Maddinson out of Australia A side due to mental health issues

Cricket Australia say it is committed to better understanding the mental health challenges in the game after Nic Maddinson yesterday became the second player this season to withdraw from a national side due to the issue. The in-form batsman was potentially one big score away from a Test recall when he pulled out of the Australia A game against Pakistan due to start on Monday. Sean Abbott was swarmed by his Australian teammates after a wicket against Pakistan. Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft has been drafted into the Australia A side…

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This new blood test can predict due date and premature birth

Researchers from Standford University have developed a new blood test for pregnant women that may detect whether their pregnancies will end in premature birth. The technique can also be used to estimate a foetus’s gestational age — or the mother’s due date — as reliably and less expensively than ultrasound. There have been several studies on preterm births in the past, and the reasons for it. A study by the University of Pennsylvania linked such births to changes in the mother’s bacteria. Another study by CHU Sainte-Justine in Canada found that having a baby…

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Anxiety and aggression in young boys may increase due to low iron levels

Iron deficiency and low blood levels of Vitamin B12 in small boys may be associated with behaviour problems, such as anxiety and aggression, when they get in middle school, according to a new study. The findings showed that iron deficiency, anaemia and low plasma vitamin B12 levels in boys at around age 8 were associated with 10% higher mean scores on externalising behaviours such as aggression and breaking of rules. Iron deficiency was related to an adjusted 12% higher mean on internalising problem scores like anxiety and depression. “Some parts…

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Facebook Instant Articles Now Compatible With Google AMP; Apple News Support Due Soon

In a move to unify news publishing platforms, Facebook on Thursday announced that it is adding support for Google AMP and Apple News to its Instant Articles platform. Publishers will now be able to create a single Instant Article article that can be published as Google AMP and Apple News articles as well. Facebook also laid emphasis on how this move will let the publishers cut costs on building different versions for three different platforms. While the Instant Articles SDK extension is available for Google AMP, it will be rolled…

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Dengue Claimed 179 Lives, no Death Due to Chikungunya: Government

Dengue has claimed 179 lives across the country this year while no death has been reported due to chikungunya, though it affected 21,000 people, the Rajya Sabha was told today. “During 2016 (till November 13), a total number of 179 deaths due to dengue and no death due to chikungunya has been reported in the country. “The number of positive cases for dengue and chikungunya in the country during 2016 (till November 13) are 90,277 and 21,094 respectively,” Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply. He said…

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Health Weekly Roundup; India declares itself free of bird flu, 1.4m lives lost in India due to air pollution in ’13, Painkillers are not advisable for dengue

Here is this week’s aggregation of the latest news stories on health, fitness and diet. This week was packed with important health-related discoveries. To make sure you don’t miss any, here is this week’s aggregation of the latest news stories on health, fitness and diet. India declares itself free of bird flu Bird flu mainly affects domestic poultry. It spreads from infected birds to other winged creatures through contact with nasal and respiratory secretions and also due to contamination of feed and wate 1.4m lives lost in India due to…

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