The Korea Herald

Deadly snake venom may make painkiller

Oct 4, 2012

The deadly venom of the black mamba snake can yield a painkiller as powerful as morphine but without most of the side-effects, French scientists say.One of the speediest and most dangerous snakes found in Africa, the black mamba uses its venom, which contains neurotoxins, to paralyze and kill small animals that are its prey.However, researchers at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in France discovered its venom also contains a potent painkilling protein called mambalgins.Scien
New Zealand produces allergy-free milk

Oct 2, 2012

Researchers in New Zealand say they have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk free of a protein that causes allergies in children.The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a technique known as RNA interference to block the production of the protein beta-lactoglobulin, which is produced in cows but not found in human milk.Study co-author Dr. Stefan Wagner
Tips for safe, injury-free hiking

Sept 27, 2012

Autumn is a perfect season for hiking and mountain climbing, with crisp and cool weather and colorful foliage. Yet, it is also peak time for hiking-related injuries, which can be life-threatening. According to the National Emergency Management Agency, of the 7,826 mountain accidents reported last year, more than a quarter were concentrated in two autumn months ― September and October. Although not as serious as to require a mountain rescue team, some hikers experience considerable pain and soren
Growing pain

Sept 27, 2012

1. What is growing pain?Growing pain refers to the intermittent and uncomfortable pain in the muscles of the lower limbs in children. It usually affects both legs and causes the greatest pain in the front of the thighs, calves, the back of the knees and sometimes the buttocks. The pain is usually localized to a deep part of the limb and does not affect the whole limb. In older children who can describe the pain in more detail, it is said to feel like spasms of the legs, or a tingling feeling. Ty
WHO: Watch closely for new virus related to SARS

Sept 27, 2012

LONDON (AP) -- Global health officials have alerted doctors to be on the lookout for new cases of a virus related to SARS but said there was no sign the disease was behaving like the killer respiratory syndrome that killed hundreds in 2003.Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced the new coronavirus had been found in a critically ill Qatari man being treated in London as well as
Study: Contraception an economic issue

Sept 26, 2012

Most U.S. women say they use contraceptives because they could not afford to take care of a baby at that time, researchers say.Jennifer Frost and Laura Lindberg of the Guttmacher Institute in New York said few U.S. studies ask women why they use contraception and what benefits they expect or have achieved from its use.Frost and Lindberg surveyed 2,094 U.S. women receiving services at 22 family pla
Parents have big impact in reducing weight

Sept 26, 2012

SAN DIEGO (UPI) -- Parents can make a big difference by helping to instill healthy behaviors in their children, a U.S. health and wellness company says. Dr. Mary Jane Osmick, vice president and medical director of health services for American Specialty Health -- which provides fitness and exercise programs for health plans, insurance carriers and employer groups -- said obesity now affects 17 perc
Testosterone may hold key to male lifespan: local study

Sept 25, 2012

Testosterone may hold the key to the disparity in men and women’s life spans, research on Korean eunuchs suggested Monday. On average, females of mammalian species including humans have 10 percent longer life spans. Professor Min Kyung-jin of Inha University and professor Lee Cheol-koo of Korea University analyzed the family records of 81 Joseon Dynasty eunuchs who lived between 1556 and 1919. The records showed that the eunuchs lived on average 14 years longer than the ruling-class males of tha
Self-study 'fake' Japan doc examined 2,300

Sept 24, 2012

Japanese police on Monday arrested a man who posed as a doctor to earn cash, examining 2,300 people with little more than a few hours of self-study to back it up, police and media said.Miyabi Kuroki, 43, had no experience of medical school and passed himself off as a qualified doctor after finding the identity of a legitimate physician on the Internet, Jiji Press reported.He was dispatched by an e
Pacifiers may stunt boys emotionally

Sept 24, 2012

U.S. researchers for the first time have linked heavy pacifier use among baby boys to poorer emotional maturity through to adulthood.Lead author Paula Niedenthal, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said a baby with a pacifier in its mouth is less able to mirror expressions -- a child‘s first communication.The researchers found 6- and 7-year-old boys who had spent more time with pacifiers in their mouths when younger were less likely to mimic the emotional expressions
Bowel problems in the fall season

Sept 20, 2012

There are various causes of bowel problems so it is important to assess the progression of symptoms first. Sudden onset of fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea and occasional bloody feces may indicate acute gastroenteritis or bacterial dysentery. Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are suggestive of food poisoning. Chronic repetition of abdominal pain and diarrhea without fever and vomiting may indicate irritable bowel syndrome. Simple pain around the navel may indicate constipation or somatizat
Fat location an indicator of Type 2 diabetes, study says

Sept 20, 2012

DALLAS ― More and more Americans are becoming obese, but not all fat is equal, say researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.Their study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that certain obese patients were more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, but that a person’s overall weight was not the deciding factor.The greatest risk to developing diabetes was having fat stored inside the abdomen, nestling around the internal organs.“Visce
Sleep in Saturday, harder to awake Monday

Sept 19, 2012

People who sleep in on Saturday do not catch up on sleep lost during the week -- it makes them sleepier Monday morning, a U.S. researcher says.Dr. Gregory Carter, a sleep medicine specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said the daily, or circadian, cycles guide the body‘s internal clock.People can delay their circadian clock by up to 1 hour by sleeping in 1 hour or more over the weekend, but the problem is that after sleeping in on weekends, the brain’s circ
By 2030, 67 percent of Mississippi obese

Sept 19, 2012

By 2030, 67 percent of Mississippi is slated to be obese, while the District of Columbia is estimated to be 32.6 percent obese, researchers say.A report by the Trust for America‘s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation included an analysis that forecast if obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent. By contrast, the ana
Healthy food makes people better looking

Sept 18, 2012

Foods that make a person healthier also make them better looking, a U.S. food expert says. "Vitamin C rich foods, especially strawberries, can help keep your skin glowing and bright. Vitamin C is an important building block for collagen, which supports the underlying structure of your skin. Just 1 cup of delicious strawberries contains over 100 percent of your daily vitamin C recommendation," Phil