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Arsenic in rice worrisome

Studies have shown that rice takes up more arsenic from soil than other crops. Now a new study shows that higher arsenic levels are ingested by women who eat as little as half a cup of cooked rice in a day. Currently, there are no limits on the amount of allowable arsenic in rice in the United States. But the Environmental Protection Agency has set arsenic limits in water of 10 parts per billion.

7 Dec 2011

Next generation personal genomic testing now widely available

The era of widely available next generation personal genomic testing has arrived and with it the ability to quickly and relatively affordably learn the sequence of your entire genome. This would include what is referred to as the "exome," your complete set of protein-coding sequences.

7 Dec 2011

AmLactin can help the skin through menopause

Womanhood definitely has its advantages—studies even show we live longer than men—but menopause isn't on the list of perks. Sometime between the ages of 40-58, our bodies will inevitably experience a drop in estrogen production and begin a metamorphosis.

7 Dec 2011

Diabetes increases risk of emergency caesarean birth in women with poorly contracting uterus

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have found that the strength of uterine contractions in diabetic pregnant women is significantly weaker than in non-diabetic women, increasing the risk of emergency caesarean birth.

7 Dec 2011

New book explains distressing breathing problems of children

Why do infants make snorting sounds during feedings? Is snoring normal in a toddler? Is it safe to give popcorn to a 2-year-old? How many colds a year are normal for a 5-year-old? Does air quality in the home affect a child's respiratory system?

7 Dec 2011

New research on bed bug's ability to withstand genetic bottleneck of inbreeding

New research on the bed bug's ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, announced today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally.

7 Dec 2011

True impact of injuries in the UK higher than previously thought

Injuries in the UK are having a much greater impact on peoples' lives than previously estimated, a study has found.

7 Dec 2011

Kenyans affected by flooding in need of humanitarian, medical aid

Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya, which have affected more than 40,000 people and caused at least a dozen deaths, are "complicating efforts to reach thousands of people made homeless by the flooding, an official of the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told IRIN."

7 Dec 2011

Scientists help uncover evolutionary history of TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene

Long the bane of picky eaters everywhere, broccoli's taste is not just a matter of having a cultured palate; some people can easily taste a bitter compound in the vegetable that others have difficulty detecting. Now a team of Penn researchers has helped uncover the evolutionary history of one of the genes responsible for this trait.

7 Dec 2011

New NHGRI funding plan sharpens focus of Genome Sequencing Program on medical apps

A new funding plan by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) sharpens the focus of its flagship Genome Sequencing Program on medical applications. In addition to continuing on-going studies, the four-year, $416 million plan launches new efforts to find causes of rare inherited diseases and accelerate the use of genome sequence information in the medical care of patients.

7 Dec 2011

Comparative-effectiveness research takes center stage

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute attracted a larger-then-expected volume of applications for its pilot projects grants program. Meanwhile, the institute, which was created by the health law, will release its draft agenda next month.

7 Dec 2011

King's College London submits first clinical grade xeno-free hES cell lines to the UKSCB

Stem cell scientists at King's College London will announce they have submitted to the UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB) their first clinical grade human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines that are free from animal-derived products, known as 'xeno-free' stem cells.

7 Dec 2011

Combination of cannabinoids and opiates could help reduce chronic pain

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids - the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana - to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

7 Dec 2011

Pretreatment fasting glucose could block breast cancer progression

An increasing understanding of molecular pathways that regulate breast and colorectal cancer development and progression has produced new therapeutic agents, including the biologic agents trastuzumab, bevacizumab, and cetuximab. Identifying the indicators that are likely to predict which patients will achieve the best response to these agents represents a major challenge for contemporary oncologists.

7 Dec 2011

New method improves accuracy of AF risk assessments

Elderly people with atrial fibrillation are often treated with anticoagulants to thin the blood, but this medicine is hard to dose and patients have to have their blood tested regularly. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology have now devised a new method that improves the accuracy of risk assessments.

7 Dec 2011

TAU develops tumor destruction method that also creates immunity

Even when surgical tumor removal is combined with a heavy dose of chemotherapy or radiation, there's no guarantee that the cancer will not return. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are strengthening the odds in favor of permanent tumor destruction - and an immunity to the cancer's return - with a new method of tumor removal.

7 Dec 2011

New global map shows difficult-to-treat malaria strain remains prevalent in Asia, Latin America

"Declining malaria deaths in Africa and progress toward an effective malaria vaccine are raising hopes the disease will soon be eradicated worldwide," but "researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [on Monday] unveiled a new global malaria map that raises new concerns about the disease," VOA News writes.

7 Dec 2011

New alveoli continue to be formed as lungs grow

A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three.

7 Dec 2011

Mayo Clinic in Florida now offers kidney and pancreas transplants for HIV-positive patients

Mayo Clinic in Florida is now offering kidney and pancreas transplants to HIV positive patients with advanced kidney disease and diabetes. Evidence is now solid that HIV-positive patients have the same favorable outcome in terms of patient and allograft survival as non-HIV positive organ transplant recipients, says Mary Prendergast, M.D., a kidney specialist whose focus is the care of patients who receive kidney and pancreas transplants.

7 Dec 2011

$Study: Dental x-rays can investigate bone structure and predict fractures$

Study: Dental x-rays can investigate bone structure and predict fractures

It is now possible to use dental X-rays to predict who is at risk of fractures, reveals a new study from researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy reported in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology.

6 Dec 2011