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Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Middle East

Tracking Rape In Syria Through Social Media

Syrian women walk through a market area in the northern city of Aleppo last November. A new website is documenting the use of rape in the Syrian conflict.

February 5, 2013 Researchers are using data from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media sites. There are, however, questions about the accuracy of the reports coming from Syria.

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Monday, February 04, 2013

Shots - Health News

Experimental Tuberculosis Vaccine Fails To Protect Infants

Nurse Christel Petersen inoculates a child in the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative study in 2011.

February 4, 2013 A study in South Africa finds that an experimental vaccine against TB didn't help protect infants very much against either infection with TB or development of disease. The results were a setback, but researchers say the field remains promising.

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Friday, February 01, 2013

Shots - Health News

Quick TB Test Builds Up Arsenal Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria

A medical worker in Carletonville, South Africa, examines a sample at a mobile testing facility for tuberculosis.

February 1, 2013 Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise worldwide, but identifying the disease has been difficult and time-consuming. Touted as a "game changer" in the fight against TB, a new tool cuts diagnostic times from weeks to hours and doesn't require a lab.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Shots - Health News

Gut Microbes May Play Deadly Role In Malnutrition

Twins in Malawi helped scientists discover a role the gut microbiome appears to play in severe malnutrition.

January 30, 2013 The bacteria that live in humans' guts influence weight gain and health. By studying twins in Malawi, scientists have found that changes in this microbial community may also turn malnutrition into a fatal condition.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Shots - Health News

Keep Calm And Carry On, Except When It Comes To Cancer

The British have long said, "Keep calm and carry on." But the catchphrase may need an update for health care.

January 29, 2013 That famous stiff upper lip has carried the Brits through tough times, but it can be a risky trait when it comes to health. An international survey finds the British often delay seeking help for serious symptoms of cancer because they're embarrassed or worried about wasting the doctor's time.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Shots - Health News

Ancient Medicines Get A Modern Media Makeover

According to the Terraba tribe, anise leaves are rich in iron and help with circulation.

January 24, 2013 To help the an indigenous community in Central America preserve their culture and traditions, journalism students have built a website exploring how the tribe uses medicinal plants to treat everything from a cold and sunburns to cancer.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Shots - Health News

Scientists Put An End To Moratorium On Bird Flu Research

Health workers in Nepal culled chickens and destroyed eggs following an outbreak of bird flu in Kathmandu in October 2012.

January 23, 2013 After researchers created versions of the bird flu virus that could spread more easily, critics began to worry that the work could spawn a pandemic if a virus escaped from the lab. After halting their work for more than a year, scientists now say the benefits outweigh the risks, and they are set to restart their experiments.

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Environment

Former Anti-GMO Activist Says Science Changed His Mind

Harvest wheat from a field near Wright, Kan. May 10, 2004.

January 20, 2013 For years, British environmental activist Mark Lynas vandalized genetically modified food crops. Then, he had a change of heart. He went in front of the world to reverse his position, telling the anti-GMO lobby to "get out of the way and let the rest of us get on with feeding the world sustainably."

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Saturday, January 19, 2013

Shots - Health News

Inching Closer To The Demise Of A Stubborn Parasitic Worm

A boy with multiple Guinea worms sits outside a containment center in northern Ghana, February 2007.

January 19, 2013 After a decades-long campaign, Guinea worm remains in only four countries, and eradication is in sight. But health workers say that recent violence in Mali is hindering efforts to stamp out the last few cases there.

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Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013

Shots - Health News

After Years Of Silence, The Plague Can Rise Again

A copper engraving from 1656 shows a plague doctor in Rome wearing a protective suit and a mask.

January 17, 2013 In many parts of the world, like Europe, the plague is thought to have been eliminated. French scientists find evidence that the stubborn bacteria can trigger new outbreaks even after decades of apparent dormancy.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Shots - Health News

'Robogut' Makes Synthetic Poop To Treat Stubborn Infections

Microbiologist Emma Allen-Vercoe invented the Robogut, a mechanical device that mimics conditions in the human colon.

January 16, 2013 Canadian scientists have developed a synthetic stool that successfully treated two patients with a severe form of diarrhea. The researchers call the concoction RePOOPulate, and they produce it using a machine that recreates conditions in the colon.

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Shots - Health News

After Bringing Cholera To Haiti, U.N. Plans To Get Rid Of It

Haitians protest against the United Nations peacekeepers in Port-au-Prince in November 2010.

January 12, 2013 On the third anniversary of Haiti's devastating earthquake, the country is laying plans to rid itself of the cholera epidemic that followed in its wake. Most scientists now think Nepalese soldiers unwittingly spread the pathogen in Haiti when they joined a United Nations peacekeeping force.

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Friday, January 11, 2013

Shots - Health News

Despite Billions In Aid, Many Haitians Still Live In Squalid Camps

Jacqueline Syra has been living in the La Piste camp for three years. She says she has no idea when she will be able to leave.

January 11, 2013 Three years ago, a massive earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital city. Aid agencies from around the world pledged billions of dollars to help Haiti rebuild. But since then, many of the grand plans have fizzled, and some 350,000 Haitians still live in makeshift camps.

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