Tag: medicine

Herbal remedies for the coronavirus spark debate in China

by Jing Xuan TENG BEIJING, China (AFP) — A claim by Chinese scientists that a liquid made with honeysuckle and flowering plants could help fight the deadly coronavirus has sparked frenzied buying of the traditional medicine, but doubts quickly emerged. As the death toll from the SARS-like pathogen sweeping the country continues to rise, shoppers have swamped pharmacies in search of “Shuanghuanglian”. The rush came after influential state media outlet Xinhua reported Friday that the […]

Thailand sees apparent success treating virus with drug cocktail

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A Chinese woman infected with the new coronavirus showed a dramatic improvement after she was treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Thailand’s health ministry said Sunday. The 71-year-old patient tested negative for the virus 48 hours after Thai doctors administered the combination, doctor Kriengsak Attipornwanich said during the ministry’s daily press briefing. “The lab result of positive on the coronavirus turned negative in 48 hours,” […]

Early cholesterol treatment lowers heart disease risk: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Treating younger people with high cholesterol levels may help reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke in later life, a major study showed Wednesday. Described as the “most comprehensive” review of its kind covering almost 400,000 patients over more than 40 years, the study in The Lancet said its findings on the link between cholesterol levels and ill health “may be particularly important in people under 45 years.” A summary […]

Pimentel urges gov’t to fund more medical scholarships

(Eagle News)–Senator Koko Pimentel called on the government to fund more medical school scholarships, saying the public will benefit from this starting five  years from now. Pimentel made the call as he lauded the Marikina City government for its Ordinance No. 078 Series 2019 or “Libreng Pag-aaral sa Pagdodoktor para sa Marikenos” which offers full medical scholarship grants to qualified residents who aspire to become doctors. According to Pimentel, this move by Marikina was “public […]

Labor group on Panelo’s almost four-hour commute to Palace: He got a “dose of his own medicine”

(Eagle News)–A labor group on Friday, Oct. 11, said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo got “a dose of his own medicine” when he took up the challenge to commute. “We hope Secretary Panelo learned something from his commuting experience today and stop being arrogant that he already knew what it is like to commute to work,”  Christian Lloyd Magsoy, spokesperson of Defend Job Philippines, said. The group noted that it took Panelo almost four hours before […]

‘First’ 3D print of heart with human tissue, vessels unveiled

by Delphine Matthieussent TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Scientists in Israel unveiled a 3D print of a heart with human tissue and vessels on Monday, calling it a first and a “major medical breakthrough” that advances possibilities for transplants. While it remains a far way off, scientists hope one day to be able to produce hearts suitable for transplant into humans as well as patches to regenerate defective hearts. The heart produced by researchers at […]

Thailand to start testing medical marijuana on patients

  BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand is poised to start its first tests of cannabis oil on patients, a health official said Friday, as excitement swirls around a new industry that could create money-making avenues for entrepreneurs while offering relief for suffering patients. Marijuana has been used as a traditional herb for centuries in Thailand but was banned decades ago. The junta’s rubber-stamp parliament voted in December to legalise it for medical purposes. Thailand is […]

Mini miracle: ‘Record-breaking’ preemie leaves Tokyo hospital

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A baby born in Tokyo weighing the same as a large onion has gone home healthy, becoming the smallest newborn boy in the world to leave hospital safely. The tiny tot weighed just 268 grams — under 10 ounces — when he was delivered at 24 weeks, reportedly after he stopped growing in the womb. He was so small he fit in an adult’s cupped hands. But after five months […]

US, Japan duo win Nobel Medicine Prize for cancer therapy

by Pia OHLIN Agence France Presse STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Two immunologists, James Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, won the 2018 Nobel Medicine Prize for research into how the body’s natural defenses can fight cancer, the jury said on Monday. Unlike more traditional forms of cancer treatment that directly target cancer cells — often with severe side-effects — Allison and Honjo figured out how to help the patient’s own immune system […]

New York University makes tuition free for all medical students

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – New York University said Thursday it would offer all its current and future medical school students free tuition in an effort to tackle soaring debt levels and encourage more applicants. The move — which it said was financed by the generosity of the university’s “trustees, alumni, and friends,” amounts to a reduction of $55,018 in annual fees, regardless of financial needs or academic merit. It does not cover living […]

President Duterte to give P25-M fund for medicines of PNP personnel

  (Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte said that he is giving the Philippine National Police a fund of P25 million for the use of medicines and other health needs of policemen and other PNP personnel. During his speech at the 117th Police Service Anniversary, Duterte said he understood the medical needs of policemen, especially when they reach 50, the age that people usually get sick with various ailments. The President made the announcement as […]

Some antidepressants may be linked to dementia: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Long-term use of certain anti-depressants have been linked to dementia in a large British study, researchers said Thursday, though they could not definitively conclude that the drugs were the cause. The study in more than 300,000 people in Britain found that those diagnosed with dementia were almost a third more likely to have been prescribed so-called anticholinergic medicines to treat depression and certain bladder conditions between four and 20 years earlier. […]