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Blood pressure testing in people under 35 often misdiagnosed

Doctors who routinely measure blood pressure in people under 35 are more likely to misdiagnose than to detect hypertension correctly, according to a study in this week's BMJ. This could lead to unnecessary lifelong treatment for many.

16 Apr 2004

Older people are NOT a huge burden on health services

Despite public perceptions that older people are a huge burden on health services, new research from Bristol University shows that the use of acute hospital services does not increase with age.

16 Apr 2004

Weak UK government alcohol report pulls its punches

A recent report on reducing harm from alcohol by the Government's strategy unit has been 'neutered' in comparison with the same study's interim findings, according to an editorial in this week's BMJ.

16 Apr 2004

Evidence suggests cutting back on state-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns could increase smoking rates

New evidence indicates that cutting back on state-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns could result in a sharp increase in smoking rates, particularly among adolescents, and should convince all states to protect these programs, according to the American Heart Association.

16 Apr 2004

Certain prostate cancer cell lines are unable to repair DNA damage caused by "free radicals"

Certain prostate cancer cell lines are unable to repair DNA damage caused by "free radicals," according to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This type of damage has been implicated before in the development of prostate cancer.

16 Apr 2004

Secrets of the human body unveiled at new museum

Ned Kelly’s death mask, skeletons from the 1800s and more than 12,000 assorted anatomy and pathology specimens will be on display at a special media event to launch the opening of a unique new anatomy and pathology museum at the University of Melbourne.

16 Apr 2004

New gene presents a potent new target for breast cancer therapy

A gene known to promote longevity in animals has now been discovered to encode a tumor suppressor – a protein that helps prevent cancer, according to a study by a team of scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The new gene, which was inactivated in two-thirds of patients studied, presents a potent new target for breast cancer therapy, the researchers say.

16 Apr 2004

New insights into how tumors neutralize CD8 T cells

Scientists have speculated that this may be because the immune response is not strong enough, or because it does not last long enough to have an effect. Hence the increasing efforts to develop cancer vaccines that induce, strengthen, and increase the duration of immunological attack against cancer cells.

16 Apr 2004

Cancer-specific protein offers new target for the development of melanoma vaccine

Scientists from the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative (CVC) have discovered that the cancer-specific protein, SSX-2, induces a spontaneous immunological reaction against cancer cells in melanoma patients, offering a new target for the development of a therapeutic melanoma vaccine. SSX-2 is the prototype of the SSX family, and is part of a larger group of proteins known as cancer/testis (CT) antigens.

16 Apr 2004

Microbiologists have characterised the DNA in bacteria responsible for vomiting

James Cook University microbiologists have characterised the DNA in bacteria responsible for one of the world's most common forms of food poisoning.

16 Apr 2004

New forensic tool to detect infectious diseases

Tests for the detection of infectious diseases in North Queensland will be faster and cheaper, thanks to the purchase of new equipment in James Cook University's School of Biomedical Sciences.

16 Apr 2004

How cutting-edge computer techniques can be used to develop drugs

Leading international experts will gather at the University of Bradford's Institute for Pharmaceutical Innovation (IPI) for a conference looking at how cutting-edge computer techniques can be used to develop drugs.

16 Apr 2004

Risks of animal-human cross infection from food consumption "wolf nipple chips anyone"

Hungry? How about some bull testicles, or maybe some chameleon or guinea pig? Not to your liking? Well, in the world of food, what constitutes fine cuisine is a cultural determination. The French have horsemeat and frogs' legs, the Australians kangaroo and alligator, and the Chinese have water snake and civet cat.

16 Apr 2004

Breast cancer treatment based on MIT radar research

A breast cancer treatment based on MIT radar research that was originally aimed at detecting space-borne missiles is showing promise in the final phase of clinical testing.

16 Apr 2004

Bad hygiene may be good for you

A group of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a connection between poor T cell survival in the body and the development of autoimmunity.

16 Apr 2004

Three hours exercise reduces risk of breast cancer

Three hours of moderate exercise per week significantly reduced circulating estrogens in postmenopausal women, according to a new study published in the current issue of Cancer Research. The finding may explain why women who exercise regularly lower their risk for breast cancer.

16 Apr 2004

Citrus soda culprit in patient’s medical mystery

It took a team of medical sleuths at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to get to the bottom of what was causing the 35-year-old to have abnormal blood chemistries during a post-transplant check up.

16 Apr 2004

Cleaning up after major dirty bomb attack

A new study, scheduled to appear in the May 1 edition of Environmental Science & Technology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, suggests that current regulations for environmental remediation are inadequate to deal with a dirty bomb attack.

16 Apr 2004

Patient uses inorganic blood substitute

A patient who is losing large amounts of blood presents a medical emergency, requiring proper blood-typing and immediate access to multiple units of compatible blood.

16 Apr 2004

Computer technology helps to make sense of human brain

Through the HBP, federal agencies fund a system of web-based databases and research tools that help brain scientists share and integrate their raw, primary research data. At the conference, eminent neuroscientists and neuroinformatics specialists will recap the field's achievements and forecast its future technological, scientific and social challenges and opportunities.

16 Apr 2004