Diseases never discriminate and no one has complete immunity against infection. All we can do is decrease the likelihood of being infected and by being as hygienic as possible. Proper hygiene practices go a long way in ensuring that one stays healthy. Sanitation practices start in your own home, especially the bathroom, since that’s the favorite breeding ground for bacteria. A recent study conducted by Unilever’s Global Research Centre has revealed … full story

Some cancer drugs used to treat patients with leukemia may also help stop the Ebola virus and give the body time to control the infection before it turns deadly, US researchers said on Wednesday. The much-feared Ebola virus emerged in Africa in the 1970s and can incite a hemorrhagic fever which causes a person to bleed to death in up to 90 percent of cases. While rare, the Ebola virus is considered a potential weapon for bioterrorists because it … full story

Taking a dip in a tub of cold water after exercising may prevent muscle soreness, but a new look at past research says little is known about its side effects or even how long to stay in the water. In general, the researchers said there is very little quality research on the topic of so-called cryotherapy, despite the treatment's popularity to prevent or reduce muscle soreness days after exercising. "It's a typical intervention in sports medicine … full story

Breathing air pollutants raises the risk of having a heart attack, a new review suggested. Other studies have linked air pollution levels to hospital admissions and deaths from cardiovascular disease. But making that link for heart attacks has been controversial, since the research has been mixed. In Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Hazrije Mustafic from the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center and his team … full story

Aspirin and other household drugs may inhibit the spread of cancer because they help shut down the chemical "highways" which feed tumours, Australian researchers said Tuesday. Scientists at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said they have made a biological breakthrough helping explain how lymphatic vessels - key to the transmission of tumours throughout the body - respond to cancer. "We've shown that molecules like the aspirin could effectively … full story

Loss of memory and other brain function can start as early as age 45, posing a big challenge to scientists looking for new ways to stave off dementia, researchers said. The finding from a 10-year study of more than 7,000 British government workers contradicts previous notions that cognitive decline does not begin before 60 years of age, and it could have far-reaching implications for dementia research. Pinpointing the age at which memory, reasoning … full story

Obese people who had weight-loss surgery were less likely to later suffer a heart attack or stroke, or to die from one, compared to people who did not have the surgery, according to a Swedish study. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, come from a study of more than 4,000 obese people treated at 500 surgery departments and health care centers in Sweden. Between 1987 and 2001, half of those people opted for … full story

In people with low blood levels of vitamin D, boosting them with supplements more than halved a person's risk of dying from any cause compared to someone who remained deficient, in a large new study. Analyzing data on more than 10,000 patients, University of Kansasresearchers found that 70 percent were deficient in vitamin D and they were at significantly higher risk for a variety of heart diseases. D-deficiency also nearly doubled a person's likelihood … full story

Normal weight adults, including those who had lost a lot of weight and kept it off, ate more often than overweight people in a new study looking at factors that may help in preventing weight gain. Researchers following about 250 people for a year found that overweight individuals ate fewer snacks in addition to meals than people in the normal body weight range, but the overweight still took in more calories and they were less active over the course … full story

Playing video games for hours on end may not be that bad after all. It could perhaps prepare your child to become a skilled surgeon one day. Playing video games gives one an advantage not only in the games themselves but also in performing other tasks requiring visuomotor skills – connections between visual and motor processes in the brain. Motor processes are linked with acquiring skills or skilled movements as a result of practice. Researchers … full story