The Korea Herald

Preorders for iPhone 4S start amid price dispute

Korea’s two leading mobile carriers SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. on Friday began receiving preorders for Apple Inc.’s iPhone 4S, which is slated to hit the local market on Nov. 11, amid a brewing dispute over its higher price here than in other countries. The battle for iPhone 4S is expected to be tougher than ever as KT, the company which began to provide iPhone in the Korean market as the sole provider in late 2009, is desperately trying to retain its existing iPhone user base against the marke

Nov. 4, 2011

Preorders for iPhone 4S start amid price dispute

SK Telecom, KT start to accept preorders for iPhone 4S

South Korea's two leading mobile carriers SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. on Friday began receiving preorders for Apple Inc.'s latest iPhone 4S, which is slated to hit the local market next week.South Korean customers could preorder the iconic smartphone on the companies' Web sites from Friday. Preorder

Nov. 4, 2011

KFDA warns against ‘smart pill’ abuse

The Korea Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued a warning against so-called “smart pills” that contain narcotics. According to the drug agency, the pills prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactive disorder are often used by students to ward of sleepiness and enhance concentration. However, the main ingredient of the drug, methylphenidate, can cause anxiety and depression as well as seizure during sleep, even if taken by someone who is healthy.The KFDA revealed that a total of 306

Nov. 3, 2011

Seonam to look after N. Korean defectors

Seonam Hospital will take care of North Korean defectors as part of efforts to help them settle in South Korea and enhance their health, the hospital said Tuesday. The hospital has allied with Hana Center, a state-run institution to assist settlement of North Korean defectors in South Korean society, to provide them with medical care. The hospital will reorganize itself to better treat North Korean defectors and develop health programs suitable to them. (baejisook@heraldm.com)

Nov. 3, 2011

Cancer’s most isolated patients: Adolescents and young adults

LOS ANGELES ― She has had four surgeries to remove her thyroid, parathyroid and vocal cord nerve, along with muscle and tissue.Once a year, she goes to a hospital and swallows a radioactive iodine capsule to attack the remaining cancer cells ― and then remains in isolation for four days. During what she calls her quarantine, she can’t touch ― or even be in the same room as ― anyone else. The treatment causes soreness, swelling, nausea and headaches.Each year, as the ordeal approaches, she scans

Nov. 3, 2011

Bed-wetting in children

Bed-wetting (also called nighttime or nocturnal enuresis) is fairly common among children and is often just a stage in their development. Children learn to control daytime urination as they become aware of their bladder filling. Once this occurs, the child learns to consciously control his or her bladder. This generally occurs by age 4. Nighttime bladder control usually takes longer and is not expected until a child is between 5 and 7 years old.The number of children who bed-wet varies by age; a

Nov. 3, 2011

U.S. deaths from painkiller overdoses triple in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) ― The number of overdose deaths from powerful painkillers more than tripled over a decade, the government reported Tuesday ― a trend that a U.S. health official called an epidemic, but one that can be stopped.Prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and methadone led to the deaths of almost 15,000 people in 2008, including actor Heath Ledger. That’s more than three times the 4,000 deaths from narcotics in 1999.Such painkillers “are meant to help people who have severe pa

Nov. 3, 2011

U.S. deaths from painkiller overdoses triple in a decade

Beware of carpal tunnel syndrome

Doctors advise cyclists to rest their wrists occasionally while ridingThirty-five-year-old Park rides a bicycle to work every day. He started to commute by bike in March and his mileage so far tops 10,000 kilometers.In the beginning, things seemed to progress smoothly. He lost weight and felt healthier. But recently, he began experiencing numbness around his wrists. The pain grew so severe and so quickly that he could not even move his hands at times. He was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome

Nov. 3, 2011

Removing ‘deadbeat’ cells in mice blunts physical decline from aging

A natural anti-cancer mechanism that causes cells to stop dividing and go into limbo also drives the aging process, according to a study in mice that found removing the cells slows the physical decline that comes with age. The breakthrough answers a riddle about the effect of the cells that ref

Nov. 3, 2011

Removing ‘deadbeat’ cells in mice blunts physical decline from aging

FDA approves innovative, non-invasive heart valve

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have approved a first-of-a-kind artificial heart valve that can be implanted without major surgery, offering a new treatment option for patients who are too old or frail for the chest-cracking procedure currently used.The Food and Drug Administration

Nov. 3, 2011

Apple to sell iPhone 4S in Korea from Nov. 11

Apple Inc. said that the U.S.-based company plans to launch its new iPhone 4S in the South Korean market on Nov. 11.Apple said on its Web site on Tuesday that it will launch the iPhone 4S in 15 countries including South Korea and Hong Kong and customers will be able to pre-order the smartphone starting Friday.Apple has applied for a radio wave certificate at a South Korean national agency for its iPhone 4S, signaling that the launch of its latest smartphone in Korea is imminent.The iPhone 4S was

Nov. 2, 2011

Yoga aids back pain sufferers: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― People who took yoga classes for chronic lower back pain experienced more lifestyle improvements and better overall health than those who sought a doctor’s advice, said a study published Monday.The research in the U.S. journal the Annals of Internal Medicine, led by scientists at the University of York, included more than 300 people and was described as the largest of its kind to date in the United Kingdom.Researchers derived their study samples from a group of people who were

Nov. 2, 2011

Light drinking linked to slight breast cancer risk

CHICAGO (AP) — Whether sipping beer, wine or whiskey, women who drink just three alcoholic beverages a week face slightly higher chances for developing breast cancer compared with teetotalers, a study of more than 100,000 U.S. nurses found.The link between alcohol and breast cancer isn't new,

Nov. 2, 2011

Apple to launch iPhone 4S in S. Korea on Nov. 11

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- Apple Inc. said Tuesday that the U.S.-based company plans to launch its new iPhone 4S in the South Korean market on Nov. 11.Apple said on its Web site that it will launch the iPhone 4S in 15 countries including South Korea and Hong Kong and customers will be able to pre-ord

Nov. 2, 2011

Scientists discover mechanism behind cancer growth

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. scientists have discovered the mechanism behind the growth and spread of cancer that may help doctors better fight the potentially fatal disease in the future, the government said Wednesday.According to the science ministry, the team led by Yook Jong-i

Nov. 2, 2011

'Rejuvenated' stemcells coaxed from centenarian

Scientists said Tuesday they had transformed age-worn cells in people over 90 -- including a centenarian -- into rejuvenated stemcells that were "indistinguishable" from those found in embryos.The technical feat, reported in the peer-reviewed journal Genes & Development, opens a new path toward rege

Nov. 1, 2011

'Rejuvenated' stemcells coaxed from centenarian

Scientists make human blood protein from rice

WASHINGTON, Oct 31, 2011 (AFP) - Scientists at a Chinese university said Monday they can use rice to make albumin, a protein found in human blood that is often used for treating burns, traumatic shock and liver disease.When extracted from rice seeds, the protein is "physically and chemically equival

Nov. 1, 2011

SNU researchers transplant pig’s pancreas to monkey

A group of doctors here has successfully transplanted parts of a pig’s pancreas to a monkey, opening the way for new treatments for diabetes in people.Professor Park Sung-heo of Seoul National University College of Medicine and his team said Monday they transplanted the islets of Langerhans, a region of the pancreas, of a number of pigs to eight monkeys, of which four have survived for more than six months without complications. “It is rare even among the same species to experience no noticeable

Oct. 31, 2011

SNU researchers transplant pig’s pancreas to monkey

Korean TV makers nab 50 pct of U.S. market share

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. clinched a combined 50 percent share of the U.S. TV market in the July-September period, an industry report showed Monday, thanks to strong demand for their premium TVs with 3D features and Web connectivity. It marked t

Oct. 31, 2011

Heavy drinking tied to higher stomach cancer risk

Oct. 31, 2011