Health

Lung probe 'to help cut the unnecessary use of antibiotics'

The fibre-optic tube can show within 60 seconds whether a patient needs to be treated with the drugs.

It is hoped the Proteus technology could tackle the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

The project has been developed by scientists at the universities of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Bath.

Proteus has received £2m of funding from the Wellcome Trust.

How coffee naps can help you power through the day

Both make you feel alert and can enhance your performance, whether that's driving, working or studying.

But some people are convinced that drinking a coffee before a nap gives you an extra zap of energy when you wake up.

How could that be? Is there any evidence to back the power of these so-called coffee naps?

Or are we better off getting a good night's sleep?

Feeling sleepy?

Court: Coca-Cola products could be poisonous

The court held that high levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives in the popular soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when mixed with ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, according to local media.

The cup of coffee that could cause heart palpitations

"If you want to stand out, you need to be the 'est' -- the biggest, smartest, strongest, or cheapest," said Black Insomnia founder Sean Kristafor. "So when we wanted to compete in coffee, as a caffeine product, we had to be the strongest, but obviously, we don't exceed the world guidelines."

As a coffee aficionado, Kristafor created the company after retiring from a corporate job. He found a top coffee roaster online and created Black Insomnia last June, first selling locally to cafes in Cape Town, South Africa.

These salad cakes are made with vegetables

"Salad cakes" -- a new craze in Japan -- offer exactly that experience.

Nagoya native Mitsuki Moriyasu, a cafe owner and food stylist, in 2015 invented what she calls the "Vegedeco Salad" (decorated vegetables) as a guilt-free alternative to traditional baked goods.

These sinless sweets substitute cream "frosting" for that made out of tofu, a "sponge" base for one of soy powder, eggs and vegetable oil, while the rainbow hues that decorate the "icing" come from natural vegetable colorings such as red beetroot juice.

Marathons can damage kidneys

The benefits of long-distance running include boosting your mood and longevity while reducing your risk of cancerdiabetes

Night-time loo trips 'linked to salt in diet'

The problem - called nocturia - which mainly affects the over-60s, leads to disrupted sleep and can significantly affect people's lives.

In a study of more than 300 volunteers, researchers found that reduced salt intake led people to urinate less.

Advice to follow a sensible diet could help improve symptoms, UK doctors said.

The researchers, from Nagasaki University, presented their findings at the European Society of Urology congress in London.

Is there a link between climate change and diabetes?

Now, researchers are looking at whether climate change might be linked to another public health concern: Type 2 diabetes.

Between 1996 and 2009, as outdoor temperatures rose across the United States, so did the prevalence of diabetes, according to a study published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care on Monday.

The healing power of the sea

A few years ago my brother fell ill with a severe mental illness. I reasoned if the sea could calm itself, maybe it could help calm his mind.

'Bad luck' mutations increase cancer risk more than behavior, study says

Overall, 66% of the genetic mutations that develop into cancer are caused by simple random errors occurring when cells replace themselves, according to a new study published in the journal Science.

Environmental factors contribute 29% of mutations, while the remaining 5% are inherited, say Cristian Tomasetti and Dr. Bert Vogelstein, both of Johns Hopkins University.