Why smiles (and frowns) are contagious

Our instinct for facial mimicry allows us to empathise with and even experience other people's feelings. When you smile it makes everyone in the room feel better because they, consciously or unconsciously, are smiling with you. If we can't mirror another person's face, it limits our ability to read and properly react to their expressions. A Review of this emotional mirroring appears February 11 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

March 15-17 Aus Healthcare Week 2016 Expo

Pick up your free ticket and visit us at the Australian Healthcare Week 2016 Expo, Australia’s largest health facilities, technology & medical devices expo. Come and say hello and pick up the latest issue of the Australian Hospital & Healthcare Bulletin.

Aus detention is worst in the world for kids

A standard global test for child development has delivered an incredible result. The children Australia holds in immigration detention are the most at risk ever given the assessment. Max Chalmers reports.

This device was made for walking

Walking may be possible again for people with spinal cord injuries using the power of thought. Melbourne medical researchers have created a new minimally invasive brain-machine interface, giving people with paralysis new hope.

Who will walk into your hospital today?

A brave new world in prostate imaging

CSIRO braces for job cuts

It has just been reported that CSIRO is facing significant job cuts, with climate science teams among those expected to be hit the hardest. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Oceans and Atmosphere division is expected to lose 110 staff, with similar reductions in the Land and Water division. In an interview with Fairfax media, CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall explains the rationale behind the cuts – Mr Marshall suggests 350 staff will be affected, and has sent a letter to CSIRO staff this morning. Professor Samantha Hepburn, Research Director at Deakin Law School and Director of EMI Partners says, "The job cuts in the climate science division of CSIRO have been rationalised by the new CEO, former venture capitalist, Mr Marshall, as being the product of a rationalised and streamlined approach to corporate management in line with startup companies such as Netflix." "The CSIRO, however, is a crucial agency for social and environmental progression. It is the Federal government government agency for scientific research in Australia. It seeks to develop the scientific knowledge required to manage Australia's wildlife, plant and land resources for ecological sustainability. It is not a technology startup," she says.

Access concerns as drugs delisted

Mum's microbes boost C-section immunity

Newborns that are delivered via caesarean-section are being exposed to their mum's vaginal microbes by US scientists in an attempt to provide them with the community of microorganisms that would usually come from a vaginal birth. The researchers explain that the early exposure helps the babies develop a strong immune system, and in the experiment the babies that were swabbed with the vaginal fluid showed a similar level of microorganism growth as those born vaginally. They did add that the transfer was not perfect, as a few of the common microbes didn't take hold, and that long term studies are still required to determine the lasting effects.

Brain training gives tendon pain the boot

Love in the time of Zika

Love, sex and babies are the foundation of human existence. Without them the human race ceases to exist. Zika, a virus that few people had heard of a month ago, has suddenly disrupted this normal course of events.

AMA reports public hospitals under the pump

The Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) annual Public Hospital Report Card says hospitals are facing “a growing funding crisis” – with their performance virtually stagnant, even declining in certain areas – and lays the blame squarely at the feet of the federal government.

National Nursing Forum shines the light on leadership

Fallopian tube removal drops cancer by 40%

A University of Queensland gynaecological researcher and cancer surgeon is urging women facing hysterectomy  to consider removal of their fallopian tubes to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer.

Sepsis Kills program - saving lives in NSW

An early intervention program designed to improve the way emergency departments deal with patients with sepsis has been successful in speeding up the process of treating the potentially fatal condition, according to research published online by the Medical Journal of Australia.