A study recently published in Hemodialysis International found that more frequent hemodialysis treatments (five or more weekly) can significantly increase the survival rate of patients suffering from irreversible kidney failure. Typical treatment in the US generally involves three sessions weekly.
Researchers who thought they had identified the bacterial perpetrator of the often severe disease caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) had better keep looking: Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have exonerated a toxin widely thought to be the guilty party.
Biologists have invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device — the LouseBuster — and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs, or “nits,” and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
The growing number of children relying on portable home ventilators to breathe create their own ventilator-dependent lifestyles. But low esteem and social exclusion remain major problems. Professor Jane Noyes’ six-year study included interviews with over 100 children and parents. A third of the home ventilated children had received spinal or head injuries. The other two-thirds had congenital conditions.
Doctors have created a first-ever computer tool to predict the risk of breast cancer returning in the same breast over a 10-year period in women who have had breast conserving surgery to remove only the cancer (lumpectomy), according to a study presented November 6, 2006, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 48th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Senior health officials of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau today (November 6) reaffirmed the importance of co-operation and information exchange in a tripartite meeting.
The Centre for Health Protection has cautioned the public to be vigilant against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, as many places, including Hong Kong, have seen its occurrence in the community.
The Centre for Health Protection has confirmed another enterovirus-71 case involving an 18-month-old boy, bringing the year’s total to 15.
The Department of Health has warned consumers not to buy a medicinal product called Shenxiaotoutongsan as it contains three undeclared Western drug ingredients that may cause side effects.
As the number of older people increases, the number of people who experience dementia before they die is also likely to increase, according to a new study. The research, spearheaded by Professor Carol Brayne at the University of Cambridge, has shown that factors believed to protect against dementia at earlier stages in life may not provide protection from dementia at the end of life.