Does having children make you happier? Here’s what the research suggests

The prevailing belief in many parts of the world is that having children is key to happiness – and that people who don’t have children are unfulfilled in their lives. But is this really the case? The answer to this question is both simple and complex – and the fulfilment you feel in your life, […]

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World News in Brief: South Sudan aid plan, rising cost of healthy eating, Europe’s diabetes burden

The conflict in neighbouring Sudan has had an impact on the country’s economy, increasing the prices of food and the number of vulnerable people who need assistance. It is estimated that 7.1 million people in South Sudan will continue to be food insecure during the lean season, which runs from April to July, while roughly […]

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IDF changes food allergy policy against expert medical advice

Israeli soldiers who suffer from food allergies and rely on epinephrine autoinjectors (epipens) for emergencies have been able to join the IDF with specific medical profiles that allow them to serve in various front line positions with certain restrictions. However, in recent weeks, numerous soldiers and IDF personnel have expressed their surprise and dismay […]

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Nazi doctors weren’t just ‘a few bad apples’, shows report – and simplistic stories won’t help guard against future medical abuses

Extraordinary evil involves a total moral collapse across society caused by failure of individual humanity and ethical judgment. This was the conclusion of the philosopher Hannah Arendt after witnessing the trial of Adolf Eichmann – the chief architect of the Holocaust – in Jerusalem. Medicine, which is supposed to alleviate human suffering, became a willing […]

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Swine flu makes post-pandemic return as UK detects human infection

A case of A(H1N2)v infection, also known as Swine flu, was detected in the north of England, according to media reports. The last pandemic of the disease was in 2009 after a mass outbreak spread from birds and pigs to humans.  The anonymous individual who was found to have contracted the infection did not work […]

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Stem cell therapy shows promise for treating multiple sclerosis – new study

Over 2 million people globally have multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the nervous system and can lead to problems moving, seeing and thinking. While there are treatments that can help reduce the number and severity of MS attacks, many people with MS eventually develop a more severe form of the disease called secondary […]

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War and health crisis in Gaza a ‘recipe for epidemics’ warns WHO

WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan was briefing journalists at UN Headquarters and added that “so many children” remain in danger, as fighting between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces continues, from hostages to those living under bombardment with no safe place to shelter. Up to 1,500 children in Gaza remain missing – many likely under rubble – […]

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Weird and wonderful things lost then found inside the human body

Doctors in Missouri recently made a startling discovery. A 63-year-old patient who went for a routine colon screening was found to have an intact fly in his colon. The doctors had no idea how the fly survived the perilous journey through the patient’s digestive enzymes and stomach acid. As a professor of anatomy, I come […]

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UN agency heads unite in urgent plea for women and children in Gaza

Briefing the Security Council, Sima Bahous, Catherine Russell and Natalia Kanem – heads of UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Population Fund (UNFPA), respectively – also welcomed the agreement on the release of some of the hostages taken during the Hamas attack on […]

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Neurologist leads global forum to counter misinformation on Israel

As government hasbara efforts (information campaigns) to justify the IDF’s all-out war against Hamas have been poor or nonexistent, frustrated private citizens and voluntary organizations have been stepping in to fight international criticism of Israel.  Dr. Roni Eichel, who in his “day job” is the head of the neurology department at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek […]

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