Health | WPN World People News

Currently, doctors can take several approaches to reduce bleeding in surgical patients on heparin and other blood thinners, including applying pressure, sutures, foams and adhesives. But these options can come with potentially serious risks. Some can introduce toxic byproducts into a patient, spark an allergic reaction or cause tissue to die. To come up with a better alternative, Jeffrey D. Hartgerink and colleagues turned to an enzyme from snake venom that causes blood to coagulate even if it contains heparin. Called batroxobin, the enzyme is already in clinical use for another condition. But using it to control bleeding is problematic because it dissolves quickly and moves away from where it's originally introduced -- a problem when trying to heal surgical incisions.

Know someone with great looks, plenty of friends and a hot romance? If you're under 30, there's a good chance you envy that person, new research says.

Medicines don't degrade faster in space than they do on Earth, a new study finds.

For patients experiencing heart attacks or severe chest pain, it is safer to access blocked vessels through an arm artery rather than a groin artery, a new analysis finds.

More than 5 million people living in the poorest rural and mountainous areas of Vietnam are expected to benefit from improved access to sanitation and water supply, thanks to a $200 million credit approved Thursday by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.

The number of measles-related deaths has decreased 79% from 546 800 at the beginning of the century to 114 900 in 2014. New data released by WHO for the Measles & Rubella Initiative, estimates that 17.1 million lives have been saved since 2000, largely due to increased vaccination coverage against this highly contagious viral disease. Measles vaccination has played a key role in reducing child mortality and in progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4.

In a study of dogs, scientists showed that a new way to deliver replacement genes may be effective at slowing the development of childhood Batten disease, a rare and fatal neurological disorder. The key may be to inject viruses that carry the codes for the gene products into the ventricles, which are fluid-filled compartments in the center of the brain that serve as a plumbing system.