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Grant to develop high speed DNA sequence reader

Sequencing of the human genome is one of the major scientific advances of our time. But with 3 billion base pairs, initial sequencing of the human genome took 11 years and cost $1 billion to complete in 2002. Today, it costs up to $50 million to sequence 3 billion base pairs.

1 Nov 2004

High prevalence of cigarette smoking among Chinese men indicates an urgent need for smoking prevention

Adopting a westernized lifestyle has spelled disaster for many people in China, where 60 percent of men smoke cigarettes, more than half of women are exposed to secondhand smoke at home and one in four men and women breathe smoke-filled air at work.

1 Nov 2004

Gene silencing may provide hope for leukemia sufferers

Ever since the approval of Gleevec in 2001, a cancer-cell-specific drug used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the field of cancer therapeutics has been rushing full speed into the era of so-called "targeted" medicines.

1 Nov 2004

Researchers are one step closer to understanding how blood cells develop through the use of human embryonic stem cells

This process is also significant because the blood cells were developed without the use of animal serum, which was previously thought to be essential for blood cell development. Instead, specific growth factors are added to guide the cell differentiation.

1 Nov 2004

New role for a key protein involved in muscle contraction

Overturning a scientific stereotype, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a new role for a key protein involved in muscle contraction and shown it is present not just in the cytoplasm of cells but in the nucleus as well.

1 Nov 2004

Employees in workplaces with no smoking restrictions smoke five more cigarettes daily

Employees in workplaces with no smoking restrictions smoke almost five more cigarettes daily than those whose workplaces completely ban smoking, says a study by the University of Toronto's Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU).

1 Nov 2004

Pegasys with ribavirin combo may best for reducing hepatitis C viral levels

Interim study results indicate a certain drug combination treatment may suppress the hepatitis C virus more quickly than another.

1 Nov 2004

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with major depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) improves mood, quality of life and activities of daily living in patients with major depression, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

1 Nov 2004

Possible new way to treat amblyopia (lazy eye)

New research suggests a way to treat "lazy eye" that may be easier on children - and their parents - than current treatments.

1 Nov 2004

UK A & E departments face new staffing crisis as doctors leave to become GPs

Excluding trainees, around half of the doctors working in A&E in the UK are employed in staff grade and associate specialist (SAS) positions - which are distinct from consultant posts.

1 Nov 2004

Scientists decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans

A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent.

29 Oct 2004

Acetaldehyde appears to increase the addictive properties of nicotine

Acetaldehyde, one of the main chemical components of tobacco smoke, appears to increase the addictive properties of nicotine, according to animal studies conducted by the UC Irvine Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC).

29 Oct 2004

Genetic evidence to support an inherited tendency to retain salt

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found genetic evidence to support the sodium-retention hypothesis, a controversial 30-year-old theory that the high rate of hypertension in certain ethnic groups is caused, in part, by an inherited tendency to retain salt.

29 Oct 2004

Red wine delivered though an aerosol for COPD, asthma, and possibly even arthritis

Homing in on mechanisms for the reported effectiveness of resveratrol, which is found in red wine, researchers at Imperial College London, England, confirmed its broad anti-inflammatory action, and found potential for applications in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and possibly even arthritis.

29 Oct 2004

New evidence to explain why mental function becomes less efficient with ageing

Dementia and milder forms of loss of mental ability affects millions of older people every year, but the causes are unclear. Previous research using brain scanning has shown that brain shrinkage and changes in the brain's white matter 'wiring', are associated with mental function slowing down in old age.

29 Oct 2004

Trojan horse technique offers potential new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's disease

A potential new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's disease protects brain cells in culture by drastically reducing the neurotoxic amyloid protein aggregates that are critical to the development of the disease.

29 Oct 2004

Controversial theory about how diabetes causes extensive tissue damage

A controversial theory about how diabetes causes extensive tissue damage will appear in the November issue of Diabetes. At stake in the heated debate over the theory are researchers' efforts to find new ways to reduce loss of vision, kidney failure, heart damage and other side effects of diabetes.

29 Oct 2004

Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss

Through research in mice, the scientists discovered that an immune signaling molecule called type b transforming growth factor (TGFb) is responsible for a cascade of events that leads estrogen to prevent bone loss.

29 Oct 2004

Public health facing calamity, say medics

The warning from public health leaders comes as ministers prepare to unveil the biggest public health strategy to date, targeting smoking, obesity and sexual health.

29 Oct 2004

Test used to diagnose B12 deficiency may be inadequate

A test that generally is used to measure the amount of vitamin B12 in the body is not sensitive enough to detect a deficiency of the vitamin, which has been linked to several neurological conditions, according to Saint Louis University research.

28 Oct 2004

Medicine News and Research

Grant to develop high speed DNA sequence reader

High prevalence of cigarette smoking among Chinese men indicates an urgent need for smoking prevention

Gene silencing may provide hope for leukemia sufferers

Researchers are one step closer to understanding how blood cells develop through the use of human embryonic stem cells

New role for a key protein involved in muscle contraction

Employees in workplaces with no smoking restrictions smoke five more cigarettes daily

Pegasys with ribavirin combo may best for reducing hepatitis C viral levels

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with major depression

Possible new way to treat amblyopia (lazy eye)

UK A & E departments face new staffing crisis as doctors leave to become GPs

Scientists decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans

Acetaldehyde appears to increase the addictive properties of nicotine

Genetic evidence to support an inherited tendency to retain salt

Red wine delivered though an aerosol for COPD, asthma, and possibly even arthritis

New evidence to explain why mental function becomes less efficient with ageing

Trojan horse technique offers potential new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's disease

Controversial theory about how diabetes causes extensive tissue damage

Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss

Public health facing calamity, say medics

Test used to diagnose B12 deficiency may be inadequate

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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