News Articles
Class of HIV drugs could prevent blindness
Date of Posting: 28-11-2014
A class of drugs developed to treat HIV could be useful in treating age-related macular degeneration, a disease that leads to progressive loss of vision. A class of 30-year-old HIV drugs could in future be used to prevent a common cause of incurab Read More...
Last Updated: 27-11-2014
Perioperative nurses provide care for patients in the period prior to and right after surgery or intervention procedures. Perioperative nursing encompasses a variety of specialty roles including holding bay, circulating, anaesthetic, Instrument Read More...
Last Updated: 27-11-2014
Swift medical attention has given cricketer Phil Hughes the best possible chance for a positive outcome, a top emergency doctor says. The CPR and excellent hospital care given to cricketer Phillip Hughes has given him the best possible chance of r Read More...
New year, new career for physiotherapy graduate
Date of Posting: 27-11-2014
Bianca Ferreira can’t wait to get moving on her physiotherapy career. The 23-year-old, who will graduate from the University of Sydney this year with her Masters in Physiotherapy, is now applying for positions in a bid to kick-start her care Read More...
Device could detect diabetes in breath
Date of Posting: 27-11-2014
A breath test is being designed to spot early signs of diabetes by detecting the smell of acetone, indicating the accumulation of ketones in the blood. A breathalyser device that can detect the "sweet smell" of diabetes in children is un Read More...
Obesity tie to 500,000 cancer cases a year
Date of Posting: 27-11-2014
In men, being overweight was blamed for 136,000 new cases, and in women, 345,000 cancer diagnoses, most of them of the colon, kidney and breast. Being overweight is now causing nearly half a million new cancer cases in adults every year, roughly 3 Read More...
Smartphone apps to detect blindness
Date of Posting: 27-11-2014
The Portable Eye Examination Kit consists of smartphone apps and an adapter which can be used anywhere in the world to test eyes easily. A smartphone device which healthcare workers can use to carry out eye examinations could help tackle blindness Read More...
Recovery from brain injury 'a marathon'
Date of Posting: 26-11-2014
Recovery from brain injury is a marathon, not a sprint, says an expert from Brain Injury Australia as cricketer Phillip Hughes fights for his life. Recovering from a brain injury is a marathon, says Brain Injury Australia spokesman Nick Rushworth, Read More...
Tropical fish helps TB researchers
Date of Posting: 25-11-2014
The transparent zebrafish develops the tuberculosis bug in the same way humans do and may help researchers develop new ways to treat the disease. The new weapon for Auckland researchers trawling through ways to treat tuberculosis is a small tropic Read More...
Brain training works in groups only: study
Last Updated: 24-11-2014
Brain training can boost memory and thinking skills but not when done alone at home, a study has found. Computer-based "brain training" is useful for older adults, but only if it's conducted in a group setting, research suggests.[sub Read More...
On-time operations or get it free: Qld
Last Updated: 24-11-2014
Patients in Queensland requiring surgery will be operated on within the medically recommended time or get it all free, says the health minister. Queensland's health minister has announced a guarantee that patients will receive their surgery wi Read More...
US town scraps bid to ban tobacco sales
Date of Posting: 21-11-2014
A bid to ban tobacco sales in a US town has been reversed. Health officials in a US town have voted to withdraw a proposal that would have made it the first in the country to ban all tobacco sales.[subscribe] Westminster's board of health v Read More...
Obesity costs hit $US2 trillion: report
Date of Posting: 21-11-2014
Obesity is costing 2.8 per cent of the global gross domestic product, or $US2 trillion, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report. A new report shows the global cost of obesity has risen to $US2 trillion ($A2.2 trillion) annually - nearly as Read More...
Video games help Parkinson's: researchers
Date of Posting: 21-11-2014
Game consoles like Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect have been found to aid symptoms of degenerative brain conditions. Computer consoles can help improve the lives of people with the neurological disease Parkinson's, researchers have found.[subscri Read More...
Oxygen may harm heart attack patients
Date of Posting: 20-11-2014
Giving oxygen to heart attack victims may cause additional damage to the heart, Ambulance Victoria says. Giving oxygen to heart attack victims may do more harm than good, a study suggests.[subscribe] Ambulance Victoria treated 440 patients - ha Read More...
Vic skin cancer warning for men
Date of Posting: 20-11-2014
New data shows Victorian men over 45 suffer melanoma at twice the rate of women in the same age group. Slip, slop, slap - and go to the doctor is Cancer Council Victoria's warning to men over 45.[subscribe] The latest data shows Victorian m Read More...
Qld now Australia's fattest state
Date of Posting: 20-11-2014
More than two-thirds of adults and a quarter of children in Queensland are overweight or obese, a new report says. Queenslanders are the fattest Australians.[subscribe] The Health of Queenslanders Report, released on Wednesday, shows two-thirds Read More...
Mental Health Assessments using a Bio-Psycho-Social-Cultural Model
Date of Posting: 19-11-2014
A patient’s mental health can be evaluated in two dimensions: 1) The absence of mental illness, and 2) The presence of a well-adjusted individual who is able to participate in society.[subscribe] A holistic assessment of a patient must con Read More...
Australians urged to curb antibiotic use
Date of Posting: 19-11-2014
The misuse and overuse of antibiotics can put you at risk due to antibiotic resistance. WHY WE MUST STOP OVER USING ANTIBIOTICS:[subscribe] * Overuse and misuse of antibiotics is increasing the problem of antibiotic resistance. * The more anti Read More...
Smoking banned in NSW national parks
Date of Posting: 17-11-2014
Smoking is to be banned in all 860 national parks in NSW, Environment Minister Rob Stokes has announced. Smoking is to be banned in NSW national parks, the state government has announced.[subscribe] Environment Minister Rob Stokes said the ban Read More...
8 dead in Portugal Legionnaire outbreak
Date of Posting: 17-11-2014
The death toll in a Legionnaire's disease outbreak in Portugal has climbed to eight, officials have announced. The death toll has climbed to eight in a Legionnaire's disease outbreak in Portugal which the World Health Organisation has call Read More...
Fewer Aussie teens getting suntans
Date of Posting: 17-11-2014
Fewer Australian teenagers are willing to bake themselves in the hot sun for the sake of a tan compared to 10 years ago, a Cancer Council survey has found. Getting a sun tan isn't as cool as it used it be among young Australians.[subscribe] Read More...
Doctors seeing more mental health problems
Last Updated: 14-11-2014
The number of visits to doctors by Australians seeking help with mental health problems is on the rise, according to a report. The number of Australians seeking help from GPs for mental health problems is on the rise, with depression and anxiety t Read More...
Health groups call for govt action on coal
Date of Posting: 14-11-2014
The Australian government is paying little attention to the health effects of the nation's reliance on coal, health organisations and unions warn. Australia's reliance on coal is making the population sick, health organisations and unions Read More...
Diabetes myths contribute to bullying
Date of Posting: 13-11-2014
Almost 50 per cent of those with type 1 diabetes have been bullied, with misunderstandings about the disease contributing to the problem. Writes Leah McLennan. [subscribe] If you think type 1 diabetes is brought on by guzzling too much suga Read More...
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...
