Doc Blog

While consumers in the U.S. seem to be grappling to deal with an almost continuous parade of food recalls and alerts, Australian consumers will be heartened to hear that since 2000 the number of Australian food recalls has fallen to its lowest level in 8 years. According to food regulator, Food Standards Australia New [...]

Australian researchers have found a link between alcohol and premature births and say women should limit their alcohol intake during pregnancy, especially in the first three months. The researchers from the University of Western Australia, conducted a study involving 4,719 Australian women and found an almost 80% higher risk of premature births for women who [...]

A study which reviewed physical activity in schools has found that school health and exercise programmes can offer benefits even if they don’t help students lose weight. The researchers from the Cochrane Library say school-based health and exercise programs offer positive outcomes despite having little effect on children’s weight or the amount of exercise they [...]

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have for decades been regarded as two distinct psychotic disorders when it comes to definitions and risk factors. Schizophrenia is a psychotic illness that causes delusions and hallucinations - bipolar disorder also known as manic depression, causes extreme mood swings from deep depression to manic episodes. But now a study by [...]

Significant local and international variations in the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stem at least in part from a “zone of ambiguity”–different interpretations of what is normal behavior and what level of impairment is required for a psychiatric diagnosis. Furthermore, the long-term effectiveness of different treatments is unclear. These are among [...]

As the Dengue fever outbreak in Cairns continues unabated a health official has said the outbreak is the worst in Queensland since World War II times. The number of confirmed cases has now reached epidemic levels with more than 160 reported in recent weeks. Dr. Linda Selvey from the Tropical Population Health says 167 cases [...]

Using tiny chemotherapy-soaked beads to choke off and kill cancerous liver tumors is becoming more successful, according to research being presented at the 21st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET). Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a minimally invasive therapy that takes a two-pronged approach to treating cancer. Interventional physicians use minimally invasive methods to deliver [...]

The severity of first heart attacks has dropped significantly in the United States - propelling a decline in coronary heart disease deaths, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. “This landmark study suggests that better prevention and better management in the hospital have contributed to the reduction in deaths,” said Merle Myerson, [...]

Two out of three Canadians are not aware of peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.), a common vascular disease that affects as many as 800,000 Canadians, according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Commonly known as “hardening of the arteries,” P.A.D. occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty [...]

Three new genetic variations that increase the risk of obesity are revealed in a new study, published today in the journal Nature Genetics. The authors suggest that if each acted independently, these variants could be responsible for up to 50% of cases of severe obesity. Together with existing research, the new findings should ultimately provide [...]