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Teenagers and young adults more likely to survive cancer in Australia than in the USA

Countries that have national health services easily accessible to people of all ages are more likely to have better survival rates for their teenagers and young adults (TYAs) with cancer, than are countries where individuals have to pay for their own medical insurance.

4 Apr 2006

Regular use of COX-2 inhibitors may reduce the risk of breast cancer

Results from a new, five-year study show that regular use of popular prescription pain relievers may reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 71 percent and may offer similar benefit in the prevention of prostate, colon and lung cancers.

4 Apr 2006

Radiofrequency ablation is as effective as surgery for small liver tumors

Three-year data shows that radiofrequency ablation is as effective as surgical resection for overall survival and tumor recurrence, for the treatment of single small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis, according to a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.

4 Apr 2006

Functional magnetic resonance imaging can predict effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy for treating depression

Whether or not cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) will help a person recover from depression can be predicted through brain imaging, according to research results published by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

4 Apr 2006

Sociocultural factors that affect pregnancy outcomes in two dissimilar immigrant groups in the United States

Since the number of people of Hispanic and Asian origins has been increasing in the United States, it is important for healthcare workers to assess the risk factors associated with pregnancy outcomes in these ethnic groups.

4 Apr 2006

Researchers reverse juvenile diabetes in animal model

Groundbreaking human clinical trial for type 1 diabetes to start this spring in Pittsburgh - Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC researchers reverse juvenile diabetes in animal model; Phase 1 clinical trial approved by FDA.

4 Apr 2006

Watching too much television may lead to extra weight for preschoolers

In a national study of more than one thousand preschool-age children, those who were exposed to more than two hours of television per day were more likely to be overweight at ages 36 and 54 months than those who were exposed to less than two hours of television per day,

4 Apr 2006

Breakthrough in search for new anti-malarial drugs

Scientists at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia have made a significant discovery in the fight against malaria. Drexel researchers, along with a research group at the University of Washington, have determined a critical molecular structure of the cellular motor that allows the malaria parasite to invade human cells.

4 Apr 2006

Promising new targets for Alzheimer's drug therapies

An enzyme previously associated with preventing the dementia of Alzheimer's disease now appears to play an even bigger role in safeguarding against the disease, bringing the promise of new targets for drug therapies.

4 Apr 2006

Dysregulation of the Hedgehog pathway in human hepatocarcinogenesis

The unchecked activity of a cell signaling pathway crucial in embryonic development and the liver's response to injury leads to liver cancer, researchers from Duke University Medical Center and John Hopkins University School of Medicine have found.

4 Apr 2006

Robotic device appears to be more precise than conventional catheter ablation devices for atrial fibrillation

A remotely-controlled catheter device guided by magnetic fields provides a safe and practical method for delivering radio frequency ablation treatment in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a new study in the April 4, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Apr 2006

Pigs help study of links between polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Despite the exaggerated, wrinkly snout and long, coarse, spiky hair reminiscent of the 1980s television space alien ALF, some very special swine are helping researchers at Purdue and Indiana universities understand human infertility, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

4 Apr 2006

Enzymes that harm brain immediately after stroke may be beneficial days later

Insights from the study could change the way stroke is treated, extending the window for effective treatment from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. The results may suggest new ideas for drug development.

4 Apr 2006

Responding to AIDS, TB, Malaria and emerging infectious diseases in Burma

Government policies in Burma that restrict public health and humanitarian aid have created an environment where AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria and bird flu (H5N1) are spreading unchecked, according to a report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

4 Apr 2006

New clinical trial to test different strengths of a vaccine designed to fight avian influenza

The Duke study is part of a multicenter trial that will test a modified form of an investigational bird flu vaccine to determine whether the vaccine still triggers a strong immune response at lower doses.

4 Apr 2006

Life or death can depend on teenage cancer patients taking their treatments properly

Teenagers and young adults with cancer need to understand the implications of not taking their treatments regularly, at the right time, and for the whole course. Those who don't are seriously compromising their future health - and for some it will be the difference between life and death.

4 Apr 2006