Researchers warn test has potential for encouraging sex-selection Pregnant women could find out whether they are carrying a boy or a girl as early as five weeks, after scientists developed a pioneering non-invasive test. A team at Cheil General Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, found that various ratios of two enzymes, which can be extracted from a pregnant mother’s blood, indicate the baby’s gender as early as five or six weeks. Read more…

Boys must be immunised against the most common sexually transmitted virus, health experts have said. The call comes after figures revealed an alarming rise in cancer linked to oral sex in young men. Cases of throat cancer have more than doubled to more than 1,000 a year since the mid-1990s. Previously the figure had been stable for many years. More than 70 per cent of cases are caused by human papilloma virus, compared with less than a third a decade ago. HPV, which can be transmitted during sex and open-mouth kissing, is the main cause of cervical cancer in women, with almost 3,000 women a year...

About 20% of American adults reported having had a mental illness during the preceding year, a government survey found. The figure rose to almost 30% of those in the 18 to 25 age group, compared with 14.3% of patients 50 and older, according to researchers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). And of the nearly 46 million U.S. adults who reported having had a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder when surveyed in 2010, some 60% didn’t receive any treatment for the condition. The most common reason for not getting mental healthcare was not being...

1. First remedy of its kind 2. Combination of aspirin and caffeine eradicates all symptoms in just 15 minutes 3. Designed by ex-financier with no pharmaceutical background 4. More effective than other products on the market Alcohol-induced hangovers will be a thing of the past thanks to a new over-the-counter remedy say U.S. scientists. A single dose of Blowfish can eradicate all symptoms sparked by a night of heavy drinking, such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue, in just 15 minutes. Hailed as a miracle cure by its maker, the pill – which contains 500 milligrams of aspirin, 60 milligrams of...

Women who go on a low carb diet just two days per week have a lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who follow a standard calorie-restricted diet every day of the week, in order to lose weight and lower their insulin blood levels. Long-term high blood insulin levels are known to raise cancer risk. These findings were presented by scientists from Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital in South Manchester, England, at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The researchers stressed that a larger, longer-term additional study is required. Michelle Harvie,...

Some people cry over the hue of their eyes. If only they were blue, rather than muddy brown. And, well, brown eyes don’t look so good with your dyed-blonde hair. An inventor in California believes he has found the solution. Gregg Homer, founder of Stroma Medical, says that, in a mere 20 seconds, he can turn old brown eyes into old blue eyes. Or even young ones. The way Homer told it to KTLA News, brown eyes are actually blue. Well, beneath the brown pigment that covers the iris, there is apparently a blue-looking orb. Read more…

With 29 people now confirmed dead, the listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe from one Colorado farm is officially the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the United States since 1924, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak comes from Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes sold by Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo. The cantaloupes were recalled Sept. 14, and no melons under the recall are still on store shelves. The CDC announced the latest death toll Wednesday. The deaths have been in: Colorado, 8; Indiana, 1;, Kansas, 3; Louisiana, 2; Maryland, 1; Missouri, 2; Nebraska,...

Yellow markings on the eyelids are a sign of increased risk of heart attack and other illnesses, say researchers in Denmark. A study published on the BMJ website showed patients with xanthelasmata were 48% more likely to have a heart attack. Xanthelasmata, which are mostly made up of cholesterol, could be a sign of other fatty build-ups in the body. Cardiologists said the findings could be used by doctors to help diagnose at-risk patients. The research team at the Herlev Hospital in Denmark started following 12,745 people in the 1970s. At the start of the study, 4.4% of patients had xanthelasmata....

A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn’t afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care. According to NBC affiliate WLWT, Kyle Willis’ wisdom tooth started hurting two weeks ago. When dentists told him it needed to be pulled, he decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance. When his face started swelling and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions...

(Reuters) – A pioneering clinical trial to inject stem cells into the brains of patients disabled by stroke has been cleared to progress to the next stage after the treatment raised no safety concerns in the first three candidates. ReNeuron Group PLC, the British biotech behind the trial, said the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board had reviewed safety data from its ReN001 stem cell therapy and recommended the trial advance to the higher dose. “Data from the laboratory safety tests, neurological examinations and neurofunctional tests conducted thus far indicate that the ReN001...