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Scientists unlock secrets of E coli contamination

Using new genetic techniques, scientists are unlocking the secrets of how E coli bacteria contaminate food and make people sick.

11 Mar 2008

Observational study of severe osteoporosis

Women who do not comply with treatment instructions for osteoporosis or who do not respond to treatment are more likely to suffer further fractures, which seriously affects their quality of life.

11 Mar 2008

Magnesium linked to lower risk for some strokes in male smokers

Male smokers who consume more magnesium appear to have a lower risk for cerebral infarction, a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, according to a report in the March 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

11 Mar 2008

Late treatment with letrozole (Femara) can reduce breast cancer recurrence risk

Treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence even when initiated one to seven years after a course of tamoxifen therapy.

11 Mar 2008

Investigator attendance at review board reviews: hindrance or help?

Inviting researchers to attend institutional review board sessions designed to approve these same investigators' requests to conduct research involving human subjects doesn't seem to affect the efficiency of the process one way or the other, a new study led by Johns Hopkins bioethicists suggests.

11 Mar 2008

How do infections and toxins launch a cell's self-destruct and alarm system?

Cells are coded with several programs for self-destruction.

11 Mar 2008

Pesticides and nerve agents explain health problems in Persian Gulf war veterans

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows there is increasing evidence that high rates of illness in Persian Gulf War Veterans can be explained, in part, by exposure to certain chemicals, including pesticides and nerve agents.

11 Mar 2008

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension leads to vision loss more often in blacks

Black people are more likely to lose vision as a result of idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or increased pressure in the brain, according to a study published in the March 11, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Mar 2008

Allergy testing is essential in the effective management of patients with allergic conditions

When combined with a detailed medical history, it can identify the causes of allergy symptoms and provide the basis for avoidance, environmental control and immunotherapy.

11 Mar 2008

Sex could motivate obese men to lose weight

A specialist in men's health suggests that warning overweight men about the consequences of fat on their sex lives may help them shed their kilos where other strategies have failed.

11 Mar 2008

Pandemic influenza could be mitigated if measures were implemented quickly

An outbreak of pandemic influenza in the U.S. could be mitigated with prompt implementation of social-distancing measures combined with antiviral treatment and prophylaxis until a vaccine is available, according to new findings published in the online Early Edition of PNAS.

10 Mar 2008

Pain in fibromyalgia is linked to changes in brain molecule

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found a key linkage between pain and a specific brain molecule, a discovery that lends new insight into fibromyalgia, an often-baffling chronic pain condition.

10 Mar 2008

Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy should be revised

Current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy - developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1990 - should be revised, according to an internationally recognized obesity expert and chairman of obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health at Saint Louis University.

10 Mar 2008

Few docs to care for kids with diabetes

The rate of childhood obesity in the United States has more than doubled in the past 20 years, bringing with it more children at risk for developing type 1 and even type 2 diabetes.

10 Mar 2008

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine receives new Gates funding to fight disease

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has been awarded grant funding totalling $46.4 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and $12.7 million from other partners, to help find new and effective ways of treating and preventing malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS.

10 Mar 2008

New rapid blood test for tuberculosis

A new blood test could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2008

Improved method for genetically manipulating human embryonic stem cells

UC Irvine researchers have discovered a dramatically improved method for genetically manipulating human embryonic stem cells, making it easier for scientists to study and potentially treat thousands of disorders ranging from Huntington's disease to muscular dystrophy and diabetes.

10 Mar 2008