News Articles
Nurses urge world leaders to help West Africa
Date of Posting: 13-11-2014
Liberian health workers have resorted to using plastic bags at times to protect themselves against the deadly Ebola virus. Speaking via video link as part of the Queensland Nurses’ Union’s (QNU) international G20 nursing conference in Read More...
Gene mutation linked to lower cholesterol
Date of Posting: 13-11-2014
A discovery linking mutations in a single gene to lower cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease offers new directions for treatment drugs. Rare mutations in a single gene are linked to lower cholesterol levels and can cut the risk of heart Read More...
TV test could detect eye disease
Date of Posting: 12-11-2014
Scientists are hoping a new method for diagnosing eye disease will allow doctors to spot glaucoma early enough to save a patient's sight. A new method of diagnosing eye disease has been developed by scientists using a technique that involved p Read More...
Hershey Kiss protein forms boys' brains
Date of Posting: 12-11-2014
A protein named after the Hershey Kiss chocolate which stimulates a surge in testosterone is what causes male brains to develop differently from females. A surge in testosterone in newborns hours after birth is triggered by a Hershey's Kiss pr Read More...
Portugal has Legionnaire's outbreak
Date of Posting: 12-11-2014
The UN health agency has raised concerns about a "large outbreak" of Legionnaire's disease in Portugal. An outbreak of Legionnaire's disease in Portugal that has killed five people in less than a week constitutes a "major pu Read More...
Falls reason for most hospital trips
Date of Posting: 12-11-2014
Falls, transport accidents, self-harm injuries and assault are the most common causes for young people to be admitted to hospital. Falls are the leading reason young people are admitted to hospital in Australia, with mishaps on skateboards, trampo Read More...
Many juices 'more sugary than Coke'
Date of Posting: 12-11-2014
A British health group is warning parents against packing their children's lunchboxes with fruit juices, saying some contain more sugar than Coca-Cola. Well-meaning parents who would not dream of giving their children Coca-Cola might instead b Read More...
Health practitioner notifications on the rise
Date of Posting: 11-11-2014
The number of notifications made about nurses and midwives, optometrists, physiotherapists, psychologists, osteopaths and medical radiation practitioners has increased in 2013-14, according to new data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulati Read More...
Hopes of a drug to halt prostate cancer
Date of Posting: 11-11-2014
Scientists have found a drug that stops the progression of prostate cancer in mice, offering the promise of a targeted treatment in human patients. A new treatment shows promise in halting the march of aggressive prostate cancer.[subscribe] Sci Read More...
Date of Posting: 11-11-2014
Cannabis can increase the connectivity in the brain even as it shrinks the brain, but prolonged use has damaging effects, a study says. Regular cannabis use shrinks the brain but increases the complexity of its wiring, a study has found.[subscribe Read More...
Scientists solve 'Frankenstein' DNA puzzle
Date of Posting: 11-11-2014
Researchers have discovered how cancer cells accumulate extra copies of cancer-causing genes, stitching together DNA to form giant chromosomes. Australian scientists have solved the mystery of how huge, cancer-associated DNA molecules that occur i Read More...
Hospital standards falling: Cairns nurses
Date of Posting: 10-11-2014
A union survey suggests hospital standards and staff morale in far north Queensland have plunged in the past two years. Cairns nurses and doctors say hospital standards have fallen drastically and staff morale is suffering.[subscribe] A union s Read More...
Close WA psychiatric hospital, doctors say
Date of Posting: 07-11-2014
The AMA has renewed its call to close WA's largest psychiatric facility, saying the living conditions of its patients have not kept up with the times. The Australian Medical Association has joined calls for Perth's Graylands Hospital to be Read More...
Cleaning chemical used to fight cancer
Date of Posting: 07-11-2014
A chemical similar to those used in soap powder and detergent is offering hope in the battle against cancer. Australian researchers have shown how a chemical similar to those used in cleaning products may benefit breast cancer patients.[subscribe] Read More...
Aust men cross 80-year mark for first time
Date of Posting: 07-11-2014
The life expectancy of Australian men is longer than ever before, but they still lag behind women, statistics show. Australian men are living longer, with life expectancy for males crossing the 80-year mark for the first time.[subscribe] But th Read More...
Soaring pollen levels to boost hay fever
Date of Posting: 06-11-2014
Researchers are predicting higher levels of carbon dioxide will boost pollen production to the detriment of hay fever sufferers in coming decades. Hay fever sufferers could reach new heights of misery over the next century as pollen levels soar, t Read More...
Colon cancer 'could surge among young'
Date of Posting: 06-11-2014
A projected rise in young colon cancer sufferers is based on unhealthy eating and other lifestyle factors. Colon cancer among people under 34 may nearly double over the next 15 years, raising new concerns about how to fight one of the most common Read More...
Managing Aggressive Behaviour In Aged Care Facilities
Last Updated: 06-11-2014
Working within the aged care sector can be rewarding, but it requires an immense level of compassion, diplomacy and tact. With many residents in aged care facilities suffering from illnesses such as delirium, depression, and dementia, their mental st Read More...
Survey reveals missed patient care concerns nurses
Date of Posting: 05-11-2014
A new study shows New Zealand nurses are concerned about missed patient care. The Eastern Institute of Technology survey of nurses working in hospitals, aged care and the nation’s primary health care sector found nurses hold concerns about m Read More...
Red meat heart harm path revealed
Date of Posting: 05-11-2014
A new study has illustrated drawbacks to eating red meat, with new research pointing to the build up of hard fat on the walls of arteries. Red meat can harm the heart because of the way one of its nutrients is broken down by gut bacteria, research Read More...
Height linked to dementia death risk
Date of Posting: 05-11-2014
Men under 1.68m in height are 50 per cent more likely to suffer death from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia than those taller than 1.78m. Being short increases a person's chances of dying from dementia, new research has shown.[subscr Read More...
Mechanism for spontaneous HIV cure found
Date of Posting: 05-11-2014
Scientists say they have found the genetic mechanism for spontaneous curing infected patients of HIV, holding out new hope for AIDS sufferers. French scientists have unveiled the genetic mechanism by which they believe two men were spontaneously c Read More...
The changing landscape of dementia care
Last Updated: 04-11-2014
Statistics show more than 332,000 people in Australia are living with dementia and that number is forecast to rise to almost 900,000 by 2050. An Australian university is changing the way nurses, allied health professionals and even ordinary Australia Read More...
How to make the most out of your income
Last Updated: 03-11-2014
In this three-part series, we explore how 50-year-old pathologist assistant Georgie and her husband Nate can make the most of their income and how financial advice might be able to improve their circumstances as they approach retirement. Toda Read More...
NZ patient had chemo after wrong diagnosis
Date of Posting: 30-10-2014
A patient in New Zealand was given several unnecessary doses of chemotherapy after doctors misdiagnosed her with breast cancer. A doctor's incorrect diagnosis of a biopsy meant a New Zealand patient had to go through several doses of chemother Read More...
Nurses say tougher penalties are not the answer
Date of Posting: 29-10-2014
The Queensland Nurses’ Union says the state government’s new double penalty laws will do little to deter violent offenders who are often not competent to stand trial. The government has doubled the maximum sentence to 14 years in priso Read More...
Prostate cancer risk less for Lotharios
Last Updated: 29-10-2014
A new study has found that men who sleep with multiple women are 28 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer than their one-partner counterparts. [subscribe] Sleeping with numerous women protects a man from prostate cancer, a study has fou Read More...
Genes that cause violent crimes identified
Date of Posting: 29-10-2014
Researchers have linked violent crimes to two genes, one which affects feelings, mood and behaviour, and the other, impulsivity. Two genes have been identified that may be partly responsible for extremely violent crimes.[subscribe] Scientists w Read More...
'Ambulance drone' prototype unveiled
Date of Posting: 29-10-2014
An 'ambulance drone' prototype, a flying defibrillator able to reach heart attack victims in precious life-saving minutes, has been unveiled in Holland. A Dutch-based student has unveiled a prototype of an "ambulance drone", a fl Read More...
NZ flight grounded over norovirus fears
Date of Posting: 29-10-2014
A plane was forced to delay disembarking after fears that unwell passengers on an Air New Zealand flight could be infected with norovirus. An Air New Zealand flight was forced to stay on the tarmac at Christchurch Airport amid fears some passenger Read More...
QLD Health detects deadly software fault
Date of Posting: 28-10-2014
The Queensland Premier says he's "comforted" by the early detection of a glitch in a medication software that had the potential to kill patients. A medication software problem in Queensland's public hospitals had the potential to Read More...
Date of Posting: 28-10-2014
Timing is an important but often ignored factor in drug effectiveness, scientists say. A body-clock "atlas" mapping the 24-hour activity patterns of thousands of genes has been created by scientists.[subscribe] The five-year-project i Read More...
Eye test could identify Alzheimer's
Date of Posting: 27-10-2014
High-definition images of the eye could be the key to the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. [subscribe] Researchers are investigating whether a simple eye test could be used to identify the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. A Read More...
Dead heart transplant 'huge breakthrough'
Last Updated: 27-10-2014
Australian surgeons have successfully transplanted hearts that had stopped beating for 20 minutes into heart failure patients. In a world first, Australian surgeons have successfully transplanted "dead" hearts into patients at Sydney' Read More...
The Art of Listening as Affirmation
Last Updated: 22-10-2014
As a public health researcher I worked for a time in an acute inpatient ward of a large mental health facility. In this ward some of the staff had worked with particular consumers over many years, knowing their capacities and difficulties well. A kee Read More...
High risk medicines a bitter pill
Last Updated: 22-10-2014
New Zealand health professionals are being urged to be more vigilant with how high risk medicines are prescribed, dispensed, supplied, stored, administered and taken. The Health Quality & Safety Commission is shining the spotlight on internati Read More...
Thin melanomas still dangerous: Qld study
Date of Posting: 22-10-2014
Thin melanomas are killing more Australians than thick ones, demonstrating that prevention is the only reliable defence against the skin cancer. Thin melanomas kill more people than thick ones, showing that prevention is the only reliable defence Read More...
Exercise lowers breast cancer risk
Date of Posting: 22-10-2014
Studies have shown that frequent, endurance-oriented exercise is particularly beneficial in reducing breast cancer risk. Women who exercise vigorously for 30 to 60 minutes daily are less likely to develop breast cancer than those who aren't so Read More...
Bondi accident led to spinal breakthrough
Date of Posting: 21-10-2014
A Bulgarian man paralysed in 2010 is walking again with the help of a frame as a result of research linked to a tragic accident at Bondi a decade ago. A freak accident at Bondi beach more than a decade ago has led to a medical breakthrough that co Read More...
Another health chief gone in Brisbane
Date of Posting: 21-10-2014
The executive director of Queensland's largest hospital is the latest health chief to depart from Brisbane's metro north health service. The executive director of Queensland's largest hospital has abruptly left the job, sparking questi Read More...
