Life Expectancy Gap Widens Between Women in Rich and Poor Countries

Lisa Schlein

GENEVA — The World Health Organization reports women aged 50 and older globally are healthier now than they were 20 and 30 years ago.   But while women’s health has improved, a new WHO study finds the gap in life expectancy is widening between older women in rich and poor countries.

CDC: 1 in 4 US Deaths From Heart Disease Preventable

Reuters

CHICAGO — About one in four U.S. deaths from heart disease could be avoided with better prevention efforts and treatment, a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The first-of-its-kind report estimated that preventable deaths from heart disease in 2010 amounted to as many as 200,000 individuals who might have been spared an early death from a heart attack or stroke.

Statins Could Extend Life

VOA News

Statins, long prescribed to those with high cholesterol, may actually prevent aging and extend lifespan, according to new research in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal.

The research indicates that statins reduce the speed at which telomeres shorten, a key factor in the aging process. A telomere is a region of DNA strand at the end of a chromosome that protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration.

Scientists Discover Key to Normal Memory Lapses in Seniors

Reuters

NEW YORK — Scientists have good news for all the older adults who occasionally forget why they walked into a room — and panic that they are getting Alzheimer's disease.

Not only is age-related memory loss a syndrome in its own right and completely unrelated to that dread disease, but unlike Alzheimer's it may be reversible or even preventable, researchers led by a Nobel laureate said in a study published on Wednesday.

S. African Manhood Initiation Entrenched Despite Dangers

Thuso Khumalo

MPUMALANGA PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA — Initiating boys into manhood is an ancient African tradition still valued and practiced by many tribes in South Africa. In some tribes, a male is never recognized as a real man if he has not participated in the formal rituals.

To undergo initiation, boys as young as 12 are compelled to stay in the mountains away from their families for about five weeks. What happens there is shrouded in secrecy and never discussed once they return.

Ovarian Cancer Test Shows Promise in Screening Healthy Women

Jessica Berman

Researchers are exploring a new strategy that would allow a blood test, long used to detect ovarian cancer in women suspected of having the disease, to function as a screening tool for the lethal illness in healthy women.

Ovarian cancer is responsible for nearly two percent of all cancers diagnosed globally each year, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International. The disease is highly lethal because it often causes no specific symptoms in its early stages, and by the time a woman goes to the doctor complaining of abdominal bloating and pain, it's often too late for effective treatment.

Limited HIV Therapy Beneficial for Infants Immediately After Diagnosis

Jessica Berman

Researchers have found that giving antiviral therapy for a limited time to HIV-infected babies soon after diagnosis prevents damage to their immune systems and delays the need for long-term drug therapy.

The South African study, which enrolled 377 HIV-positive infants between six and 12 weeks of age, divided the babies into three groups. Beginning at age seven weeks, one group received antiviral drugs, or ART, and stopped close to their first birthday. The second group of infants receiving ART stopped around the age of two.

Urine test might predict kidney transplant rejection: study

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A noninvasive urine test might offer doctors a simple way to tell if a kidney transplant patient is at risk of transplant rejection, a U.S. study said Thursday.

The study published in the American Journal of Transplantation said low levels of a protein in the urine of kidney transplant recipients, known as CXCL9, could be used to diagnose and even predict transplant rejection.

Polio Spreads to Ethiopia

A polio outbreak on the Horn of Africa has spread to Ethiopia.

An 18-month-old child in the Warder district of Ethiopia is the country’s first polio case since 2008.

Warder district is just across the border from Somalia, where 108 polio cases have been reported this year.

Carol Pandak heads Rotary International’s polio eradication program.

Unsafe Abortions Continue in Kenya Despite Reforms

NAIROBI — A new report from Kenya’s ministry of health reveals 465,000 women had abortions last year, the vast majority in unsafe conditions -- despite more liberal abortion laws. 

According to this week's report, Kenya’s national abortion rate, at 48 abortions for every 1,000 women, is higher than almost every other country in Africa.

Most of the procedures have taken place in unsafe conditions, either outside of medical facilities or without the assistance of trained professionals.

New Compound Holds Great Promise as Ebola Treatment

Scientists have developed a promising treatment for Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a lethal disease spread by infected bats in western Africa. The experimental compound could become the first successful treatment for Ebola - even following the onset of severe symptoms.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is 90 percent fatal. By the time most people suddenly come down with symptoms including high fever, severe headache, body aches and respiratory symptoms, little can be done to save their lives.  

New Compound Holds Great Promise as Ebola Treatment

Jessica Berman

Scientists have developed a promising treatment for Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a lethal disease spread by infected bats in western Africa. The experimental compound could become the first successful treatment for Ebola - even following the onset of severe symptoms.

China Bird Flu Analysis Finds More Virus Threats Lurking

VOA News

LONDON — A deadly new bird flu virus in China evolved from migratory birds via waterfowl to poultry and into people, and there are other bird flu viruses circulating that could follow the same path, scientists have found.

The study - an analysis of the evolutionary history of the H7N9 bird flu that has so far killed 44 people - identified several other H7 flu viruses circulating in birds that the researchers said “may pose threats beyond the current outbreak”.

Treated Bed Nets Critical to Eradicating Debilitating Tropical Disease

VOA News

BANGKOK — Inexpensive bed nets treated with insecticide may hold the key to eradicating a debilitating disease that threatens one-fifth of the world's population - mainly those living in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Scientists say they have been able to demonstrate that the most common cause of the tropical disease elephantiasis can be virtually eradicated - even in lieu of medication - if those at risk sleep under nets treated with chemicals that kill mosquitoes.

Breast Milk Provides Babies with Good Gut Bacteria

Researchers say so-called "good bacteria" flow from the mother's gut to her newborn through breast milk, helping to establish good digestive health and the foundation of early immunity.  They say it is yet another reason "breast is best."

The researchers, led by Professor Christophe Lacroix at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health in Zurich, Switzerland, found the same

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Judge Blocks Oklahoma "Plan B" Contraception Law

A judge in Oklahoma issued a temporary restraining order on Monday blocking implementation of a law that critics said would limit a woman's access to emergency contraception known as the “morning after pill,” court records showed.

“Once again Oklahoma politicians' efforts to turn back the clock on women's health and rights have been blocked,” David Brown, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in an emailed statement.

Copper Implicated as a Possible Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists say copper may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that causes dementia and eventually death.  

Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of dementia worldwide in people ages 65 and older.  According to the organization Alzheimer's Disease International, almost 36 million people were living with dementia globally in 2010, and the number is projected to rise to 115 million by 2050.

Universal health coverage key to social stability: WHO official

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said Thursday that providing universal health coverage is key to maintaining social harmony and stability.

Chan made the remarks at a publishing ceremony for WHO's 2013 World Health Report, adding that she hopes China can play a bigger role in encouraging universal health coverage.

Texas issues measles alert

HOUSTON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in the U.S. state of Texas have issued a measles alert due to a sharp increase of cases this year.

About a dozen people have been confirmed to have measles in Texas so far this year, local media outlet Houston Chronicle on Sunday quoted state health authorities as saying.