Radiation therapy: significance of proton therapy

Pyo Hong-ryullRadiation therapy, together with surgery and chemotherapy, has become one of the three most commonly used methods for treating cancer today. Since the discovery of X-ray, many improvements ― such as the linear accelerator (LINAC), 3-Dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) ― have been seen in the field of radiotherapy. Proton therapy can be

July 7, 2011

Heart disease is No. 1 killer, can sneak up on women: report

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Heart disease can sneak up on women in ways that standard cardiac tests can miss.It’s part of a puzzling gender gap: Women tend to have different heart attack symptoms than men. They’re more likely to die in the year after a first heart attack.In fact, more than 40 percent of women still don’t realize that heart disease is the No. 1 female killer. One in 30 women’s deaths in 2007

July 7, 2011

Iceland's Hekla volcano shows signs of activity

A cloud of ashes billows from the Puyehue volcano near Osorno, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 15. (AFP-Yonhap News)REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) -- Scientists are monitoring unusual underground activity that could signal an eruption at the Hekla volcano in southern Iceland.University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson said Wednesday that magma appears to be moving deep beneath the volcano. He say

July 7, 2011

Ovulating? Urine test more precise than calendar: study

MCTSTOCKHOLM  (AFP) - Women trying to conceive are better served by a urine test to determine if they are ovulating than the more commonly used calendar method, the makers of the test said at a Stockholm conference Tuesday.“The calendar method is good to help women to start to understand how their cycle works, but if women are really trying to conceive ... it‘s not really the best method to use,”

July 6, 2011

Reading books aloud may disrupt learning

(MCT)Having children reading books aloud may not be an effective way of educating them. In fact, it may hinder students from acquiring new vocabulary, said researchers from New Zealand.When children under age 6 learn reading via sound, they tend to create a “cognitive footprint” which results in a long-term disadvantage. Phonics students also found it hard to identify real words from words that ar

July 6, 2011

How to goof around without your boss knowing

(MCT)Office workers who spend everyday glaring at a computer screen find it hard to keep their concentration throughout work hours. It is difficult to access Facebook, Twitter or other websites when the boss is watching.“Here comes my boss” (http://web.humoruniv.com/prog/ohmygod/ohmygod.html), provided by popular site Humor University, is a simple route to avoid being caught slacking: It returns t

July 6, 2011

S. Korea tops OECD members for wireless Internet penetration

(Yonhap News)SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea ranked first among advanced countries last year in terms of wireless high-speed Internet penetration, according to data by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday.South Korea was the leading country for wireless broadband subscriptions last year among the 34 OECD countries, with 89.8 per 100 people. The number of subscr

July 5, 2011

Three-month-old babies recognize human voices

(MCT)A British study showed three-month-old babies recognize human voices and can distinguish emotions from the sound, the Daily Mail reported.The research from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London tested 21 infants, aged between three months and seven months, by monitoring brain activity through an MRI scan after playing recorded noises made by machines, human sounds and squeaking

July 3, 2011

Mobile apps open up new channel to explore Korea

While a number of blogs and homepages are already offering a wide range of detailed information about Korea for visitors in English and other languages, the same segment is still in its infancy in the universe of mobile apps.But it’s too early to give up yet. Though the number of related apps for iPhone and iPad users is small, a dozen apps deserve attention. More importantly, the outlook appears

July 1, 2011

Men five times more likely to be struck by lightning than women

Men are about five times more likely to be killed by lightning because they are more reckless, a recently survey showed. AccuWeather.com., a U.S. online weather service, has recently unveiled the result of its survey of lightning-related deaths that occurred in the U.S. from 1995 to 2008. (AP)Of 648 people killed by lightning, men accounted for 82 percent. This year, there have been six such death

July 1, 2011

After gastric bypass, some battle new addictions

ORLANDO, Florida ― Andrew Kahn thought after he got his weight under control, his problems would be over. Instead, he, like many gastric-bypass-surgery patients, traded his food addiction for an alcohol habit.“Drinking for me became like eating used to be ― instant satisfaction,” said the 60-year-old resident of southern Florida. “But I eventually realized food and alcohol were cover for me not ta

June 30, 2011