Health :: University and state agencies to forecast local health effects of climate change

Climate changes have jeopardized human health in the past, and are bound to do so again. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, for example, led to many illnesses and deaths from breathing difficulties and malnutrition, and prompted westward migrations of people vying for scarce food, shelter, and work.

Epilepsy :: Mass General Hospital testing new epilepsy therapy device

In an effort to find a better therapy and improve the lives of people with epilepsy, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Epilepsy Service is participating in the RNS? System Pivotal Clinical Investigation, a study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a responsive brain stimulation device in reducing the frequency of uncontrolled seizures. MGH is one of only 28 centers across the country participating in this study.

Genome :: Mouse genome will help identify causes of environmental disease

Research on the DNA of 15 mouse strains commonly used in biomedical studies is expected to help scientists determine the genes related to susceptibility to environmental disease. The body of data is now publicly available in a catalog of genetic variants, which displays the data as a mouse haplotype map, a tool that separates chromosomes in to many small segments, helping researchers find genes and genetic variations in mice that may affect health and disease.

Health :: Hikers could die from AMS: Prevention awareness needs to increase

Acute mountain sickness affects almost half of those ascending to heights over 3,000 meters and may lead to life-threatening complications such as pulmonary or cerebral edema. A new study appearing in Journal of Travel Medicine details a prospective on-site study in the Himalayas between July and October 2004 in which the knowledge and practices concerning AMS were examined amongst trekkers.

Meditation :: Therapeutic value of meditation unproven

“There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies,” say Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond, researchers at the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center in Edmonton, Canada.

Heart :: European Heart Health Charter crosses borders to fight CVD

Recognising that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) kills almost half of the population of Europe and costs the EU ?169 billion annually, the European Heart Health Charter was conceived by the European Society of Cardiology and the European Heart Network with the support of the European Commission and WHO Regional Office for Europe.