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Chloropropanols in Australian meat products

A Food Standards Agency investigation into 1,3-dichloropropanol (1,3-DCP) has not found it in any of the meat products tested. 1,3-DCP is a chemical that might harm people's health.

20 May 2004

Natural biological process by which yeast cells dismantle amyloid fibers

Amyloid fibers, those clumps of plaque-like proteins that clog up the brains of Alzheimer's patients, have perplexed scientists with their robust structures. In laboratory experiments, they are able to withstand extreme heat and cold and powerful detergents that cripple most other proteins.

20 May 2004

Protein that appears to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease

A protein that allows human cancer to resist multiple anticancer drugs also appears to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease, according to research conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center. The protein, active in brain tissue, could be a target for new drugs to treat patients with Alzheimer's.

20 May 2004

Researchers to study link between diabetes and early dementia

Understanding the link between diabetes and early dementia – as well as how diabetes relates to other causes of memory loss – is the focus of a new study at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and approximately 40 other medical institutions nationwide.

20 May 2004

CMS announces jump in number of hospitals reporting quality care data

Hospital participation in the National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative is booming as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMA) posts its second web site refresh of hospital quality of care data, CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., announced today.

20 May 2004

Antioxidant vitamins A, C and E are unlikely to prevent heart disease and other diseases such as cancer

The study found that individuals who have diets rich in these vitamins are people who are less likely to have ever lived in deprived social circumstances, less likely to have ever smoked, more likely to be physically active and less likely to be obese. It is these factors rather than the vitamins that protect individuals from disease.

20 May 2004

Public health groups strongly support bipartisan FDA tobacco legislation

Our public health organizations strongly support the bipartisan legislation introduced today in both the House and Senate to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with effective authority to regulate tobacco products.

20 May 2004

Cell division can be halted in multiple ways, with implications for cancer

Brown University researchers have found that there are multiple independent ways to stop cell division, a phenomenon that prevents the spread of genetic mutation, which can make cells cancerous. Results of this research, along with an accompanying editorial, were published in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell.

20 May 2004

Britain a nation of binge drinkers

The British Prime Minister today warned that binge drinking risks becoming the 'new British Disease' unless new powers to confront the problem are used.

20 May 2004

A genetic variant (MTHFR C677T) puts half the population at increased risk of neural tube defects

Researchers in Ireland and the United States identified the genetic make-up (genotype) of 395 individuals born with neural tube defects (spina bifida or encephalocele) and 848 controls.

20 May 2004

Scientists have sped up a common jumping gene found in the human genome

Johns Hopkins scientists have transformed a common "jumping gene" found in the human genome into one that moves hundreds of times more often than normal in mouse and human cells.

20 May 2004

Scientists aim to develop an intelligent robotic wheelchair

Researchers from the Department of Computer Science will work alongside scientists from the Institute of Automation at Beijing in developing the advanced technology needed for a high performance, low cost RoboChair which will enable the elderly and disabled to gain increased mobility and live more independently.

20 May 2004

Dietary supplement reduces body fat mass in overweight adults by as much as nine percent

A study to be published in the June issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes that the dietary supplement, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), reduces body fat mass in overweight, but otherwise healthy, adults by as much as nine percent.

20 May 2004

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

A new study has important implications for the millions of African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure. The study, AADVANCE, shows Diovan HCT(R) (valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide) lowers blood pressure in African Americans to aggressive recommended target blood pressure goals as effectively as amlodipine.

20 May 2004

Bone repair using breakthrough material

A breakthrough in polymer development means that soon there may be a radical new treatment for people with broken bones - a special kind of material that can 'glue' the bone back together and support it while it heals. The polmer material is designed to break down as the bone regrows leaving only natural tissue.

20 May 2004

Accurate and effective new methods for diagnosis of Inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases collectively cause significant lifestyle sacrifices and suffering and millions of dollars in related health care costs every year, partially due to a lack of effective diagnostic procedures and therapies. In new studies presented today at Digestive Disease Week in New Orleans, researchers show evidence of accurate and effective new methods for diagnosis, as well as improved treatment options, for sufferers of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s diseases.

19 May 2004

Studies identify risk factors for colon cancer in women

In new studies presented today at Digestive Disease Week in New Orleans, scientists report that women’s preferences for a female physician may delay or prevent proper colorectal screenings due to a lack of females in the field and diabetes may be a significant risk factor for development of colon cancer.

19 May 2004

Caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at high-risk for liver disease

According to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week, drinking caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at high-risk for liver disease. Conversely, a study by researchers from India found that soda drinkers, who represent a huge percentage of the American population, may actually have an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.

19 May 2004

Dental appliance may help weight loss

Many Americans eat so fast, there isn't time to feel full until we realize we've overdone it. So we keep on eating, consuming more calories than we need. Now, there is an innovative appliance helps accomplish what our mothers always told us -- slow down, take smaller bites, and chew our food longer. Unlike many approaches to diets, this appliance is focused not on what we eat -- but how we eat.

19 May 2004

Patients with leukemia or lymphoma who undergo hematopoietic-cell transplantation and survive can expect full recovery to take 3-5 years

Patients with leukemia or lymphoma who undergo hematopoietic-cell transplantation (HCT) and survive can expect full recovery to take 3-5 years, according to a study published in the May 19 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

19 May 2004