Category Archives: Health

Machen schlechte Luft: Outdoor-Jacken

Ob China, Arktis oder Südafrika – und vermutlich auch bei Ihnen zu Hause: PFC-Chemikalien lassen sich weltweit nachweisen. Sie gelangen in Hausstaub, Trinkwasser und Blut, weil sie in großen Mengen in der Textilproduktion eingesetzt werden. Greenpeace wollte wissen, wie viel davon in unserer Outdoor-Kleidung steckt und hat Jacken und Handschuhe ins Labor geschickt.

In allen 17 Produkten wiesen zwei unabhängige Labore per- und polyfluorierte Chemikalien (PFC) und andere Schadstoffe nach. An neun der 17 Proben hat Greenpeace erstmals testen lassen, ob die Giftstoffe aus den Textilien auch an die Luft abgegeben werden. Auch das ist der Fall. (more…)

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UCLA researchers’ new technique improves accuracy, ease of cancer diagnosis

‘Deformability cytometry’ can closely analyze more than 1,000 cells per second

A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high degree of accuracy.
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Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat

ANN ARBOR — Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is riskier than just drinking alcohol alone, according to a new study that examines the impact of a growing trend among young adults.

Published in the current issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study was conducted by Megan Patrick of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and Jennifer Maggs of Penn State University. (more…)

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IBM Research and Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Convert Recycled Plastics into Disease Fighting Nanofibers

Opens new applications for the nearly 5.5 billion pounds of PET bottles and jars available annually for recycling

SAN JOSE, Calif – 09 Dec 2013: Researchers from IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have made a nanomedicine breakthrough in which they converted common plastic materials like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into non-toxic and biocompatible materials designed to specifically target and attack fungal infections. This research was published today in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature Comm. (more…)

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Teens ‘Eat More, Cheat More’ After Playing Violent Video Games

Research finds effects go beyond increase in aggression

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Playing violent video games not only increases aggression, it also leads to less self-control and more cheating, a new study finds.

Researchers found that teens who played violent video games ate more chocolate and were more likely to steal raffle tickets in a lab experiment than were teens who played nonviolent games. (more…)

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Aging erodes genetic control, but it’s flexible

In yeast at least, the aging process appears to reduce an organism’s ability to silence certain genes that need to be silenced. Now researchers at Brown University who study the biology of aging have shown that the loss of genetic control occurs in fruit flies as well. Results appear online in the journal Aging. (more…)

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Staphylococcus aureus bacteria turns immune system against itself

Around 20 percent of all humans are persistently colonized with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, a leading cause of skin infections and one of the major sources of hospital-acquired infections, including the antibiotic-resistant strain MRSA.

University of Chicago scientists have recently discovered one of the keys to the immense success of S. aureus—the ability to hijack a primary human immune defense mechanism and use it to destroy white blood cells. The study was published Nov. 15 in Science. (more…)

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