They may not be the most advanced pieces of equipment in Thailand’s military arsenal, but parents and officers say “buffalo soldiers” are making strides helping autistic children come out of their shells. (AFP) https://youtu.be/IwhuUrimres
Health
Common gene explains why some people’s brains age faster
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A common gene variant has been discovered in about one-third of the population that may explain why some people’s brains age faster than others, United States researchers said Wednesday. The gene, known as TMEM106B, accelerates normal brain aging in older people by up to 12 years, said the report in the journal Cell Systems. The gene generally starts to affect people around 65, particularly in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for higher […]
Unproven stem cell therapy causes three women to go blind
by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — An unproven stem cell therapy that involves extracting a patient’s fat tissue and injecting it into the eyes has caused three United States women to go blind, a report said Wednesday. The women, aged between 72 and 88, were treated in Florida in 2015 for a progressive eye disease called macular degeneration, said the report in the New England Journal of Medicine. They thought they […]
Smoking paradise Japan tries to kick the habit
by Anne BEADE Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is moving to pass its strictest-ever smoking laws, but the country’s powerful tobacco lobby wants to stub out measures that were adopted years ago by other developed nations. The government is keen to change Japan’s image as a puffing paradise — smoking is still allowed in most bars, restaurants and cafes — as Tokyo gets set to host millions of visitors for the 2020 […]
‘World’s heaviest woman’ has surgery in India, loses 100 kgs
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — Indian doctors said Thursday that an Egyptian who was believed to be the world’s heaviest woman had successfully undergone weight-loss surgery after losing over 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, who previously weighed around 500 kilos, had not left her house in Egypt in over two decades until arriving in Mumbai last month for bariatric surgery. “We are happy to inform all well-wishers that the medical team of […]
Face masks for kids to counter toxic city air
LONDON, England (Reuters) — A London-based designer has developed pollution-busting face masks to protect children from the English capital city’s toxic air. Doodle Masks come in colourful designs, including Disney film themes, designed to attract children, and are sold for £7.50 ($9.41 USD) each online. “The face mask is important because you want to protect your children from taking the pollution into their lungs and affecting them, especially as my son could develop asthma in […]
Study: Fat intake has direct effect on spread of cancer
The amount of fat we eat has a direct link to a cancer’s ability to spread around the body, according to scientists in Spain. The growth of cancerous tumors at secondary sites in the body is called metastasis and is the main cause of cancer related deaths. The researchers say a protein called CD36 absorbs fat from the cell membrane and is the agent that determines whether a cancer metastasizes or not. “When one looks […]
Shanghai expands public smoking ban
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Shanghai widened its ban on public smoking Wednesday as China’s biggest city steps up efforts to stub out the massive health threat despite conflicts of interest with the state-owned tobacco industry. Nearly a quarter of adults in the commercial hub of 24 million people are smokers, according to the state-run People’s Daily newspaper, citing data from the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control. Shanghai has had a limited ban on public smoking since […]
Why sitting down may not be as bad for you as you thought
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) — Sitting down may not be as deadly as previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney. Previous research has linked sedentary lifestyles to heart disease, type two diabetes and cancer, with sitting branded the “new smoking”. A new study led by associate professor Emmanuel Stamatakis reveals that inactivity alone does not lead to a higher incidence of type two diabetes. […]
WHO puts out first-ever list of antibiotic resistant bacteria
The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first ever list of antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens” and called on governments to help increase the research and development (R&D) of new antibiotics to address the growing problem. The United National Health Agency said that many of these bacteria have already evolved into deadly superbugs that are resistant to many antibiotics. According to the health organization, the bugs “have built-in abilities to find new ways to resist treatment” and […]
Flu medicines do not harm unborn babies: study
PARIS, France (AFP) — Unborn children suffer no harm when their mothers take flu medication during pregnancy, a study of some 700,000 women said Wednesday. It was the largest study ever to assess the potential risks of taking oseltamivir or zanamivir (better known as Tamiflu and Relenza) — the two main drugs to combat serious flu infections — during pregnancy, its authors said. The team compared almost 6,000 pregnant women in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and […]
1.4 million children face famine in four countries: UNICEF
UNITED NATION, UNITED States (AFP) — Almost 1.4 million children suffering from severe malnutrition could die this year from famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, the UN children’s agency said Monday. In Yemen, where war has been raging for nearly two years, 462,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition while 450,000 children are severely malnourished in northeast Nigeria. Fews Net, the famine early warning system, said some remote areas of Nigeria’s Borno state […]