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Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

The brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is among the last to mature, a new study graphically reveals. The decade-long magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of normal brain development, from ages 4 to 21, by researchers at NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that such "higher-order" brain centers, such as the prefrontal cortex, don't fully develop until young adulthood.

18 May 2004

Howard Hughes Medical Institute is awarding $49.7 million in science grants

Colleges face a number of tough challenges in teaching science today. New fields that blur the lines between disciplines are emerging, and biologists, chemists, physicists and mathematicians are forging interdisciplinary collaborations. Scientists trained to be outstanding researchers need to learn to be outstanding teachers. More minorities must be encouraged to pursue scientific careers.

17 May 2004

$1.4 million to investigate how strokes and other events that cut off blood flow to the brain disrupt the blood-brain barrier

The Cleveland Clinic has been awarded a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how strokes and other events that cut off blood flow to the brain disrupt the blood-brain barrier. Researchers hope to use their findings to develop new methods to limit the damage caused by such events.

17 May 2004

Scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax

University of Chicago scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax lethal factor in laboratory tests. Nature Biotechnology will publish the findings online on May 16 and in the June issue of the journal's print edition.

17 May 2004

Australian graduate views drugs and crime from safety of laboratory

CQU graduate and former Rockhampton resident Andrew Stewart is now enjoying a career in Brisbane, Australia as a forensic chemist with the State Government Pathology and Scientific Services.

17 May 2004

Vitamin discovery offers clues for cancer chemotherapy

NH-Dartmouth Medical School cancer researchers, in a fusion of biochemistry and genetics, have discovered a new vitamin in a molecular pathway central to such vital processes as gene regulation, metabolism and aging. And, they found that milk contains this nutrient.

15 May 2004

West Nile virus found in Arizona

Mosquito samples collected by Maricopa County health officials in the East Valley have tested positive for the West Nile virus, marking the arrival of the virus in the state in 2004.

15 May 2004

New designer steroid discovered in anonymously provided syringe

A previously unknown synthetic "designer" steroid has been identified as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). Researchers working out of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles synthesized and characterized the "New Chemical Entity", and proceeded to develop a rapid and accurate urine detection test for it.

14 May 2004

Computer prescribing systems in UK general practices are endangering patients’ lives

Computer prescribing systems in UK general practices are endangering patients’ lives by failing to pick up on some hazardous drug combinations, say researchers in this week’s British Medical Journal.

14 May 2004

Biochip technology to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry

Advancements in biotechnology have culminated in its integration with semiconductor technologies such as micro-electromechanical systems, resulting in the evolution of biochips. Biochips provide pharma companies with sophisticated tools for speedy development of drugs and accurate diagnosis and understanding of biological mechanisms.

13 May 2004

Father's sperm packs more than just a fertilizer

The major function of a man's sperm was fertilization, scientists once thought. True, sperm contains the father's chromosomes; but new studies from Wayne State University show that RNAs critically important to early growth of an embryo are also delivered.

13 May 2004

10 years of IVF procedures show frozen sperm as good as fresh

A review of the past ten years of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures at the Mayo Clinic revealed equivalent outcomes between frozen and fresh sperm for oocyte insemination, according to a new study unveiled today at the AUA’s Annual Scientific Meeting.

12 May 2004

Illinois spends $2.3 million to fight West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced the state has awarded grants to local health departments totaling $2.3 million as part of this year's efforts to detect and control mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus or other mosquito-borne diseases.

12 May 2004

Kids will do better with their homework and grades if parents step back

What can parents do to help children doing poorly in school? Two new studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggest that supporting their children’s autonomy and refraining from being controlling will help kids do better on their homework and raise their grades.

12 May 2004

Compound found in the peels of citrus fruit can potentially lower cholesterol more effectively than prescription drugs

A compound found in the peels of citrus fruit has the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs, and without side effects, according to a study by U.S. and Canadian researchers.

11 May 2004

Critical link found between inflammation, heart disease and stroke

Until recently, the story on platelets was pretty simple: tiny blood cells, with limited sophistication because they had no nucleus, and their claim to fame was to be a first-responder to a wound site, to promote healthy clotting and prevent infection.

11 May 2004

New patent has potential for the treatment of obesity

Two researchers have announced receipt of a patent on the use of MSH analogs--chemicals that regulate fat storage and metabolism in the body.

11 May 2004

Country Industry Forecast - European Union Healthcare Industry

The accession of ten more central and east European countries to the European Union (EU) -15 in 2004 has created a single European market, the largest market and trading zone for the healthcare industry with almost 500 million consumers. The total healthcare industry comprising pharmaceuticals and drugs, medical devices and equipment, and health services is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent from 2003 to 2008.

11 May 2004

Expert panel to review toxicity associated with exposure to acrylamide

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will hold an expert panel meeting May 17-19, in Alexandria, Virginia, to review the scientific evidence regarding the potential reproductive and/or developmental toxicity associated with exposure to acrylamide.

10 May 2004

Strategy to treat obesity through molecular liposuction

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have designed a strategy to treat obesity through “molecular liposuction.” The therapy destroys blood vessels supporting fat accumulation — causing the fat to rapidly break down and disappear.

10 May 2004