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Postmenopausal women who consume even moderate amounts of alcohol may face an increased risk of breast cancer

Postmenopausal women who consume even moderate amounts of alcohol may face an increased risk of breast cancer, particularly if their cancer is fueled by the hormones estrogen or progesterone, according to a data analysis by researchers at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health.

15 May 2005

Coping with pain quite a struggle for half of the U.S.A.

At least 50 precent of the U.S. population are struggling to cope either with the aggravation of intermittent pain or with the misery of chronic pain which is difficult to treat. This results in less work, crankier moods and fewer activities, combined with a wide-ranging search for pain relief.

11 May 2005

Berkeley imposes ban on alcohol at fraternity and sorority events

Growing concerns about alcohol-related incidents have led the University of California, Berkeley, to enact a ban on alcohol consumption at all events hosted by campus fraternities and sororities, officials announced Monday.

10 May 2005

Pharmacies in supermarkets: Where's the public benefit?

Protecting public health is more important than Woolworths' profits and should be the primary consideration in any government decision over whether to allow pharmacies in supermarkets, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Vice-President Frank Payne said yesterday.

10 May 2005

A new approach to prevent cancer

Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified a way of inactivating a naturally occurring human protein, a development which could offer new routes to developing cancer prevention treatments.

10 May 2005

Withdrawal symptoms from marijuana may make quitting harder

Often considered a relic of the 1970's culture, marijuana is no longer a baby boom generation issue. Today, nearly 50 percent of U.S. teenagers try marijuana before they graduate high school, and by 12th grade, about 21 percent are regular users.

9 May 2005

Clues about how alcoholic behavior is “switched” on

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the biochemical basis of alcohol abuse, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have published two studies on how modulating receptors for dopamine - a chemical “signaler” in the brain’s reward circuits - affects drinking behavior in mice and rats.

9 May 2005

'Wee dram' is good for you!

It's what every Scotsman wants to hear, that wee dram is actually good for you!

9 May 2005

Alcoholism - one of the top healthcare crises in the world

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that often requires intensive continuing treatment for long term recovery, according to "Alcoholism: Treatment and Recovery," a report by the Caron Foundation.

5 May 2005

The Irish Government needs to increase its efforts in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The Irish Government needs to increase its efforts in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, according to a researcher in the field. Speaking on Friday 29 April, Prof. Susan Ryan, Fulbright Scholar at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) stated that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the biggest cause of non-genetic intellectual disability in the western world and the only one that is 100% preventable.

4 May 2005

Defects in gene called RyR2 cause malfunctions in the heart's electrical system

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified defects in a second gene called RyR2 that causes malfunctions in the heart's electrical system and contributes to what were previously unexplained drownings.

2 May 2005

Community efforts can reduce alcohol fatalities

Communities can decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes by providing better access to substance abuse treatment while reducing the availability of alcohol in the community, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A report of the study appears in the April, 2005 issue of the journal Injury Prevention.

1 May 2005

Early drinking leads to alcohol problems and risky sex

Urban adolescents who start drinking by 7th grade are more likely to report alcohol problems in mid-adolescence. They are also more likely to engage in risky sexual practices, according to a study of more than 1,000 black and Hispanic youth who reside in economic distressed neighborhoods.

27 Apr 2005

Alcohol-impaired driving on the increase

A national survey has found that after a long, slow downward trend alcohol-impaired driving has recently increased significantly. From 1993 to 1997 the estimated annual number of episodes of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) declined at a rate of a little more than one percent per year, from 123 million to 116 million.

27 Apr 2005

Isotopes for society

The nucleus of an atom contains protons and neutrons. However, some atoms of the same chemical element can have varying numbers of neutrons, giving so-called isotopes of that element.

27 Apr 2005

Moderate alcohol consumption enhances the formation of new nerve cells

Moderate alcohol consumption over a relatively long period of time can enhance the formation of new nerve cells in the adult brain. The new cells could prove important in the development of alcohol dependency and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain. The findings are published by Karolinska Institutet.

26 Apr 2005