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Even small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy can affect a child's IQ

It is common knowledge that heavy drinking during pregnancy can affect the intelligence of children, but little is known about the effects of light-to-moderate drinking during pregnancy on a child's IQ.

29 May 2006

Herceptin plus hormonal therapy holds breast cancer in check

Drug giant Roche believes it has proof that its cancer drug Herceptin when used in combination with hormonal therapy increases the time that some breast-cancer patients live without the cancer progressing.

29 May 2006

Link between autism and MMR vaccine again

The possible link between the MMR inoculation and autism will be raised yet again this week in a presentation that claims to provide proof.

29 May 2006

Sleeping pill rouses people in a permanent vegetative state

South African researchers have found that a drug commonly used as a sleeping pill can temporarily revive people in a permanent vegetative state to the point where they can have conversations.

25 May 2006

Research may lead to new treatments for intestinal disorders

University of Minnesota researchers have found a group of cells in the intestinal system of mice that are proven to turn on T-cells, cells that help fight infection.

24 May 2006

Heavy marijuana use not linked to lung cancer

Despite popular belief, a new study shows that people who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer.

24 May 2006

Too little sleep makes women fatter

For women it seems that how much sleep they get may have an impact on how much they weigh.

24 May 2006

Top British doctors say NHS complementary therapies jeopardises provision of effective medicine

A group of eminent British doctors are saying that complementary or alternative therapies such as homeopathy should not be offered on the National Health Service (NHS).

24 May 2006

Largest U.S. hepatitis C trial yields treatment insights

Community-Based WIN-R Study Shows Significantly Better Outcomes with Weight-Based Dosing

24 May 2006

Higher dose of flu vaccine improves immune response in the elderly

There may be a simple way to provide elderly Americans with extra protection against the annual flu virus: give them a higher dose of seasonal flu vaccine.

23 May 2006

MRI cost-effective for some women at high-risk of breast cancer

A computer model simulation suggests that adding breast MRI screening may be cost-effective for women of certain ages who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.

23 May 2006

Poor physical function associated with increased risk of dementia in older adults

Poor physical function may be associated with an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease in elderly adults, according to a report in the May 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 May 2006

High-dose influenza vaccines boost immunity in elderly

High-dose influenza vaccines may increase elderly patients' immune response without significant adverse effects, offering this vulnerable population additional protection against the flu, according to an article in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 May 2006

Computer-based screening may encourage discussions about domestic violence

Computer screening may increase the odds that a woman at risk for domestic violence will talk to a health care professional in the emergency department about the topic but does not guarantee that domestic violence would be addressed.

23 May 2006

Study identified characteristics of caregivers that may increase symptoms in dementia patients

Troublesome symptoms that accompany dementia - including wandering, hallucinations and restlessness - may increase if the patients' caregivers are young, less educated, over-burdened or depressed.

23 May 2006

Research could lead to new treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have identified biochemical signals that attract pathogenic cells to damaged lung tissue - one of the first steps in a chain of events leading to a lethal disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF.

23 May 2006