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The heart can heal itself

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Despite the dramatic advances in the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases that have occurred in the second half of the 20th century, heart failure (HF) is the most common cause of death in developed nations.

5 Sep 2006

Consumer hygiene fears keep food industry on its toes

A major outbreak of E.coli 0157 poisoning in which 500 people were affected and 20 people died, seems to have led to improvements in the management of food risks in the retail and catering industries in Scotland, according to ESRC funded research at the London School of Economics.

30 Aug 2006

New methods for screening nanoparticles and interaction with human cells

Scientists have developed a screening method to examine how newly made nanoparticles - particles with dimensions on the order of billionths of a meter - interact with human cells following exposure for various times and doses.

21 Aug 2006

Federally approved human embryonic stems inferior to those donated for research

Neural stem cells grown from one of the federally approved human embryonic stem cell lines proved to be inferior to neural stem cells derived from fetal tissue donated for research, a UCLA study has found.

4 Aug 2006

FDA develops cost-effective way to identify bioterror agents used in hoax incidents

Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) are developing a quick, cost-effective way to screen for and identify bioterror agents and other substances used in hoax incidents.

3 Aug 2006

Using gamma radiation preserves T-cell responses in bacterial vaccine

Using gamma radiation to inactivate bacteria for the preparation of vaccines, instead of traditional heat or chemical methods of inactivation, appears to create a vaccine that is more effective than so-called "killed" vaccines against disease, and has the added advantage of a longer storage life than "live" vaccines.

26 Jul 2006

Irradiation preserves T-Cell responses in bacterial vaccine

Findings could result in more potent vaccines that are relatively inexpensive to produce, easy to store, and that can be transported without refrigeration.

25 Jul 2006

Growing pains linked to body weight

University of South Australia researchers have discovered that young children experiencing growing pains had significantly greater body weight than children for whom no pain was reported.

25 Jul 2006

Digital magnetofluidics holds hope for better medicine

Critical advances in medicine and environmental protection promise to emerge from a new method for biochemical analysis of fluids developed by an international science team led in part by Arizona State University researchers.

21 Jul 2006

Secrets of cells revealed

With the advancement of technology we are managing to see ever smaller and smaller pieces of the puzzle that is life.

17 Jul 2006

New study into Australia ageing gracefully

The factors that prevent disease, reduce ill-health and encourage positive attitudes in Australia's ageing population will be the focus of a new $2 million, five-year research project.

10 Jul 2006

Enter hospital at your peril!

As many as two dozen patients at a British hospital have died after contracting the virulent stomach bug Clostridium difficile (C. diff).

3 Jul 2006

Electricity used to engineer human tissue

Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a new technique which uses electricity to engineer human tissue.

From The University of Manchester 26 Jun 2006

$Pre-menopausal changes in bone structure may contribute to fracture risk$

Pre-menopausal changes in bone structure may contribute to fracture risk

It is well established that post-menopausal women are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis, but could that be related to subtle pre-menopausal changes in bone structure?

7 Jun 2006

Helium-based MRI scans may one day allow closer look at smoker lungs

Aided by a powerful imaging technique, scientists have discovered they can detect smoking-related lung damage in healthy smokers who otherwise display none of the telltale signs of tobacco use.

5 Jun 2006

Gene variation linked to more severe Crohn's disease

Building on previous evidence supporting the theory that the pathophysiology of Crohn's Disease is altered by genetic variation, recent studies have found that the combination of immune signals given by three variants of a single candidate gene affects the severity of the disease.

1 Jun 2006

New antibiotic works against superbugs

A new antibiotic with the ability to fight drug-resistant superbugs has been developed by researchers at drug company Merck's research laboratories in New Jersey.

21 May 2006

Using probiotics is a safe and effective way to prevent asthma in children

In the first effort of its kind in the United States, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have launched a study to determine whether giving active probiotic supplements to infants can delay or prevent asthma in children.

17 May 2006

Space technology to help hospitals contain spread of avian flu infection

In response to concerns from hospitals to prepare for eventual pandemic flu outbreaks, the French company AirInSpace, with support from ESA's Technology Transfer Programme, has successfully adapted technology developed to protect astronauts for use in critical care centres to protect immune-deficient patients against airborne pathogens such as the avian flu virus.

10 May 2006

Research into tiny muscle movements proves useful in anti-terror investigations

When trying to lie your way through any situation, keep a tight rein on your zygo maticus major and your orbicularis oculi. They'll give you away faster than a snitch.

8 May 2006