A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.
LIGHT WAKES UP DRIVERS
Blue-green light and caffeine can help tired young drivers become more alert, a new study says.
The QUT Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety tested drivers aged between 18-25 in a driving simulation after they had been deprived of sleep.
The study found drivers who wore glasses that flashed a blue-green light around their face had better control of their cars.
Those who had the light and chewed caffeinated gum performed even better.
Researcher Shamsi Shekari says the results are promising given about 20 per cent of car accidents in Australia are related to driver fatigue.
DIABETES INCREASES EPILEPSY RISK
People with type 1 diabetes are three times more at risk of developing epilepsy in later life, a Taiwanese study says.
The research, published in the European Association for the Study of Diabetes journal Diabetologia, says diabetes could have a damaging effect on the central nervous system.
Immune abnormalities, brain lesions, genetic factors and metabolic abnormalities are also potential causes for the link between diabetes and epilepsy.
UNIVERSAL 'NO' EXPRESSION
The look of disapproval transcends all cultures and can be recognised instantly, US-led research says.
If you have a furrowed brow, pressed lips and raised chin, you are making what researchers call the "not face" - a facial expression universally interpreted as an embodiment of negative emotion.
Research published in US journal Cognition described the expression as a combination of anger, disgust and contempt.
It says people instinctively make the face when communicating with others before they verbally say no.
STROKE AWARDS
The search is on for "inspirational unsung heroes" who work tirelessly to improve the lives of Australian stroke survivors, their families and carers.
The Stroke Foundation is calling for nominations for its eighth annual Stroke Awards.
One in six people will have a stroke in their lifetime, making it one of the nation's biggest killers, the foundation's Mary Orgill says.
"Helping stroke survivors and their families and carers negotiate the days, weeks and months after a stroke is vital work in our community," she said.
To nominate someone for one of the five 2016 Stroke Awards, see strokefoundation.com.au.
EBOLA RISK DOWNGRADED
West Africa's Ebola outbreak is no longer a threat to international public health, the World Health Organisation says.
The organisation this week declared an end to the nearly 20-month emergency that killed more than 11,000 people after accepting findings from an independent committee.
The committee has also called for the lifting of travel and trade restrictions affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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