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Science is bypassing poor people

Applying science and technology to build a Pluto-bound spacecraft that travels more than 10 times faster -- 47,000 miles per hour -- than a speeding bullet is a great achievement. But can we apply technology to feed the 800 million hungry people in the world whose plight isn't improving in a modern world?

17 Feb 2006

Boys are almost twice as likely as girls to burn themselves

Boys are almost twice as likely as girls to burn themselves and children under three face particular risks, according to research published in the February issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing.

17 Feb 2006

Global warming may be reducing respiratory illnesses

Rising global temperatures over the past two decades may be responsible for a shortened season of a serious respiratory illness in the United Kingdom, according to an article in the March 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

16 Feb 2006

Advancing knowledge of diet-gene interactions

Josi Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University joined more than eighty other leading researchers in the fields of nutrition and genetics to co-author a report outlining their strategy for maximizing the impact of nutrigenomics research on global poverty and health.

16 Feb 2006

Grapefruits help reduce cholesterol

A grapefruit a day - particularly the red variety - can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers.

16 Feb 2006

Less is more hypothesis - gene loss may explain unique human traits

Humans and chimps share most of their genes, yet they differ dramatically in many ways - their walk, the sizes of their brains and their capacities for speech and language, for example.

16 Feb 2006

Adverse drug events believed to be among the leading causes of mortality in the United States

Less than 1 percent of outpatients who received medication in 2002 were prescribed a medication that violated a prescription drug's black box warning, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Feb 2006

Scientists investigate sugar coating that surrounds bacteria

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a quick and simple way to investigate the sugar coating that surrounds bacteria and plays a role in infection and immunity.

16 Feb 2006

Diabetics warned against using antibiotic drug Tequin

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. have issued strong warnings concerning the use of the antibiotic drug Tequin.

16 Feb 2006

Grapefruit reduces risk from heart disease

Heart disease patients who eat one grapefruit daily can significantly reduce the levels of cholesterol in their blood in comparison to patients who do not eat the fruit, a new study has found. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

16 Feb 2006

The pros and cons of new anti-obesity drug

According to researchers at New York's Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, an anti-obesity drug that turns off the same brain circuits which trigger the marijuana-induced hunger pangs, appears to produce sustained weight loss among patients.

16 Feb 2006

In future says FDA "whole grain" must mean just that

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has issued advice on what the term "whole grain" may include.

16 Feb 2006

Calcium and Vitamin D supplememts of limited benefit to older women

According to researchers at Stanford University Medical Center, older women who regularly take calcium and Vitamin D marginally decrease their risk of hip fractures.

16 Feb 2006

More wild birds threatened with slaughter as bird flu spreads across Europe

German officials have confirmed that two swans found on a beach on the Baltic island of Rugen have tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.

16 Feb 2006

Herbal supplements and plastic surgery don't mix well

Natural herbal supplements are supposed to help boost our immune systems, give us more energy and make us generally healthier.

14 Feb 2006

Panorama programme lead to significant increase in adverse paroxetine reports

The number of adverse reactions reported by UK doctors to the antidepressant paroxetine - often know by its brand name Seroxat - rose by 61 per cent after three editions of the BBC's award-winning current affairs programme Panorama explored increasing concerns about the drug.

14 Feb 2006

Second-hand smoke levels still worryingly high throughout all areas of pubs

UK scientists have questioned the use of partial smoking bans in pubs and clubs, following alarming new figures about how much non-smokers actually breathe in.

14 Feb 2006

Soya products, beans and sunflower seeds reduce risk of contracting prostate cancer

Men who have a diet rich in soya products, beans and sunflower seeds run a much lower risk of contracting prostate cancer. New findings from Karolinska Institutet show that foods rich in phytoestrogens - plant-produced oestrogens - protect against the most common form of cancer in the western world.

14 Feb 2006

Nigeria struggling to cope with bird flu and more scares in Europe

The lethal strain of H5N1 bird flu has now reached Nigeria and there is concern as officials there in their efforts to prevent any human infections are having difficulty convincing many poor people not to eat dead poultry.

14 Feb 2006

So much for openness and enhanced oversight at FDA drug safety board!

The Drug Safety Oversight Board, created in February 2005, was originally introduced as a measure to speed up and help regulators respond to signs of unexpected side effects following a new drug hitting the market.

13 Feb 2006