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New study finds walking, cycling results in lower levels of obesity and diabetes

Amble, stroll or pedal: it's all good. A new study provides evidence supporting a seemingly obvious − but unproven − link between walking- and cycling-friendly communities and lower levels of obesity.

25 Aug 2010

Agilent Technologies introduces SureSelect Human All Exon v2 Target Enrichment kit for cancer assay

Agilent Technologies Inc.today introduced the SureSelect Human All Exon v2 Target Enrichment kit, which was developed in close collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The kit, the 15th SureSelect product in Agilent's portfolio, is a single tube assay that allows researchers to streamline experiments by sequencing the expressed genome while discarding regions not of interest.

25 Aug 2010

Alcohol consumption affects oestrogen levels, increases breast cancer risk: Study

A US study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has confirmed suggestions that certain types of breast cancer are more common among women who regularly drink alcohol.

25 Aug 2010

Scientists discover influence of vitamin D in genes linked with autoimmune diseases

UK scientists at the University of Oxford have discovered that vitamin D can affect the activity of more than 200 genes of cells grown in the lab. Some of these genes are known from previous studies to be involved in diseases like diabetes and cancer.

24 Aug 2010

UNT Health Science Center analyzes DNA from unidentified human remains

Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) analyzes DNA from unidentified human remains for law enforcement organizations and medical examiners across the country in an attempt to put a name to a body or victim. The result, in many cases, is resolution for family members who have spent years wondering about the fate of their loved one.

24 Aug 2010

Berries help aging brain stay healthy

Scientists today reported the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way. Their study, presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), concluded that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain's natural "housekeeper" mechanism, which cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline.

24 Aug 2010

Researchers find new drug to treat circadian rhythm disorders

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have successfully used a drug to reset and restart the natural 24 hour body clock of mice in the lab. The ability to do this in a mammal opens up the possibility of dealing with a range of human difficulties including some psychiatric disorders, jet lag and the health impacts of shift work.

24 Aug 2010

Research finds variation in sex chromosome may cause lupus in men

Genes reside along long chains of DNA called chromosomes. UCLA researchers have found that a variation in a gene on the sex chromosome X may enhance an immune response that leads to lupus in men.

24 Aug 2010

Bottled tea contains less antioxidants, high sugar content

The first measurements of healthful antioxidant levels in commercial bottled tea beverages has concluded that health-conscious consumers may not be getting what they pay for: healthful doses of those antioxidants, or "poylphenols," that may ward off a range of diseases.

23 Aug 2010

Hepatitis E vaccine successful in clinical trial: Study

In a Clinical trial in China, a vaccine has been found to protect against Hepatitis E. Hepatitis E virus, usually spread via contaminated food and faeces usually runs its course before the patient recovers. However it can cause severe illness in elderly people and has a mortality rate of 1 to 3 percent. It can also kill 5 to 25 percent of affected pregnant women and those who survive can suffer high rates of miscarriage. Around a third of the world's population have been infected by the virus say researchers.

22 Aug 2010

FDA issues update to nationwide Salmonella infected egg recall

Through tracebacks conducted as part of its ongoing investigation into the increase of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses nationwide, FDA and the State of Minnesota identified Hillandale Farms in Iowa as a second potential source of contaminated shell eggs.

21 Aug 2010

NCF announces formal disease model for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The National CFIDS Foundation Inc., of Needham Mass, has announced its formal disease model for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) also known as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) as well as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). According to the NCF, a subgroup of patients with CFS fit a unique disease profile based on a model for a radioactive toxin.

21 Aug 2010

FDA warns of typhoid fever through frozen mamey fruit pulp

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat frozen mamey fruit pulp sold under the La Nuestra brand by Montalvan Sales Inc. Ontario, Calif., or the Goya brand by Goya Foods Inc. Secaucus, N.J.

21 Aug 2010

Low testosterone levels to blame for low libido, fatigue and weight gain

While most frequently associated with women's health, age-related hormone changes, often dubbed menopause, can occur in men as well, causing symptoms of fatigue, mood swings, decreased desire for sex, hair loss, lack of concentration and weight gain. Experts estimate that more than 5 million men are affected, yet worry the number may be considerably higher since symptoms are frequently ignored.

21 Aug 2010

Cholera outbreaks on the rise, WHO expert says

A recent increase in the number of cholera outbreaks is threatening populations in pockets of the world, Claire-Lise Chaignat, WHO's cholera group coordinator, said on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports. "Cholera is transmitted by water but also by food that had been contaminated by unclean water," the news service writes. "It causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to dehydration. With a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated in time," AFP writes.

21 Aug 2010

New squeeze test for screening potential drugs for Alzheimer's

Brain cells exposed to a form of the amyloid beta protein, the molecule linked to Alzheimer's disease, become stiffer and bend less under pressure, researchers at UC Davis have found. The results reveal one mechanism by which the amyloid protein damages the brain, a finding that could lead to new ways to screen drugs for Alzheimer's and similar diseases.

21 Aug 2010

Study links obesity rates with walking and cycling rates

A study authored by Professor David Bassett Jr. from the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and three other researchers was published in the American Journal of Public Health, concluding that communities with more walkers and cyclists are healthier than those where people must rely on cars to get around.

20 Aug 2010

NSF issues award to develop techniques for analyzing children's behavior

A team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $10 million "Expeditions in Computing" award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop novel computing techniques for measuring and analyzing the behavior of children.

20 Aug 2010

Chicago-based pasteurized eggs producer increases production following recall of salmonella-infected eggs

Chicago-based National Pasteurized Eggs today ramped up production of its industry-leading salmonella-free Davidson's Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs as federal health officials expanded the recall of eggs linked to salmonella enteritidis to 380 million.

20 Aug 2010

Ohio appeals court reinstates claim that diet drug Redux should not have been marketed

An Ohio Federal Court of Appeals ruling issued yesterday is reinstating the late victim's claim that the recalled diet drug Redux (commonly called fen-phen) linked to her death should never have been marketed to the American people by Wyeth due in part to its pre-approval concerns about potentially lethal side effects.

20 Aug 2010