HEALTH

Total knee replacement surgery improves balance in elderly patients.

Researchers found that among 160 5- to 18-year-olds with asthma seen at their center, the 46 with peanut allergies generally had more hospitalizations for asthma exacerbations than children without the food allergy.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Needle-exchange programs designed to cut injection drug users' risk of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and other infections do seem to reduce needle sharing, but there is only limited evidence that they lower disease transmission, a new research review concludes.

According to the Northern Territory Aboriginal health organization, AMSANT, Australia is in the face of a 'renal tsunami' due to bickering between Northern Territory and Southern Australia governments on the matters of renal dialysis.

According to Australian government health data, a significant proportion of Australians are getting bigger.

A world expert, professor Graham Colditz, an Australian who has taught Harvard, and is now based at the University of Washington Medical School, warns that Australia could expect a double in the number of cancer cases within 20 years, if poor lifestyle habits are not changed.

Healthcare and industry groups are calling for chronic pain to be accepted as a disease, saying the condition has been misunderstood; similar to depression was, back before it was recognized as a disease.

A recent spread of dengue fever cases has been declared, with three cases originating in the north Queensland town of Tully. Queensland Health medical director Dr Jeffrey Hanna says while the outbreak is small; there is no time to be complacent.

(Reuters) - Only half of patients at high risk of heart disease are given the right targets for cutting their cholesterol and millions may suffer heart attack or stroke due to doctors' poor advice, scientists said on Thursday.

Two studies published on Wednesday show it is possible to sequence the entire gene maps of families with inherited diseases and pinpoint the offending bit of DNA.

New genetic study on the nearly extinct Tasmanian devil, found that 20 percent of the devils have a genetic make-up that could help them fight off the deadly facial tumour disease (DFTD).

According to the latest findings released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, young male motorcyclists fall in the ranks of Australians who suffer from spinal cord injuries.

According the report from the National Indigenous Health Equality Council, there is an increase in the number of Indigenous babies with low birth weight.

In the paper published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, papaya leaf extract has been found to boost the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines that suggests potential therapeutic abilities that use the immune system to fight cancers in addition to its direct antitumour effect on various cancers.

Following the reports made by a number of Coastal patients that were being scared off getting the swine flu jab, after warnings that it might carry a long list of possible side effects, Dr Emil Djakic Chairman of General Practice Australia, commented that the swine flu vaccine was safe and effective against a highly contagious illness.

An experimental approach that looks for the DNA leaking out from dead and dying cells may provide a route to a blood test for breast cancer.

People sensitive to the taste of fat tend to eat less of it and are less likely to be overweight, according to Australian research that found human tongues can detect fatty tastes.

Healthy Americans who donated a kidney were not at higher risk of dying afterward, which may reassure potential donors and help shorten the long waiting list for an organ.

The study findings of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Center (NBOCC) released today found that women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are at a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with a subsequent invasive breast cancer.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) reports that the workers of Woodside Petroleum's Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects located at Western Australia have been exposed to high levels of asbestos.

Recent research shows that more than 70 percent of Australian who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), available over-the-counter at supermarkets, are unaware of their associated health consequences.

Based on reviews performed by Dr Richard Fletcher from the University of Newcastle, on popular parenting and mental health web sites, fathers are often disregarded when it comes to the dealings of postnatal depression care.

Australian researchers are studying the link between Hepatitis C and the development of diabetes and they have made an unexpected discovery. Initially, the increase risk of type 2 diabetes was thought to be associated with fat build-up in the liver caused by Hepatitis C but tests on people with blood-borne virus was something different.

(Reuters) - The Dutch government wants to sell 21 million unused H1N1 flu vaccine doses back to their manufacturers after they proved unnecessary and no other country wanted to buy them, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Hitting the road to rally support in the final push for healthcare reform, Obama used a campaign-style speech to urge Democrats to approve a bill and quickly end the political wrangling that has consumed Washington since July.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Light to moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is not only good for a woman's heart, it's also good for her waistline, according to a study reported Monday.

The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- is within reach by 2015, the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said.

The inquest of the television newsreader Charmaine Dragun's suicide has signaled a mental health crisis in Australia.

A new Australian modeling study suggested that the most effective nanoparticles in some invisible sunscreens might be the most toxic.