Tag bbc news

Air pollution 'still harming Europeans' health'

Air pollution is still continuing to damage European citizens' health and the environment, latest figures show. The European Environment Agency (EEA) listed tiny airborne particles and ozone as posing a "significant threat". However, the authors said nations had significantly cut emissions of a number of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, lead and carbon monoxide. In a separate study, research identified a link between low birth-weight and exposure to air...

আরও দেখুন.

Tiny, wireless pacemaker due to be launched in Europe

A miniaturised, wireless pacemaker that can be inserted into the body without invasive surgery has been given approval for use in the European Union. Developed by US start-up Nanostim, the device is designed to be implanted intravenously directly in the heart. It is less than 10% of the size of a conventional pacemaker and uses a built-in battery. Experts said it was an "exciting development" but at a very early stage. The pacemaker has yet to receive full US Food and Drug...

আরও দেখুন.

Vitamin D pills' effect on healthy bones queried

 Healthy adults do not need to take vitamin D supplements, suggests a study in The Lancet which found they had no beneficial effect on bone density, a sign of osteoporosis.   But experts say many other factors could be at play and people should not stop taking supplements.   University of Auckland researchers analysed 23 studies involving more than 4,000 healthy people.   The UK government recommends children and over-65s take a daily supplement.   The New...

আরও দেখুন.

Depression risk 'starts in the womb'

 Children whose mothers are depressed during pregnancy have a small increased risk of depression in adulthood, according to a UK study.   Medical treatment during pregnancy could lower the risk of future mental health problems in the child, say researchers at Bristol University.   The study followed the offspring of more than 8,000 mothers who had postnatal or antenatal depression.   The risk is around 1.3 times higher than normal at age 18, it found.   The...

আরও দেখুন.

Alzheimer's breakthrough hailed as 'turning point'

 The discovery of the first chemical to prevent the death of brain tissue in a neurodegenerative disease has been hailed as the "turning point" in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.   More work is needed to develop a drug that could be taken by patients.   But scientists say a resulting medicine could treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other diseases.   In tests on mice, the Medical Research Council showed all brain cell death from prion...

আরও দেখুন.

Aircraft noise 'link' to stroke and heart disease deaths

 The risks of stroke, heart and circulatory disease are higher in areas with a lot of aircraft noise, researchers say.   Their study of 3.6 million residents near Heathrow Airport suggested the risks were 10-20% higher in areas with the highest levels of aircraft noise.   The team's findings are published in the British Medical Journal.   They agreed with other experts that noise was not necessarily to blame and more work was needed.   Their work suggests a...

আরও দেখুন.

UK firm seeks to market world's first malaria vaccine

British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is seeking regulatory approval for the world's first malaria vaccine after trial data showed that it had cut the number of cases in African children. Experts say that they are optimistic about the possibility of the world's first vaccine after the trial results. Malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year. Scientists say an effective vaccine is key to attempts to eradicate it. The...

আরও দেখুন.

New encephalitis outbreak in India's Uttar Pradesh

Fifteen children have died in the past few days in a fresh outbreak of viral encephalitis in India's Uttar Pradesh state, taking this year's toll to 358. The disease usually occurs during the monsoon season in Gorakhpur and adjoining areas and children are the worst affected. More than 200 patients are still being treated at government hospitals. At least 6,500 children have died of encephalitis in the region since the first case was detected in 1978. Gorakhpur and adjoining...

আরও দেখুন.

Walking more 'would save thousands' of lives in the UK

Tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year in the UK if people got off the sofa and stretched their legs more, say charities. The "Walking Works" report by the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support said walking was a free activity which could transform people's health. Being physically active decreases the odds of heart problems and stroke. But it also makes a difference in other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and many cancers. Last...

আরও দেখুন.

Pakistan deadly bomb targets Peshawar polio campaign

Two people, one a police officer, have been killed by a bomb which went off near anti-polio campaigners in Pakistan, say police. The blast struck a van near a hospital in Budh Bher suburb of the north-western city of Peshawar. A death toll of six was given earlier but later corrected by police. Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic, due in part to militant resistance to polio mass vaccination campaigns. Militants have attacked and killed health...

আরও দেখুন.