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Researchers improvise fruit fly as a model system to study brain development, disorders

VIB researchers attached to the K.U.Leuven have improved the fruit fly as a model for studying the connections between brain cells. The researchers developed a specific marker for a part of the fly's nerve cell which had previously been difficult to distinguish. Their discovery will not only contribute to gaining a better insight into brain development but also makes the fruit fly into a better model system for studying brain development and brain disorders.

15 Nov 2010

Research on fruit flies reveal novel human pain gene

While it has become clear in recent years that susceptibility to pain has a strong inherited component, very little is known about actual "pain genes" and how they work. In the November 12th issue of Cell, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their collaborators report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain.

12 Nov 2010

Mobile health summit ends

The three-day mHealth Alliance summit wrapped up on Wednesday after discussions and seminars that aimed to advance the discussion around ways mobile technology can increase the access, efficiency and effectiveness of health systems, allAfrica.com reports.

11 Nov 2010

NIST develops new Vaccinium berry suite of standard reference materials

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have developed new certified reference materials for measuring amounts of organic acids in dietary supplements formulated with Vaccinium berries-cranberries, blueberries and bilberries. As described in a recent paper, manufacturers and researchers can use this new suite of standard reference materialsTM (SRMs) as quality assurance tools.

11 Nov 2010

New insect control method can bring decline in malaria-bearing mosquitoes

Research carried out in Mali, West Africa, has demonstrated that a new, safe and uncomplicated insect control method, developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, can bring about a serious decline in malaria-bearing mosquitoes in afflicted regions in the world.

11 Nov 2010

HHS unveils new bolder tobacco control strategy

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled a new comprehensive tobacco control strategy that includes proposed new bolder health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements. Once final, these health warnings on cigarettes and in cigarette advertisements will be the most significant change in more than 25 years. These actions are part of a broader strategy that will help tobacco users quit and prevent children from starting.

11 Nov 2010

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids issues statement on national tobacco prevention strategy

The national tobacco prevention strategy announced today by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius provides a timely and much-needed shot in the arm for the nation's efforts to combat tobacco use, the number one cause of preventable death in America. It calls for bold and historic action that will improve health, save lives and save health care costs for employers, workers and taxpayers across the country.

11 Nov 2010

Novel mechanism regulating circadian rhythm identified

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified for the first time a novel mechanism that regulates circadian rhythm, the master clock that controls the body's natural 24-hour physiological cycle. These new findings could provide a new target not only for jet lag, shift work, and sleep disturbances, but also for disorders that result from circadian rhythm disruption, including diabetes and obesity as well as some types of cancer.

11 Nov 2010

Amount of healthy foods must be adapted to limit weight gain

Overweight children reported more frequent intake of healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, brown bread and potatoes as well as low-energy cheese and yoghurt compared with normal weight children.

9 Nov 2010

New study highlights benefits of 100% juice

With so few Americans consuming the recommended amounts of fruit each day, finding quick and simple ways to add additional fruit servings - and the important nutrients they provide - is more critical than ever. Although USDA recognizes that 4-oz of 100 percent juice supplies one serving (1/2 cup) of fruit, there is still confusion regarding the healthfulness of juice.

9 Nov 2010

New research highlights importance of parent-child communication to combat obesity

New research, announced Saturday at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Boston, highlights the importance of parent-child communication in the battle against childhood obesity.

9 Nov 2010

Research demonstrates a safe method to control malaria in Africa

9 Nov 2010

Blocking beta glucuronidase enzyme could eliminate side effects of CPT-11 in colon cancer treatment

A debilitating side effect of a widely used but harshly potent treatment for colon cancer could be eliminated if a promising new laboratory discovery bears fruit.

8 Nov 2010

Sanofi Pasteur's dengue vaccine enters phase III trial in Australia

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis, on Thursday announced the company had begun testing its dengue fever vaccine in a Phase III clinical trial in Australia, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.

8 Nov 2010

Republicans look to use majority for health overhaul repeal, plan vote

Now in control of the House of Representatives, Republicans are planning to flex their muscles quickly to try to repeal the Democratic health law but even some GOP leaders acknowledge it is likely they can get rid of the law right away.

4 Nov 2010

Eye implant restores some vision in retinitis pigmentosa

According to a new scientific breakthrough, a device - a tiny, three-by-three millimetre microchip, has allowed patients with inherited blindness to detect objects with their eyes, unlike a rival approach that uses an external camera. The procedure details are outlined in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

3 Nov 2010

Mouse study indicates black raspberries can prevent colorectal cancer

Black raspberries are highly effective in preventing colorectal tumors in two mouse models of the disease, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study. The findings are published in the November issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

3 Nov 2010

Patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV have better chances of survival

When the human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in cancer tumours of the tonsil and base of the tongue, patients are more likely to survive following treatment.

3 Nov 2010

Eye transformer impacts JAK/STAT-signaling pathway response with microbial challenge

Scientists are keeping their eye on a new discovery published in the November 2011 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) that explains what causes some genes to go out of control. Scientists have identified a "cellular switch," called eye transformer, that controls the flow of information from chemical signals outside of the cell to genes in the cell nucleus.

2 Nov 2010

Federal government takes second enforcement action against food distributor Lao Trading

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that Peng Bandith, owner of the Lao Trading Company of Nashville has signed a consent decree that permanently prohibits Lao Trading Co. from distributing food held under insanitary conditions in interstate commerce.

30 Oct 2010