Diseases & Conditions

Details: Written by: Sharron O'Neill, Researcher, International Governance and Performance (IGAP) Research Centre, Macquarie University

A Common Cancer Risk Few Have Heard Of Lynch syndrome is a common, inherited condition that affects thousands of Australians and greatly increases the risk of developing cancer. Yet 95% of those who have it don’t know about it.

Details: Written by: Andrew Lavender, Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University

restless legs 4 12 Restless leg syndrome is a common affliction characterised by uncomfortable feelings in the legs accompanied by an irresistible urge to move the legs to relieve the sensations. People with restless leg syndrome often keep their legs moving by pacing or constantly moving their legs while sitting. The sensations commonly occur at

Details: Written by: Gina Rippon, Professor of Cognitive NeuroImaging, Aston University

Changing The Face Of Autism: Here Come The Girls If you ask someone to name famous people (fictional or non-fictional) who are known for having autism or being “on the spectrum”, Rain Man is often the top favourite, possibly followed by Sherlock Holmes (especially in his recent incarnation by Benedict Cumberbatch). Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory is another.

Details: Written by: Christine Sinatra-UT Austin

Is Zika Coming To A City Near You? Check This Map More cities than previously assumed could soon be grappling with Zika virus if two species of mosquitos are found to be equally effective carriers of the disease. A new interactive map shows the relative risk for 100 cities worldwide, including many US locations.

Details: Written by: Theodore Cicero, Professor of Psychology , Washington University in St Louis

No OxyContin here. jennifer durban/Flickr, CC BY-NC Abuse of opium products obtained from poppy plants dates back centuries, but today we are witnessing the first instance of widespread abuse of legal, prescribed drugs that, while structurally similar to illicit opioids such as heroin, are used for sound medical

Details: Written by: Kara Gavin-U. Michigan

Costly Scans Don’t Save Lives After Lung Cancer "PET scanning is a great technology and very effective, but using it in this way doesn't seem to make any difference for these cancers that have a relatively poor prognosis," says Mark Healey

Details: Written by: Nicholas Talley, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global Research and Laureate Professor of Medicine, University of Newcastle

gut batceria 3 6 If you’ve eaten a fabulous meal recently, the experience was pleasant, comfortable and pain-free because your stomach and intestinal system worked seamlessly to move the food along and eventually absorb it.

Details: Written by: Jane Peek, Post-doctoral researcher, Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Learning to cope. Toni Blay, CC BY-NC-ND Billy Connolly picked up a special recognition award at the recent National Television Awards for 50 years in the entertainment industry – but it was the effects of the comedian’s illness that shaped the headlines.

Details: Written by: Daniel Angus, Lecturer, The University of Queensland

New App Helps People With Neurological Conditions Practice Speech Researchers at CSIRO and University of Queensland have developed an app called Harlie that is designed to chat with humans. Unlike Siri and Google Now – which are designed to answer specific questions – Harlie is designed for small talk.

Details: Written by: Peter Gates, Senior Research Officer, National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Australia

Does Cannabis Cause Mental Illness? Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia, with one in three adults using it at some point in their life. It’s legal in some places around the world, and offered medicinally in others. But what does smoking pot do to your mental health?

Details: Written by: Andrew Whitehouse, Winthrop Professor, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia

autism 2 24 One of the great and enduring mysteries of autism is what causes the brain to develop so differently. The behavioural differences of many individuals with autism are so apparent that it seems intuitive that the causes would also be obvious.

Details: Written by: Keith Laws, Professor, University of Hertfordshire

Are Treatment Guidelines On Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder Wrong? The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has become a byword for unbiased, evidence-based healthcare advice. Its recommendations strongly influence which treatments are made available on the NHS. We wouldn’t expect NICE to make recommendations that are unsupported by evidence or, worse, contain contradictory evidence.

Details: Written by: Jana Králová, PhD Candidate , University of Bath

In 2100, I will be 117 years old, and my younger sisters will be 112 and 107. According to the Cambridge academic, Peter Laslett, we can now live to such ages, but those of us who do will be experiencing the fourth age, “an era of final dependence, decrepitude and death”. Not quite the dream

Details: Written by: David Caldicott, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Australian National University

We Can't Eradicate Drugs, But We Can Stop People Dying From Them Last night’s Four Corners focused on party drugs and the policies Australia is implementing to combat their use. Not only is what we’re doing not working, we’re falling behind the rest of the world and what evidence says is best to ensure we have fewer deaths from illicit drugs.

Details: Written by: Christopher Maher, Associate Professor, Urogynaecology Royal Brisbane and Women's and Wesley Hospitals Brisbane , The University of Queensland

Common Surgery For Vaginal Prolapse Can Lead To Complications A common surgery to treat vaginal prolapse using an artificially grafted mesh has more problems than benefits, our Cohrane review has found. Women who underwent the operation had high rates of needing repeat surgery due to mesh exposure, bladder injury and urinary incontinence.

Details: Written by: Bruno Gran, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Nottingham

How Stem Cells Could Help Treat Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis affects millions of people worldwide. It’s a neurological disease characterised by inflammatory lesions in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) that cause damage to the myelin sheath – the protective layer around the nerve cells. This causes neurological dysfunction, such as muscle paralysis or loss of sensation.

Details: Written by: Dominic Ali, University of Toronto

"Even after taking into account most of the known risk factors for suicide attempts, those with schizophrenia had six times the odds of having attempted suicide in comparison to those without schizophrenia," says Esme Fuller-Thomson. (Credit: Khuroshvili Ilya/Flickr) A new study has uncovered a strong link between schizophrenia and the likelihood of attempting suicide. The risk is particularly high for women, people with substance abuse issues, and those who were abused when they were children.

Details: Written by: Kate Moore, Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Head of Department of Urogynaecology, UNSW Australia

Urinary Incontinence Can Be A Problem For Women Of All Ages Urinary incontinence is often seen as a degrading condition and women can feel too ashamed to seek help. Urinary incontinence is urine leakage from a loss of bladder control that mainly affects women

Details: Written by: Cameron Webb, Clinical Lecturer and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney

The pubic or crab louse has adapted to the humid environment of ‘down there’. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CC BY What’s the worst thing you could be burdened with this Valentine’s Day? Unrequited love? Unwanted affection? Unpaid invoice from the local florist? How about an itchy dose of pubic lice? Pubic lice, Phthirus pubis, or “crabs” as more commonly...

Details: Written by: Lisa Chedekel-Boston University

Is Obesity More Deadly Than The Science Suggests? "The simple step of incorporating weight history clarifies the risks of obesity and shows that they are much higher than appreciated," says Andrew Stokes.

Details: Written by: Blake Bauer

Everything happens for a reason, including health challenges of the mind and body. Although this may be difficult to accept, my view is that we make ourselves sick and miserable looking for love and attention outside ourselves.