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Revealed - the culprit gene in hair loss!

Researchers at the Division of Mammalian Development at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, say the gene appears to determine cyclical hair loss in mice and they suspect it may also be the culprit in hair loss, or alopecia, in people.

26 May 2009

Cancer drug capecitabine causes patient to lose fingerprints and be detained by U.S. immigration

Immigration officials held a cancer patient for four hours before they allowed him to enter the USA because one of his cancer drugs caused his fingerprints to disappear. His oncologist is now advising all cancer patients who are being treated with the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor's letter with them if they want to travel to the USA.

26 May 2009

Zebrafish provide insights into development and progression of melanoma

In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, scientists use the zebrafish to gain insight into the influence of known cancer genes on the development and progression of melanoma, an aggressive form of human skin cancer with limited treatment options.

26 May 2009

Researchers unlock mystery of potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have pinpointed the cellular defect that increases the likelihood, among eczema sufferers, of developing eczema vaccinatum, a severe and potentially fatal reaction to the smallpox vaccine.

25 May 2009

Deadly skin cancer cases hit record high

The number of people diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer has crashed through the 10,000 barrier after an alarming rise in new cases, according to the latest Cancer Research UK figures revealed today.

24 May 2009

Poor vitamin D status linked to common vaginal infection in pregnant women

Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV) - a common vaginal infection that increases a woman's risk for preterm delivery, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.

22 May 2009

Call for vaccination against HPV 16 in young men and women to prevent head and neck cancers

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, New York, are strongly advocating a national discussion about the need to vaccinate both young men and women against HPV 16 to prevent head & neck cancers.

22 May 2009

Vitamin D found in fish improves cognitive function

Eating fish - long considered 'brain food' - may really be good for the old grey matter, as is a healthy dose of sunshine, new research suggests.

From The University of Manchester 20 May 2009

People with Down syndrome may have more cancer-protective genes

Most cancers are rare in people with Down syndrome, whose overall cancer mortality is below 10 percent of that in the general population. Since they have an extra copy of chromosome 21, it's been proposed that people with Down syndrome may be getting an extra dose of one or more cancer-protective genes.

20 May 2009

Chinese body and mind training gets results with students in just 5 days!

Chinese researchers have unravelled how a training technique adapted from traditional Chinese medicine works to reduce stress and enhance learning.

19 May 2009

People with darker skin might be more susceptible to nicotine addiction

Blacks and others with darker skin might be at greater risk for tobacco addiction than whites and those with lighter skin because the greater the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment in skin, the more nicotine appears to be stored, according to preliminary findings published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, the New York Times reports.

19 May 2009

Researchers look at eczema asthma link

Many young children who get a severe skin rash develop asthma months or years later. Doctors call the progression from eczema, or atopic dermatitis, to breathing problems the atopic march. In the May 2009 issue of PLoS Biology, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report another step taken towards understanding the process of atopic march.

18 May 2009

Asian-Americans in California adopting unhealthy sun-exposure behaviors

A new survey from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that a significant number of Asian Americans living in California adopt unhealthy sun-exposure behaviors as they become more westernized.

18 May 2009

Study looks at transpalatal advancement pharyngoplasty procedure for sleep apnea

Treatment with surgery or an oral appliance that adjusts the jaw is associated with improvements in obstructive sleep apnea, a condition caused by blocked upper airways in which patients periodically stop breathing during sleep, according to two reports in the May issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

18 May 2009

Experts say current recommendations for Vitamin D "grossly inadequate"

Current recommendations for Vitamin D were called "grossly inadequate" today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 18th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress.

18 May 2009

FDA clears new treatment for facial wrinkles

Ellman International, Inc. announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance to Pelleve, a skin tightening system for the non-ablative treatment of mild to moderate facial wrinkles and rhytids for skin phototypes I-IV.

18 May 2009

Transplant patients experience worse outcomes from cancer

After comparing two patient cancer registries - one featuring transplant patients and the other the general population - researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that transplant patients experience worse outcomes from cancer.

17 May 2009

Soft and tough like biological tissue: DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes

For modern implants and the growth of artificial tissue and organs, it is important to generate materials with characteristics that closely emulate nature.

17 May 2009

Cimzia approved in U.S. for rheumatoid arthritis

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Cimzia, the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor), for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

13 May 2009

Discovery of molecule ‘superfamily’ that causes melanoma apread

A University of Nebraska Medical Center research team has determined that a superfamily of molecules holds the secret to the progression and spread of melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer. The study results were published in the May 13 of the British Journal of Cancer.

13 May 2009