The Korea Herald

KCDC warns of humidifier-sterilizers again

HealthNov 10, 2011

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again advised people to refrain from using humidifier-sterilizers. The advice was issued after a civic group claimed that 18 people died of a lung disease believed to have been caused by disinfectants in the machines. The authorities asked supermarkets and retailers to recall the products in August, and is issuing the warning again to raise public awareness of the health threat. More information on the relationship between humidifier disi
GE introduces new anesthetic device

HealthNov 10, 2011

GE Healthcare launched Aisys ET Control, an anesthetic device with an upgraded control function. According to the health care equipment maker, anesthetic equipment is controlled by doctors in operating theaters, but the device helps automatically control the amount of drugs inhaled, preventing patients from falling into hypoxia.(baejisook@heraldm.com)
Fatty liver

HealthNov 10, 2011

Fatty liver is a disease where fat, and especially the neutral fat (triglyceride), is accumulated in the liver cells and takes up more than 5 percent of the liver weight. Liver is a chemical factory in human body and plays many different roles including processing fat. And if fat from the food is not properly processed, it can cause fatty liver. Cause and symptomsAlcohol is one of the most well-known causes of fatty liver. Alcohol lowers many metabolic functions of the liver, especially by reduc
Skin transplant gives patients new lease of life

HealthNov 10, 2011

DETROIT ― Adil Siddiqui was reluctant to go out in public because he thought everybody was staring at the patches of white skin on his face.Siddiqui suffers from vitiligo, an autoimmune skin disease that affects about 2 million Americans. The white patches appear when pigment cells, called melanocytes, are attacked and destroyed by the body’s immune system. The reason is a mystery.The white patches, which are called lesions, developed after Siddiqui graduated from Novi High School in 2006.“It’s
Study stirs debate over transplants for alcoholics

HealthNov 10, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) ― Some gravely ill alcoholics who need a liver transplant shouldn’t have to prove they can stay sober for six months to get one, doctors say in a study that could intensify the debate over whether those who destroy their organs by drinking deserve new ones.In the small French study, the vast majority of the patients who got a liver without the wait stopped drinking after their surgery and were sober years later. The study involved patients who were suffering from alcohol-related hep
Using your lunch break to get in shape

HealthNov 10, 2011

More office workers use free time during their workdays for exerciseIf your hectic work schedule is stressing you out and you cannot squeeze in time for exercise, it might be time to consider taking advantage of your lunch break. More people are now investing their lunch time in exercise, from simply taking a walk to weight training. Kim Ji-hye, a 35-year-old office worker at a financial institution, started to take half hour walks after quickly grabbing lunch.“A sandwich and coffee is fine. My
Depression may be linked to dementia later

HealthNov 10, 2011

U.S. researchers say a chemical marker that binds to plaque and tangle deposits indicates dementia may be linked to major depressive disorder in older people."This is the first study using [the marker] FDDNP to assess the abnormal protein levels in brains of older adults with severe depression," Dr.
New drug zaps fat cells in monkeys

HealthNov 10, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An experimental drug helped obese monkeys lose 11 percent of their extra weight in a month, a promising sign in the hunt for obesity drugs that could apply to humans, US researchers said Wednesday.The drug, known as Adipotide, works by attacking the blood supply of a certain kind
Master craftsmen struggle to make ends meet

CultureNov 9, 2011

Substantial support needed to bolster traditional craft industryAlthough he has been hammering Korean traditional patterns on metal for nearly half a century, artisan Park Moon-yeol’s life only began looking rosy in 1993, when he figured out the secret of the seven-step lock. Hearing about the existence of a peculiar Joseon Dynasty lock, he visited a folk museum in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, to take a look. It was tucked away in the back of the museum and the owner prohibited him from tak
Gender segregation on rise in Israel

CultureNov 9, 2011

JERUSALEM (AP) ― Posters depicting women have become rare in the streets of Israel’s capital. In some areas women have been shunted onto separate sidewalks, and buses and health clinics have been gender-segregated. The military has considered reassigning some female combat soldiers because religious men don’t want to serve with them.This is the new reality in parts of 21st-century Israel, where ultra-Orthodox rabbis are trying to contain the encroachment of secular values on their cloistered soc
Artisanal liquors taking off like a shot

Food&BeverageNov 9, 2011

The air outside GreenBar Collective craft distillery in Monrovia, California, is getting warm, but it still crackles with the crispness of fall. Inside the bright, white warehouse, two employees bottle fresh apple bitters while Keith Taylor, the bar manager for sprawling Echo Park restaurant Mohawk Bend, chats with GreenBar’s founders and master distillers, Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew. They stand beside a silver tank of ruby red hibiscus liqueur that Taylor uses to make a limoncello-based
Yes it ‘can’: Chicago museum’s lavatory is flush with fame

TravelNov 9, 2011

CHICAGO ― If you’re heading to the Field Museum to check out its world-class exhibits, you may want to consider stopping at its latest award-winning spot ― the restroom.This year’s 10th annual America’s Best Restroom contest, sponsored by Cintas Corp., named the Field Museum’s ground-floor restrooms as the top bathroom in America as chosen by online voters.The Field’s bathrooms were lauded for its two large break rooms featuring artwork of the night sky, “a calming image that also absorbs sound,
Fall styling tips from rag & bone

FashionNov 9, 2011

Designer duo suggests mix of British classic, NY street look with Eskimo motifs for fallAbout 20 power bloggers, teamed up in groups of two or three, hurriedly rummaged through rag & bone racks on Monday at the multi-brand shop Bleecker pop-up store in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul. They had five minutes to pick out items and dress models. “Now I know what they must feel like on Superstar K,” exclaimed an excited contestant, talking about Mnet’s audition program.Marcus Wainwright and David Nevi
Babies on obesity path? New sign may offer answer

HealthNov 9, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) — Researchers say there's a new way to tell if infants are likely to become obese later on: Check to see if they've passed two key milestones on doctors' growth charts by age 2.Babies who grew that quickly face double the risk of being obese at age 5, compared with peers who grew
US mom pregnant with 20th child

PeopleNov 9, 2011

Michelle Duggar (left) is surrounded by her children and husband Jim Bob (second from left) after the birth of her 17th child in Rogers, Ark. (AP)Arkansas mom Michelle Duggar proudly announced to the world Tuesday she's expecting -- but her 19 other children got to hear the news first.Duggar, 45, an