty-one children are being kept home from a Melbourne school affected by a measles outbreak until they can prove they are immunised. More than twenty children have been banned from a Melbourne primary school after two students contracted measle Read More...
Inquiry launched after St Vincent's chemo patients under-dosed
Date of Posting: 24-02-2016
St Vincent's Hospital will accept any recommendations made by NSW Health, after one of its doctors under-dosed chemotherapy drugs to cancer patients. A Sydney hospital has welcomed a review after one of its doctors under-dosed chemotherapy dru Read More...
Doctors warn 'vaginal seeding' trend too risky
Date of Posting: 24-02-2016
Australian and UK doctors are warning mothers who give birth by caesarean about the health risks of "vaginal seeding". There's a growing trend for mothers who give birth by caesarean to cover their newborn in vaginal fluid in an effo Read More...
Bat immune system could hold key for disease prevention
Date of Posting: 23-02-2016
An ability by bats to keep their immune system switched on all the time may provide clues to help protect humans against fatal diseases, say researchers. A unique immune-system capability in bats, which lets them carry but not be affected by fatal Read More...
Vaginal ring helps protect women from HIV
Date of Posting: 23-02-2016
A study has found an anti-HIV vaginal ring has been successful in partially protecting some women in hard-hit Africa from HIV infection. Researchers say women who inserted a vaginal ring coated with an anti-HIV drug once a month were partially pro Read More...
Breakthrough study discovers superbug mechanism
Date of Posting: 23-02-2016
The problem of antibiotic resistance is closer to a solution with scientists now knowing the mechanism bacteria use to keep up their defences. Scientists in Britain have found how drug-resistant bacteria build and maintain a defensive wall - a dis Read More...
Active lifestyle more important than genes
Last Updated: 22-02-2016
Lifestyle changes in adulthood can have a significant impact in tackling obesity, regardless of a person's genetic profile. The lifestyle a person shares with a partner has a greater influence than upbringing does on the chances of becoming ob Read More...
Report urges more budget cuts to pathology
Date of Posting: 22-02-2016
The Turnbull government has been urged to make more spending cuts to pathology in a report accusing the industry of using patients as pawns for profits. Claims women could be forced to fork out $30 for pap smears have been slammed by a scathing re Read More...
What is stressing Australians?
Date of Posting: 22-02-2016
We all experience stress during our lives whether it be over work, school, finances or relationships. Stress can sometimes be beneficial, motivating us to work harder or perform better but too much stress can have a negative effect both mentally and Read More...
