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New understanding of sleep

Sleep remains one of the big mysteries in biology. All animals sleep, and people who are deprived of sleep suffer physically, emotionally and intellectually. But nobody knows how sleep restores the brain.

1 May 2007

Protecting Americans against a smallpox outbreak

In the event of a smallpox outbreak in the United States, how long would it take for a vaccine to start protecting Americans by stimulating an immune response? A new national study led by Saint Louis University School of Medicine will attempt to answer this question.

1 May 2007

Drg resistant HIV quickly hides in infants' cells

New evidence shows that drug-resistant virus passed from mother-to-child can quickly establish itself in infants, CD4+ T cells where it can hide for years, likely limiting their options for future treatment.

1 May 2007

Moderate coffee drinking reduces many risks

Although the American Society for Nutrition's popular ,controversy session, at Experimental Biology 2007 focuses on the health effects of coffee drinking, panel chair Dr. James Coughlin, a toxicology/safety consultant at Coughlin & Associates, says that recent advances in epidemiologic and experimental knowledge have transformed many of the negative health myths about coffee drinking into validated health benefits.

1 May 2007

Electromagnetic fields do not pose a health hazard to energy workers

Electromagnetic fields do not pose a health hazard to workers in the electrical energy supply industry, suggests a large study of 28,000 people, published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

1 May 2007

More research needed to involve families in psychosocial interventions

Family-oriented psychosocial interventions seem to be beneficial in improving the mental and physical well-being of both patients with chronic illness and their family members, but the results aren?t as robust as researchers had hoped.

1 May 2007

More people falling from ladders!

Falls from ladders can result in serious injury and affect people of all ages. The general public is at risk for ladder injuries, yet receives little, if any, instruction on ladder use and safety.

1 May 2007

Gambian President Jammeh is giving people false hope

Leading HIV experts are alarmed that the government of The Gambia is encouraging citizens living with HIV to stop taking antiretroviral medications in order to try an unproven herbal remedy.

1 May 2007

Drama can be an effective mechanism to educate and motivate

Drama certainly has the power to entertain, but can it also change behavior? A play about substance abuse was successful at prompting audience members to participate in substance abuse prevention activities, according to Allyn Howlett, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

1 May 2007

Scientists find new way to analyze the moving parts of large proteins

Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Rice University have discovered a new way to analyze the moving parts of large proteins , a breakthrough that will make it easier for structural biologists to classify and scrutinize the active sites of proteins implicated in cancer and other diseases.

1 May 2007

Wall Street Journal examines ethical questions, efficacy of fertility restoration technique involving freezing ovarian tissue

A technology that allows women to have ovarian tissue removed and transplanted back into their ovaries when they want to become pregnant is becoming an "intriguing option" for women who want to delay pregnancy, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Apr 2007

NEJM publishes perspective pieces responding to Supreme Court ruling federal abortion ban constitutional

The New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday published three perspective pieces responding to the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling on Wednesday to reinstate a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion, overturning the rulings of three appeals courts.

30 Apr 2007

Brazilian Health Minister says country will purchase generic version of Merck antiretroviral if price not lowered

Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao on Wednesday signed a decree declaring that the country would purchase from an India-based drug maker a generic version of Merck 's antiretroviral Efavirenz if the company does not offer the drug at a lower price, the AP/Forbes reports.

30 Apr 2007

Helping eating for kids

Two years ago, Jenny O'Dea set herself a tough challenge: to persuade her one-year old daughter, Katherine, to eat a salty, black olive. The little girl took a small bite, Jenny and her husband cheered and applauded loudly, and Katherine grinned and ate the whole thing.

30 Apr 2007

Tai Chi may help alleviate tension headaches

FINDINGS : Researchers found that Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese low-impact mind-body exercise, provided significant health benefits for adults suffering from tension headaches

30 Apr 2007

Scientists discover pathway that promotes muscle cell survival in mice

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified an enzyme that pumps up a cell's ability to maintain healthy muscle and restores normal muscle function in genetically engineered mice with weak muscles.

30 Apr 2007

Schering-Plough announces European approval of new formulations of AERIUS (Desloratadine)

European Commission approves AERIUS Tablets (2.5 mg and 5 mg) and AERIUS Oral Solution (0.5 mg per 1ml).

30 Apr 2007

Proportion of uninsured residents in North Carolina increases

The percentage of North Carolinians under the age of 65 who lacked health insurance for a year has risen from 15.3 percent in 2000 to 17.2 percent in 2005.

30 Apr 2007

New test for liver disease

A researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has helped confirm the reliability of a new test for liver disease that is ushering in the long-promised era of personalized medicine based on each individual's genetic makeup.

30 Apr 2007

Many NYC pharmacies fail to cater for people with poor English

Despite widespread capacity to provide prescription medication labels in languages other than English, few New York City pharmacies do so and as a result, limited-English patients face serious risk of medication error, according to a study by The New York Academy of Medicine presented at the annual meeting of the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM) in Toronto, Ontario.

30 Apr 2007