Study of energy and health in Africa focuses spotlight on charcoal and forest management
...azil and Thailand, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 45 percent in a gradual transition scenario, and by 66 percent in a rapid transition case. "This study shows that choosing energy technologies with an eye toward improving health and quality of life in one of the world's most impoverished areas o...Charcoal and forest management could reduce greenhouse gas levels & save lives in Africa
...azil and Thailand, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 45-66 percent. The researchers conclude that helping African nations make the transition to clean charcoal without drastically increasing pollution and decimating tropical forests would be an excellent way to achieve several of the United Nation'...Study shows soy is well accepted in school lunches
...calories, and cholesterol in the soy versions were reduced by at least one half." Soy-enhanced ravioli and a...version. The percent of calories from fat was also reduced from 54 percent to 14 percent." Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's values for fast-food c...Acupuncture found to lower elevations in blood pressure
..., the researchers found that a 30-minute treatment reduced blood pressure rates in these test rats by 25 mmHg -- with the effect lasting almost two hours. "This type of electroacupuncture is only effective on elevated blood pressure levels, such as those present in hypertension, and the treatment has no impa...Optical technique identifies vulnerable plaques in cardiac patients
... syndrome (ACS), a set of symptoms associated with reduced blood supply to the heart muscle. A third group had stable angina, chest pain that occurs with physical or mental stress, which is not usually related to plaque rupture. Clear OCT images of the suspicious lesions were obtained for 20 heart attack p...Researchers search for first sign of congestive heart failure
...oblem with pressure returning to normal because of reduced ability to eliminate sodium. Dr. Kapuku wants to know if this impaired ability to regulate sodium also increases the risk for the early changes in the heart's ability to fill. He'll look at a cross- section of teens to determine the contribution of r...Vaccine against childhood pneumonia shows promise
...ith 513 of 8151 in the control group. The vaccine reduced the first episode of pneumonia diagnosed by chest x-ray by 37% and reduced admissions to hospital by 15%. Disease caused by the types of pneumococcus bacteria in the vaccine ...Oral bacteria may predict pregnancy outcomes
...thweight." "Our observation that A.naeslundii gsp2 reduced birthweight and preterm delivery fits well with the theory that oral bacteria and the molecules the body produces against them can enter the uterine environment through the blood stream and may influence the delivery process," explained Dr. Ananda P....Cardiac deaths peak in sleep hours for patients with sleep apnea
...searchers also could not tell whether CPAP devices reduced the nocturnal death risk because records of whether they had been used in the days before sudden death were unavailable. Previous studies have proven CPAP effective in OSA symptom relief and in raising nighttime oxygen levels in the blood, however. ...Mental health service costs offset by savings in other public sectors
Penn State researchers have found that reduced expenditures for inpatient hospitalization, the ju... spending in other service sectors in the analysis reduced the between-community cost difference from 81 percent to only 18 percent more for system of care. ...Extreme exertion, emotion can spark repeat heart attacks
...ack or sudden death. Physically fit people enjoy a reduced risk of heart attacks, while inactive cardiac patients who suddenly engage in vigorous activity may do so at their peril. The findings come from a review published in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine of dozens of studies done between 1970...ESC releases the first European Guidelines on Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI)
...imary PCI compared with thrombolysis significantly reduced stroke. Overall, the recommendation is for primary PCI over thrombolysis in the first 3 hours of chest pain, in order to prevent stroke, and in patients presenting 3-12 hours after the onset of chest pain, to salvage myocardium as well as preventing...Targeting mutant B-Raf protein reduces melanoma development
...ibitor, to show that lowering mutant B-Raf protein reduced melanoma development. "Reducing B-Raf activity in...ng melanoma tumors, inhibiting V599EB-Raf activity reduced vascular development, which is essential for tumor growth. Without vascular support the tumors remai...Study shows use of budesonide reduced the risk of asthma related events by 40% in children
...hildren with mild persistent asthma, significantly reduced the long-term risk and frequency of severe asthma-... usual asthma care. The earlier use of budesonide reduced the risk of exacerbation, or severe asthma related events by 40 percent compared to usual asthma car...Simple intervention encourages sun protection behaviors
...intervention plus sunless tanner use significantly reduced these [previous] already low sunbathing rates" the authors report. "However, the intervention significantly increased use of sun protection during incidental sun exposure." Thirty-seven percent of those who received the sunless tanner reported using...WISE study starts in Toulouse: 60 days of bed-rest for terrestrial female astronauts
... bedridden patients. Studying the early effects of reduced activity on a molecular level is expected to provide further evidence of the benefits of regular exercise in the prevention of conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure....Medically supervised drug injection facilities safer for users
...as younger age and use of safer injection facility reduced the incidence of syringe sharing. The investigator...jection facility was independently associated with reduced syringe sharing in a community-recruited sample of injection drug users who had similar rates of syr...NHS stop-smoking services are insufficient to deliver national smoking targets
...moking cessation services in the region for 2003-4 reduced smoking rates by 0.1%-0.3%. If the trend continues, the study predicts that Stop-Smoking Services may deliver less than 1% of the 2010 target of a 5% fall in smoking prevalence. Government targets on reducing smoking ignore the health inequalities g...Countywide forecasts of water use available for Illinois, Midwest
... person in 2025. "Some of the projections could be reduced by implementing water-conservation programs and improving efficiency of water use," Winstanley said. The thirsty spot in the state is the Chicago metropolitan area. "Public-supply-water use is projected to increase by an average of about 30 percent i...Explosion of child obesity predicted to shorten us life expectancy
...ed estimates of years-of-life lost from obesity. A reduced life expectancy could have implications for such p...ps are expected to be hardest hit because of their reduced access to health care and especially sharp increases in childhood and adult obesity. The long-term ...