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A TAS1R receptor-based explanation of sweet water taste

A scientific paradox linking artificial sweeteners such as saccharin with a sensory experience in which plain water takes on a sweet taste has guided researchers to an increased understanding of how humans detect sweet taste.

23 Apr 2006

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity.

23 Apr 2006

HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60

For the last few years, women have heard conflicting reports about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A new study that analyzes many trials together concludes that HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60 but has mixed results for older women.

23 Apr 2006

No support for medical use of marijuana from the FDA

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the U.S. there are no scientific grounds for the medical use of use of marijuana and the agency is highly critical of attempts by individual states to legalise it.

23 Apr 2006

No alarm on fluoride: cancer risk unproven

Suggestions that fluoridated water supplies may be linked to a rare form of bone cancer have not been scientifically established, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Robert Hall said this week.

20 Apr 2006

Australia's medicines regulator close to decision on herceptin

Australia's medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is considering a recommendation by its expert committee, the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC), to conditionally approve an application by Roche Products Pty Limited to extend the registration of the breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) for use in HER2 positive localised breast cancer in addition to chemotherapy.

20 Apr 2006

Corticosteroids do not improve survival in patients with late-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome

The study is the first multi-center randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of moderate doses of steroids in ARDS patients when treatment is started 7 days or more after the onset of the condition.

20 Apr 2006

Popular antidepressants may affect fetus

A team from the Ottawa Health Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and The Ottawa Hospital has found an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, fetal death, and infant seizures among pregnant women who used a popular class of antidepressants during pregnancy.

20 Apr 2006

Children with bone cancer in their arms or legs survival rate improved

Ross Wilkins and Stephen Withrow are doctors working together in the fight against bone cancer. Their goals are the same. Their patients are not.

20 Apr 2006

Forearm support reduces pain linked to computer use

Providing forearm support is an effective way to prevent musculoskeletal disorders of the upper body and helps reduce upper body pain associated with computer work, according to a study reported in the April 18 issue of the British Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

20 Apr 2006

Researchers find gene connected to Lupus

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a variant of a gene that is present in most people with lupus, a complex and chronic autoimmune disease.

20 Apr 2006

Quicker and more effective way to diagnose motor neurone disease

Researchers from University of New South Wales (UNSW), the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute (POWMRI) and the Prince of Wales Hospital have found a quicker and more effective way to diagnose Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

20 Apr 2006

New method designed to analyze the genes that regulate the immune system

Seattle scientists have developed a new method for analyzing the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) of the human genome.

20 Apr 2006

Activity levels - not food intake - most strongly correlates with weight gain in adulthood

Research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center reveals that an individual's activity level is the most constant factor in predicting weight gain over adulthood.

20 Apr 2006

New design lets mini-microscope observe cells in vivo

Two eyes are better than one. Or more precisely, two lines of sight are better than one. That's the word from researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine, who have applied this adage to the design of a tiny microscope that is about the size of an M&M.

20 Apr 2006

Study shows results of tight glucose control

Here's what we know about controlling blood glucose (blood sugar) in people with diabetes: It's not easy, but it can be done. It requires vigilance and resolve. And it can save your life.

19 Apr 2006

Adult stem cell implant first in orthopaedic patient

The Royal Melbourne Hospital has performed the world's first implant of cultured specialist stem cells into an orthopaedic patient who suffered a broken femur nine months ago which failed to heal.

19 Apr 2006

Burch colposuspension can prevent urinary incontinence after prolapse surgery

Women who undergo surgery to correct pelvic organ prolapse - a condition in which the vagina and nearby organs lose support and fall out of position - often find that the surgery comes with a bothersome tradeoff: urinary stress incontinence.

19 Apr 2006

New research links metabolism and appetite suppression, opening door to obesity treatments

A team led by a Canadian researcher has discovered a process by which a small protein acts directly within muscles to increase the body's metabolism to burn fat while simultaneously suppressing appetite.

19 Apr 2006

New finding provides researchers with renewable source for macrophages and neutrophils

A new approach to generating large quantities of two types of white blood cells that are critical for destroying invading bacteria, viruses and other pathogens in humans has been developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

19 Apr 2006