Over the next decade the world population is expected to increase by 1 billion and by 2050 experts estimate it will reach 9.6 billion. The United Nations report, titled "World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision", states that most of this growth will occur in developing nations, especially in Africa...

Although the number of women in England who are smokers when they give birth has dropped over the last five years, at 12.7% the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) says the figure is still too high. In the North East of England, nearly one in five women (19...

The FDA is urging medical device makers and health care facilities to make sure there are proper safeguards in place to protect their medical devices from cyber threats...

Researchers have just compared reconstructed genomes of the medieval strains of Mycobacterium leprae DNA - the pathogen responsible for leprosy - to modern day strains. Leprosy, a chronic, contagious disease, is caused by a bacterium which affects mainly the skin and nerves. It was once an epidemic in Europe during the Middle Ages and wreaked absolute mayhem in the continent...

Using sophisticated techniques to sample and analyze airborne molecules in the odors from human skin cells, scientists in the US were able to detect a unique chemical signature for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer...

Xgeva (denosumab) has been approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of GCTB (giant cell tumor of the bone) in adults and skeletally mature adolescents. GCTB is a rare tumor which is usually non-cancerous. Giant cell tumor of the bone typically affects adults aged between 20 and 40 years. In the majority of cases, GCTB remains localized (does not spread)...

Doctors find tablets more useful than smartphones for clinical purposes, according to new survey results measuring tablet and smartphone usage among electronic health record (EHR) and non-EHR users...

A new study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, revealed that genetic variations could be a key indicator of which women are likely and which are unlikely to benefit from tamoxifen or raloxifene for breast cancer prevention. James Ingle, M.D...

A team of scientists at McMaster University have discovered that men are responsible for menopause in women. Rama S. Singh, a professor in McMaster's Department of Biology, along with colleagues Jonathan Stone and Richard Morton, have found that menopause is the result of natural selection...

The US Supreme Court ruled today that naturally-occurring human genes may not be patented, but a gene that is manipulated to create something that does not exist in nature may be patented, because it is an invention...

Between 2000 and 2009, the number of children in England and Wales admitted to hospital for obesity related problems quadrupled. The new data, published in the open access journal PLOS ONE, highlights the ever-growing concern of obesity among British children...

For every 10 tobacco advert sightings, a teenager's risk of starting smoking rises by 38%, German researchers reported in the journal BMJ Open. They added that the ten ad sightings increase the probability that teens become regular daily smokers by 30%...

A new technology called Nanopatch is showing promise as a needle-free way to deliver vaccines. The technology is the brainchild of biomedical engineer Mark Kendall, who presented it at TEDGlobal 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the birthplace of the needle and syringe in 1853...

Researchers have found that people who inject drugs could reduce their risk of developing HIV by nearly half if they take daily tablets of an antiretroviral drug called tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir). This was the first trial to evaluate whether preventative treatment with HIV drugs could prevent HIV infection among people who inject drugs. Jonathan Mermin, M.D...

A new study from the US finds that men with restless legs syndrome (RLS) may have a 39% increased risk of dying earlier compared to men without the condition, which is characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs when lying down, accompanied by creeping, pulling and burning sensations that usually feel worse at night...

A penile implant procedure ended up forcing patient Daniel Metzgar having to live with a permanent erection for 8 months, according to his attorney Michael C. Heyden at a medical malpractice suit being heard at New Castle County Superior Court, Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Truck driver Metzgar, 44, complained that the permanent erection made it difficult for him to go about his daily business...

Researchers have discovered the biological chain of events that enable mammals to regenerate a lost fingertip. The finding has huge potential and could drive the development of future therapies to regenerate lost limbs. When a fingertip is lost, humans and other mammals are able to completely regenerate it...

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in plastics, including food packaging, is associated with a higher risk of obesity in girls aged between 9 and 12 years, researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, reported in the journal PLoS ONE...

Childhood cancer survivors are at a significantly increased risk for undiagnosed, chronic diseases through adulthood, emphasizing the importance of life-long clinical health screenings for this high-risk population...

Despite being extremely fit, top cross-country long-distance skiers are at increased risk of developing arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. This was the conclusion of a Swedish-led study published online this week in the European Heart Journal...