A protein found in centipede venom could be developed into a drug to treat chronic pain that is as effective as morphine but without the side effects, researchers say. The joint Australian-Chinese study…
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Health – Research and News
Displaying 101 - 125 of 435 articles
A woman who is cared for by the same midwife throughout her pregnancy, labour and after birth saves the public health system around A$550, a new study has found, debunking the myth that it is an expensive…
A new test could help doctors better understand which prostate cancers are likely to remain slow growing and could be managed with surveillance only, potentially sparing thousands of men from unnecessary…
Young children living in remote Indigenous communities have long been known to suffer from iron deficiency and anaemia at many times the rates found among other Australian children. Now a new report shows…
The proportion of Australians drinking 20 or more standard drinks in a single session has grown in the last decade, and the amount the heaviest drinkers are consuming annually is also on the rise, a new…
The global burden of death and illness attributable to mental disorders and illicit drug abuse has risen steadily in the last 20 years, two new studies have shown, but experts say policy is not keeping…
Receiving the flu vaccine may almost halve the chance of a heart attack for middle-aged people with narrow arteries, a new study by Australian researchers has found. Heart disease kills and disables more…
Women who have a midwife as their main carer throughout pregnancy and birth are around 23% less likely to have a premature baby than women whose care is shared between different obstetricians, GPs and…
Australia’s mortality rate for all cancers has dropped 28% in 20 years, new figures show, but progress has been slow in the fight against thyroid and pancreatic cancer, while the death rate from liver…
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression share common genetic variations, a new study has found, with researchers saying they can now calculate how much of the risk for developing such disorders…
CSIRO researchers are trialling an app that aims to allow elderly people to live at home safely for longer by subtly collecting data on their movements around the house. Australia’s ageing population is…
Use of the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen is associated with a dramatically reduced risk of developing a second breast tumour among women with a high risk gene mutation who have experienced breast cancer already…
One week of camping outdoors and eschewing all man-made light is enough to reset a person’s body clock to its natural sleep rhythms, a new study has found. Our increased use of electrical light, and reduced…
Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are already more likely to be overweight by age four than median income families, but the differences become much more marked as childhood progresses, a new…
Australian researchers are developing a new tool to help track and manage the vast numbers of disease-carrying insects blown from Asia into northern Australia every year by cyclones and monsoon winds…
Plain packaging on tobacco products is associated with lower smoking appeal, greater support for the policy and a higher urgency to quit among adult smokers, a new study has found. The study, conducted…
Almost two thirds of men aged 45 and over have reported experiencing erectile dysfunction, a new study has shown. The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, examined data on health, socio-demographic…
Consuming a lot of high-energy junk foods and fizzy drinks is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer, according to new research published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention. The new…
Scientists have discovered a new way of distinguishing between childhood fevers caused by viral infections and those caused by bacteria, according to a new study published today. The new finding paves…
High stress among Indigenous children in urban areas is linked to poorer physical health and more parental concern about behavioural issues, a new study has found. Of 344 participating children, 51% had…
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2013 shows more people worldwide are benefiting from tobacco control measures. The report, released today, said that 2.3 billion…
Combining a special anti-cancer compound with conventional cancer-fighting drugs can slow down the growth of the most common form of breast cancer and can even cause some tumours to disappear completely…
Australian governments are spending more on law enforcement against illicit drugs than treatment and prevention, according to a report released today by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The…
Women who give birth at home as part of a publicly funded home birth program have an overall low risk of problems such as stillbirth, postpartum hemorrhaging and emergency cesarean section, a new study…
Parents of children with a history of the potentially life-threatening allergic reaction anaphylaxis often ignore precautionary labels on foods because they find them unhelpful and confusing, research…