Health Buzz: California Invests $230 Million in Stem Cell Research and Other Health News
California Invests $230 Million in Stem Cell Research
Most of the more than $200 million awarded to stem cell researchers in California went to scientists not using embryonic stem cells, the New York Times reports. The grants by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine are intended to result in new treatments; the goal is for recipients to have developed therapies ready for human testing in four years, according to the Times. Only four grants went to researchers using embryonic stem cells; they hope to use the cells to treat conditions including diabetes and stroke. Two other projects are attempting to make HIV-resistant donor stem cells to use as a treatment for AIDS.
[Read: Stem Cells: 10 Diseases They May—or May Not—Cure and Embryonic Stem Cells—and Other Stem Cells—Promise to Advance Treatments.]
Planning a Move? Look for These 4 Features That Make a Healthy Neighborhood
You're planning to move, and you're sure you've thought of everything: a good school system, affordable property taxes, a manageable commute. But what about your health? It turns out that where you live may have an impact on your risk of obesity and diabetes. A study published this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that living in a healthy neighborhood—defined as one that encourages you to ditch the car keys, get moving, and eat more healthfully—may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38 percent, U.S. News's January Payne reports.
Payne offers some specific things to look for to make your next neighborhood a healthy one. For one, when researching a new neighborhood, check for nearby grocery stores or farmers' markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. But don't be absolutist, Payne writes; it may not even matter if some of those shopping and eating options include fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, according to research published in the November issue of Social Science and Medicine . The study found that people who had diverse food options—including fast food, convenience stores, restaurants, and grocery stores—were 10 percent less likely to be obese than people who lived more than a half mile away from food options. Read more.
[Read: 7 Secrets to Living Younger and Diets That Promote Health (and Always Have).] [Search: America's Best Places to Live.]
Sick With H1N1? 6 Ways to Keep From Infecting Friends and Family
A study published last week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that although H1N1 is most contagious within the first three days after symptoms appear, infected individuals could still spread the disease after a week, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz reports. About 30 percent of infected folks in the study—cadets at the Air Force Academy who contracted the virus during a summer mixer—tested positive for the virus even though they had a temperature less than 100 degrees. And nearly 1 in 4 of the samples collected from the cadets a week after onset of their illness still contained live viruses. The researchers found that having no fever and no symptoms didn't guarantee that a patient was no longer spreading H1N1, Kotz writes.
Last week, Kotz's own daughter very likely came down with the virus, and Kotz soon after showed swine-flu-like symptoms. Determined not to infect any others, Kotz cites 6 tips on how to keep from spreading H1N1, advice that comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more.
[Read: Seasonal Cold or Swine Flu? and What to Do When H1N1 Swine Flu Hits Your Town.] [Slide Show: 10 Do's and 10 Don'ts to Protect Yourself From Swine Flu]
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