Health Care

An obese teenager in London had to be cut from her home on Friday, as emergency workers needed to transport the teen to a local hospital. The 19-year-old weighs approximately 835 pounds and had not been outside in three years.

Georgia Davis was once named "Britain's fattest teen" and on Friday was removed from her home to receive medical care. Approximately 40 people were on-hand to assist in Davis' removal and transportation, according to the Daily Post.

It took almost eight hours for them to free Davis from her home. more >>

Calcium supplements have become increasingly common among people wanting to prevent bone loss, however, a new study has suggested that taking the supplements could significantly increase the risk of a heart attack.

Previous research had claimed that the supplements would help prevent heart attacks and strokes, but the latest study leaders are suggesting it does the opposite. They believe dietary calcium still reduces the risk though.

"While a moderately high intake of calcium from diet may go along with a lower risk of heart attack, this is not true for supplementary calcium intake," said lead researcher Sabine Rohrmann, from the division of cancer epidemiology and prevention at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. more >>

A pancreatic cancer test by 15-year-old student Jack Andraka is taking the science world by storm. The North County High School freshman was awarded a $75,000 prize for his efforts.

The pancreatic cancer test was entered in by the 15-year-old to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The simple dip-stick blood and urine test has been found to be 90 percent accurate, 1,000 times more sensitive, and 28 times cheaper than other tests- all while using the same methodology, according to the teen.

"I got interested in early detection because that's the best chance of treating cancer," the Crownsville, Maryland student told Time magazine. "The only practical way of doing this is through routine blood tests, so that's what I've developed here." more >>

A Reagan blood auction has the former president's charitable foundation in an uproar. A British auction house is currently selling a vial of the Republican leader's blood to the highest bidder.

The Reagan blood auction could not have been possible without the 1981 assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr., who shot the President in front of the Washington Hilton Hotel. The specimen is alleged to be from his hospital visit after his wound, and Reagan supporters have condemned the auction, calling it "craven."

"If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act, and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation executive director John Heubusch said in a statement. more >>

The smallest artificial heart has been successfully used on a 16-month-old baby in Rome, Italy according to doctors, who say the baby is now doing well. The infant has now received a permanent heart transplant and "is in good health," a statement by officials said.

"In March, the smallest artificial heart in the world was implanted at the Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome," official Antonio Amodeo said in public statement. Amodeo refused to give any identifying information about the infant in order to protect the family's privacy.

"The device, a titanium pump weighing only 11 grams and that can endure a flow of up to 1.5 liters per minute, was used in an emergency case of a 16-month-infant suffering from dilated myocardiopathy with a serious infection of the ventricular assistance device that had been implanted previously," Amodeo explained. more >>

A blind man has earned support from the public after he claimed that a hospital carved his body during an open-heart surgery.

Vernon Traversie, a 69-year-old Native American man who also happens to be blind, has accused a South Dakota Hospital of failing to take action after he reported being abused by a male nurse. Traversie was rushed to Rapid City Regional Hospital in August of last year after suffering from a heart attack. He was told that he would require open heart surgery. Following the surgery Traversie reported that he was in a lot of pain. He then claims the male nurse who responded to him was abusive.

"He told me to shut my f------ mouth or he'd shut it for me. I didn't provoke him. I didn't disrespect him," Traversie told Mail Online. more >>