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Here is what's happening this morning in the world of health and medicine.
Overprotective parenting among negative child-rearing styles linked to bullying, study shows
Children exposed to negative parenting, ranging from abuse to overprotective parenting, face an increased risk of being bullied or becoming bullies, new research is showing. A study out of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, found that "negative or harsh" parenting was linked to a moderate increase in the risk of, simultaneously, being both a bully and a victim of bullying, and a small increase in the risk of being solely a victim.
McMaster projects win big global health grants
A test that quickly determines the cause of a bout of diarrhea. A sanitation system that converts human and fish waste into a source of fuel. Neither project is glamorous, but both have turned out to be golden for researchers at Hamilton's McMaster University and could save lives in Africa. Two groups at the university have each won $100,000 grants from Grand Challenges Canada, a federally funded body that doles out money for researchers and entrepreneurs working in global health.
Could picking your nose be good for you? One scientist believes it could boost your immune system
A Canadian academic is encouraging his students to pick their noses in a bid to see if the habit has any health benefits. Scott Napper, an associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan, is requesting his pupils to investigate the possible health benefits of eating their mucous, in a bid to understand the human immune system better. He believes that eating mucous in the nose may boost the immune system by introducing small and harmless amounts of germs back into the body. His theory follows others that suggest improved hygiene has led to an increase in allergies and autoimmune disorders.
Mad cow infected blood 'to kill 1,000' in Britain
British government experts believe there is still a risk of people contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) through blood transfusions, as about 30,000 Britons are likely to be carrying the brain-wasting illness in a dormant form – double the previous estimate. They warn the current total death toll of 176 from vCJD could rise more than five-fold as the infection has not been wiped out of the blood supply like it has been in the food chain.
EU drug agency recommends suspension of tetrazepam
European Union drug regulators have recommended suspending use of all tetrazepam-containing medicines following reports of serious skin reactions, the European Medicines Agency said on Monday. Tetrazepam belong to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines and is used in several EU countries to treat conditions such as back and neck pain and spasticity.
China reports latest bird-flu death
A man in Shanghai died from bird flu on Monday, the latest person to die from the H7N9 strain of the virus first discovered in humans in March that has now killed at least 24 people. The 89-year-old died after 12 days of medical treatment, state news agency Xinhua said, citing Shanghai health authorities.