At age 3, Angelica Lopez is helping to break a sound barrier for deaf children.
Born without working auditory nerves, she can detect sounds for the first time — and start to mimic them — after undergoing brain surgery to implant a device that bypasses missing wiring in her inner ears.
Full StoryA six-day old premature baby has become the youngest infant to receive a heart transplant at a US hospital, doctors and her proud parents said.
Baby Oliver Crawford underwent the operation at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona after being born seven weeks ahead of schedule with a heart defect which meant her parents didn't expect him to survive.
Full StorySouth Korea on Friday announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics in a bid to protect medical tourists, especially those drawn by the country's booming plastic surgery industry.
The Health Ministry unveiled a raft of measures drafted in response to a growing number of complaints over botched jobs and exorbitant billing, many of them filed by Chinese women who travel specifically to South Korea for cosmetic procedures.
Full StoryA condom maker in the Philippines capital Saturday found their Valentine's Day giveaway challenged by a church group who tried to persuade people to swap the contraceptives for chastity and chocolates.
A colourful flower market in Manila became the unlikely battleground over the use of contraception in the Catholic dominated Southeast Asian country as the church group countered the free condoms with chocolates and sweets -- complete with printed messages encouraging chastity.
Full StorySwiss researchers are developing contact lenses that contain tiny telescopes to boost vision and zoom in and out with the wink of an eye, researchers said Friday.
The latest advances in vision aids -- some of which could potentially help the 285 million people worldwide with some form of vision impairment -- were discussed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in California.
Full StorySocial media are turning Saudis into "electronic potatoes" and contributing to unhealthy lifestyles which leave one in four at risk of suffering a heart attack over the next decade, experts said Friday.
Researchers calculated the 10-year risk of a heart attack for more than 4,900 urban Saudis with no history of heart disease.
Full StoryImagine being able to identify who is likely to develop a particular disease — and then stop the disorder before it starts.
That's the goal of three research projects launched by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical research arm, Janssen Research & Development. The projects, announced Thursday, aim to prevent illnesses — particularly ones related to aging and lifestyle — including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease and Type 1 diabetes.
Full StoryMenopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) boost the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent, even if they take the treatment only for a few years, a study said Friday.
The probe marks the widest-ever analysis of the risk of ovarian cancer from HRT, a treatment whose use declined when its safety was questioned a dozen years ago.
Full StoryA six-day old premature baby has become the youngest infant to receive a heart transplant at a U.S. hospital, doctors and her proud parents said Thursday.
Baby Oliver Crawford underwent the operation at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona after being born seven weeks ahead of schedule with a heart defect which meant her parents didn't expect him to survive.
Full StorySouth Korea on Friday announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics in a bid to protect medical tourists, especially those drawn by the country's booming plastic surgery industry.
The Health Ministry unveiled a raft of measures drafted in response to a growing number of complaints over botched jobs and exorbitant billing, many of them filed by Chinese women who travel specifically to South Korea for cosmetic procedures.
Full Story