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Smoking when pregnant doubles risk of cleft palate or lip in babies

Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a cleft palate or lip as those whose mothers didn't, according to research results released today.

6 Nov 2008

Nurse practitioners gather in London to discuss new horizons

Nurse practitioners (NPs) from across the province are gathering in London this week to embrace new horizons in their practice at the annual Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO) conference.

6 Nov 2008

A probiotic bacterium reduces hospital infections

A probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum 299, has been used to out-compete the dangerous bacteria that cause respiratory illness in ventilated patients.

6 Nov 2008

Flu shot still best protection against flu

The failure of the flu vaccine to protect many Americans against the virus last year shouldn't prevent you from getting your annual flu shot this year.

6 Nov 2008

Largest analysis of differences between human and chimpanzee genomes

Researchers have carried out the largest study of differences between human and chimpanzee genomes, identifying regions that have been duplicated or lost during evolution of the two lineages.

6 Nov 2008

Computer that reacts to thought a lifeline for brain injured

People who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and who are unable to speak or move are being given the first chance to communicate using just the power of thought - and a laptop loaded with sophisticated algorithms.

6 Nov 2008

California Pacific Medical Center opens pediatric ER

California Pacific Medical Center is opening the first Emergency Department in San Francisco designed specifically to treat and meet the needs of children ages birth to 18 and their families.

6 Nov 2008

Anti-brain tumor agent derived from herpes virus passes next hurdle

An anti-brain tumor agent developed from a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus has been shown to be safe when given in two doses and injected directly into the brain of patients with malignant glioma.

6 Nov 2008

Scientists map molecular regulation of fat-cell genetics

A research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells.

5 Nov 2008

Pre-eclampsia during pregnancy signals need to screen for heart disease

High blood pressure experienced during pregnancy could be a woman's earliest warning that she is at risk of developing heart disease - the number one killer of Canadian women - says Queen's University professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graeme Smith.

5 Nov 2008

Medicaid policies vary widely for biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Patients with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis now have many more treatment options than in the past, including biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

5 Nov 2008

Risk of sudden cardiac death highest early after attack

People who survive a heart attack face the greatest risk of dying from sudden cardiac death (SCD) during the first month after leaving the hospital, according to a long-term community study by Mayo Clinic researchers of nearly 3,000 heart attack survivors.

5 Nov 2008

Pycnodysostosis sheds light on enzyme's role in bone metabolism

Pycnodysostosis, a condition from which the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec suffered, is a genetic disease characterized by short stature.

5 Nov 2008

Folate, vitamin B6 and B12 do not appear to affect cancer risk

A daily supplementation combination that included folic acid and vitamin B6 and B12 had no significant effect on the overall risk of cancer, including breast cancer, among women at high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study in the November 5 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 Nov 2008