PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists fascinated by the idea that humans might be able to learn while asleep — a new language, say, or a piece of music — have long been coming up with clashing experimental results. On Tuesday, a team said it has finally unravelled why. The human brain can learn only in certain phases of shut-eye. Participants in a study were able to memorise sound patterns played to them during two phases […]
Tag: health
Senate health bill collapses in bitter blow to Trump
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States Republicans failed spectacularly Friday in their latest effort to dismantle Obamacare, leaving the party shocked and in disarray and signaling the potential death knell for President Donald Trump’s dream of repealing his predecessor’s health reforms. The vote — held in the dead of night — came down to the wire, with the decisive moment resting with Senator John McCain, recently diagnosed with […]
Sugar not so sweet for mental health
PARIS, France (AFP) — Sugar may be bad not only for your teeth and your waistline, but also your mental health, said a study Thursday that was met with skepticism by other experts. Researchers at University College London (UCL) compared the reported sugar intake of more than 8,000 people in a long-term British study, to their mood. The study participants, civil servants, were monitored from 1985-1988, and filled out a questionnaire every few years thereafter. […]
Health risk alarm over water rationing in Rome
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Plans to ration water in drought-hit Rome could have serious consequences for public health, Italy’s health minister warned Wednesday. The Lazio region has said that emergency measures to battle the prolonged dry spell could lead to staggered water supply shutdowns in neighborhoods in the capital for eight hours daily, starting from this weekend. Such a move could “seriously compromise sanitary hygiene standards in accommodation structures and restaurants in the capital, as […]
John McCain to return to US Senate for health vote
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Veteran United States Senator John McCain will return to the chamber Tuesday after a brain cancer diagnosis for a key vote to launch a process to repeal and replace Obamacare, his office announced. “Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow to continue working on important legislation, including health care reform, the National Defense Authorization Act and new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea,” a […]
U.S. Senator McCain diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer
WASHINGTON D.C., United States (Reuters) — United States Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee known for political independence during more than three decades in the Senate, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, his office said on Wednesday (July 19). The 80-year-old lawmaker and former Navy pilot, who was re-elected to a sixth Senate term in November, has been recovering at home in Arizona since undergoing surgery at the Mayo Clinic […]
US health care reform collapses as two more Republicans say no
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two more United States Republican senators announced their opposition Monday to their party’s efforts to revamp Obamacare, derailing the controversial legislation in its current form and potentially dealing a monumental setback to President Donald Trump. Republican leaders are desperate for a major legislative victory this year — and keen to fulfill Trump’s campaign pledge to dismantle the 2010 health care reforms of his predecessor […]
Dollar, stocks down as Trump health care blow fuels tax concerns
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The dollar sank with most Asian equities Tuesday as two Republican senators rejected their party’s bill repealing Obamacare, effectively killing it and throwing Donald Trump’s economic agenda into doubt. Global markets soared for months after Trump’s November election on hopes his big-spending, tax-cutting policies would fire the world’s top economy. But an ongoing crisis surrounding the White House has hobbled the tycoon’s presidency, with opposition to his controversial health care […]
Small improvements to eating habits may prolong life: study
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — It’s hard to eat right all the time, but making small improvements by choosing healthier foods now and then may significantly boost one’s chances of living longer, said a United States study Wednesday. The report in the New England Journal of Medicine is the first to show that improving diet quality over at least a dozen years is associated with lower total and cardiovascular mortality. Researchers at Harvard University tracked […]
Allergy, hindi dapat ipagwalang bahala, ayon sa health experts
(Eagle News) — Hindi dapat ipagwalang bahala ang allergy dahil ito ay nakamamatay, ito ang babala ng mga experto mula sa Department of Health at Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Kaugnay ng pagdiriwang ng National Allergy Day, nagsagawa ng isang public forum, kung saan tinalakay ang mahahalagang impormasyon tungkol sa allergy, ano ang pinagmumulan ng allergy, anu-ano ang mga uri ng allergy, ano ang mga sintomas at anu-ano ang mga angkop at […]
Diabetes taking growing toll on Africa: report
PARIS, France (AFP) — The costs of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa could double to almost $60 billion annually just 13 years from now, as obesity fuels an explosion of the disease, a report said Thursday. In 2015, the overall diabetes cost in the region was nearly $20 billion (18 billion euros), or 1.2 percent of total economic production, according to research published by The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. This included medication and hospital stays, and […]
French smokers, at 10 euros a pack, may finally think twice
PARIS, France (AFP) — The cost of lighting up at a French sidewalk cafe may finally dissuade even the most ardent smoker, if Prime Minister Edouard Phillippe gets his way. With 80,000 tobacco-related deaths in France each year, “doing nothing is not an option,” Philippe said Tuesday, announcing a plan to raise the price of a packet of cigarettes to 10 euros ($11.3) from the current seven euros. Tobacco “is the leading cause of preventable […]





