Health

A mobile phone-sized box may help patients detect acute heart failure or cancer, at any time, without any medical assistance. A Chinese research program is trying to make this “family physician” dream come true. Chinese scientists have developed a biosensor based on an optical microfiber coupler (OMC) to identify one ultra sensitive biomarker of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the medical term for a heart attack, which could make detection much easier and less expensive.

Scientists have discovered that an amino acid called asparagine is essential for breast cancer spread, and by restricting it, cancer cells stopped invading other parts of the body in mice, according to research* part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the journal Nature. They hope the finding may yield a method to prevent cancer cells spreading from their origins in a woman’s breast to form tumours in her lungs, brain, other organs or bones — a process known as “metastasis” which is the most common cause of death.

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) has revealed that ninety per cent of households in Nigeria consume contaminated water and other impure substances,

Mrs Maureen Zubie-Okolo, a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with UNICEF, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the water and sanitation situation in the country was worrisome.

She said although 64.1 per cent of Nigerians had access to improved drinking water sources, North-East states were, however, lagging behind with 52.4 per cent, while South-West states top the chart with 87.3 per cent of its residents having access to improved water sources.

“About two out of every three households use improved water sources, while a little more than one-third use improved sanitation compared to 58.5 percent and 31 per cent respectively in 2011.

Staffs of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on Thursday protested against the reinstatement of the suspended Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Prof. Yusuf Umar. The protest started when Prof. Umar resumed work today after receiving the letter of his reinstatement by President Muhammadu Buhari.

There is mounting evidence the food on your plate can alter cancer's growth and spread, say Cambridge scientists.

Animal research, published in the journal Nature, showed breast tumours struggled without the dietary nutrient asparagine.

It is found in the foodies' favourite asparagus, as well as poultry, seafood and many other foods.

Tea lovers who take their daily cup scalding hot are raising their chance of having esophageal cancer if they also drink alcohol every day or if they smoke, say researchers.

A study that followed more than 450,000 people in China for 9 years provides evidence of a relationship between drinking hot tea every day, regular drinking and smoking, and a higher risk of esophageal cancer.