Science

Robotic prostate surgery: keyhole to the future

Lucy Cormack The uptake of robotic prostate surgery is growing worldwide, but opinion on its efficiency is divided.

Nothing sweet about this debate

Amy Corderoy A science TV program has controversially challenged conventional wisdom on diet and heart health. But there is more to the story.

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VicHealth study identifies the four types of drinkers

Kate Hagan Victorians can be divided into four different groups according to their alcohol consumption, and responsible drinking messages should target them accordingly, new research shows.

Ambulance Victoria fails to meet code 1 response targets

RICHARD WILLINGHAM Victoria's ambulance service has failed to meet its basic response time targets for highest code emergencies.

Ambos get frequent callers to hang up

AMY CORDEROY The ambulance service is targeting ''repeat callers'' after fewer than 500 people managed to call more than 10,000 ambulances in one year, at a cost of $8.4 million.

Major prostate cancer study flawed: doctors

JULIA MEDEW Leading doctors have called for an independent reappraisal of a powerful prostate cancer study after a review found it may have misled men into believing PSA screening tests can save lives.

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Doctors warn against 'unproven' tests

AMY CORDEROY Australians are being ripped off and in some cases putting their health at risk by using dodgy medical tests, doctors have warned.

Science

Pioneer in fight against child virus wins top science prize

BRIDIE SMITH Until 40 years ago the cause of one of the most common types of gastro was a mystery. But the consequences of infection were obvious.

Disability care to be sent to private providers to implement

ANNA PATTY The NSW government plans to transfer all its disability services to the private sector from next year in preparation for the introduction of the national scheme, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, in 2018.

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Health problems soar due to bushfires

Rachel Browne, Heath Gilmore Emergency treatments for breathing problems have risen sharply due to the significant air pollution resulting from bushfire smoke.

Blood test may lead to gender selection

EWA KRETOWICZ A simple blood test that is more accurate than present invasive and risky tests for chromosomal disorders will be available in Australia from next year but concerns have been raised it could be used for selective abortions based on gender.

'Radical' stem cell trial offers hope for MS sufferers

John Elder Jason McIntyre's autoimmune system is dead. The rest of him isn't feeling much better. Eleven days ago he underwent an aggressive chemotherapy, not for the sake of killing cancer - but to knock out every skerrick of protection his body has against infection.

Test raises fears of selective abortion

EWA KRETOWICZ A new, more accurate and less invasive test for foetal chromosomal disorders will be available in Australia next year, but concerns have been raised about it also being used for selective abortions based on gender.

Casualty death rate higher on weekends

LUCY CARROLL Patients are more likely to die in hospital at weekends than on weekdays, according to ground-breaking Australian research that experts say shows hospital staffing levels must change.

No hiding place from danger of extra kilos

FLETA PAGE There is no safe level of overweight. That's the conclusion of an Australian study that has found even people in the upper end of the healthy weight range are at increased risk for the heart problems associated with excess weight.

Obesity problem most acute in rural areas

Dan Harrison Health Correspondent People in some rural areas of NSW are three times as likely to be obese as residents of Sydney's north shore, according to data to be released on Thursday.

Girls under 16 have highest chlamydia rate of those tested

Kate Hagan Young girls aged 12 to 15 are more likely to test positive for chlamydia than older teenagers and even women in their 20s, according to new research, prompting fears the girls are not practising safe sex.

Act on obesity crisis now: professor

DAN HARRISON The Abbott government must move beyond 'preaching personal responsibility' to effectively tackle Australia's obesity crisis, according to the former chairman of the Rudd government's preventive health taskforce.

Smoke triggers health alert

Lucy Carroll, Peter Hannam Health authorities are bracing for an increase in hospital admissions and sickness as Sydney's air quality drops to levels not seen since the Red Dawn dust storms four years ago.

Sci-tech

Hair-raising discovery in pursuit of a cure for baldness

RACHEL WELLS Researchers have made a big breakthrough in the treatment of baldness but it is not for the faint-hearted.

HIV increase at a 20-year high

AMY CORDEROY Australia has had the biggest jump in new HIV cases in two decades, leading experts to call for urgent action to tackle the disease.

Quotas put mentally ill at risk

HENRIETTA COOK Vulnerable mental health patients are being prematurely released from Victorian hospitals so staff can meet discharge quotas and free up beds.

Treatment tools to torture the mind

Tim Barlass So strongly do they resemble early implements of torture, it is difficult to imagine they were originally designed to heal.

Expanding headspace raises concerns

JILL STARK The overseas expansion of headspace, the youth mental health service, has prompted claims Australia's $420 million investment in early intervention is an untested ''hopeful experiment'' corporatising the treatment of mentally ill young people.

Making babies

Julia Medew & Mark Baker While infertile couples pay dearly for the hope of having a child, others are reaping big dollars.

More Australians classed obese

Dan Harrison Millions more Australians may be obese than previously thought, because the usual method of measuring obesity has dramatically underestimated the problem.

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