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Weill Cornell findings could foil two potential bioterror agents - viral peptide prevents deadly Hendra, Nipah viruses from infecting cells

Two lethal and easily transmitted viruses -- both potential bioterror agents -- may soon be much less dangerous, thanks to research led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

31 Oct 2006

Wal-Mart expands generic prescription drug discount program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday announced plans to expand a generic prescription drug discount program introduced last month to 12 additional states, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 10/26).

26 Oct 2006

Flu vaccine safe for babes and tots

A new study from the U.S. says it is safe for children as young as 6 months to have the flu vaccine.

25 Oct 2006

Link discovered between common cold viruses and Alzheimer's disease

According to new research memory loss and Alzheimer's disease may be linked to the very viruses which cause the common cold.

24 Oct 2006

16 year old cancer victim dies after overdoses of radiation

A 16 year old cancer victim who was inadvertently given more than 17 overdoses of radiation during treatment for a brain tumour, has died at home nine months later.

23 Oct 2006

Scientists discover how brain turns on system designed to protect nerve cells from toxic "free radicals"

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report they have found how the brain turns on a system designed to protect its nerve cells from toxic "free radicals," a waste product of cell metabolism that has been implicated in some degenerative brain diseases, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and aging.

20 Oct 2006

PGC-1 alpha implicated in Huntington's disease neurodegeneration

A metabolic disorder underlies the brain effects found in those with Huntington's disease, researchers report in an advance article publishing online October 19, 2006. The article will appear in the November 2006 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press.

20 Oct 2006

Adverse drug events means 700,000 end up in emergency departments

According to a recently released study every year, as many as 700,000 people end up in hospital emergency departments because they experience an adverse drug effect, and 117,000 of those have to be hospitalized.

19 Oct 2006

Contaminated cough syrup kills 22 in Panama

The mysterious deaths of 22 people in Panama have now been linked to a contaminated cough syrup.

16 Oct 2006

Women should eat more fatty fish - lowers risk for renal cell carcinoma

Preliminary research suggests that higher consumption of fatty fish in women is linked with a lower risk of renal cell carcinoma, a common form of kidney cancer, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

19 Sep 2006

Three cases of botulism possibly caused by improper refrigeration of carrot juice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers of the vital importance of keeping carrot juice - including pasteurized carrot juice - refrigerated.

18 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu vaccines show promise

When tested in mice and ferrets, experimental vaccines based on live, weakened versions of different strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were well-tolerated and protected the animals from a deadly infection with naturally occurring H5N1 flu viruses.

13 Sep 2006

First step to developing effective therapy against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus

Biomedical researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have taken an important early step toward developing effective drug therapies against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) virus, a potential bioterrorist weapon.

12 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu virus vaccines show protection in animal studies

12 Sep 2006

FDA warns of food safety risks during storm-related power outages and flooding

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to be alert to food safety risks that could result from possible power outages and flooding due to storms that currently threaten both coasts of the United States.

4 Sep 2006

TB strain with extreme resistance to drugs creates nightmare scenario

The appearance of a deadly new strain of tuberculosis (TB) has so concerned the World Health Organisation (WHO) that an emergency meeting of health experts has been convened in Johannesburg to discuss the issue.

4 Sep 2006

Abolish Asthma!

Asthma is unlikely to be a single disease, so we should abolish the term altogether, states an Editorial in this week's issue of The Lancet.

24 Aug 2006

Chinese diners get meningitis from eating snails

As many as 50 people have been diagnosed with a form of meningitis after eating raw or half-cooked Amazonian snails in Beijing restaurants, and according to reports by the Chinese media five patients are in a serious condition at different hospitals in the capital.

21 Aug 2006

Scientific breakthrough could mean greater protection for asthmatics

Colds are known to be a major trigger of asthma attacks and asthmatics are far more likely to suffer a severe attack during a cold and even end up being hospitalised.

From Asthma + Lung UK 14 Aug 2006