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Researchers identify gene responsible for aggressive, bold behavior in zebrafish

A gene responsible for aggressive and bold behavior has been identified in zebrafish by a team from CNRS/Laboratoire Neurobiologie et Développement.

7 Oct 2011

Strain echocardiography can help physicians detect early signs of cardiac toxicity in cancer patients

There is good news for cancer patients whose medical treatments put them at risk for future cardiac problems: using strain echocardiography can help physicians detect early signs of cardiac toxicity.

7 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Jobs and 'Obamacare;' jurisdictional barriers to health law challenges; reforming provider payment

By most of the usual measures, President Obama has no business being reelected. Here's why he might be anyway. On Wednesday morning, as Senate Democratic leaders were scrambling to find a way to enact part of Obama's jobs bill, a dozen Republican lawmakers assembled outside the Capitol to complain about ... health-care reform.

7 Oct 2011

A healthy diet during pregnancy can reduce the risk of birth defects: Study

The researchers say that the birth defects like brain and spine problems, called neural tube defects, as well as cleft lip and cleft palate were less common in mothers who closely followed either a Mediterranean diet or the food guide pyramid.

6 Oct 2011

Jimmy Carter calls upon donors to help eradicate Guinea worm disease

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is appealing to countries and donors to eradicate guinea worm disease from the world once and for all. The U.K. pledged $31 million over four years for the effort and has called upon other countries to match them.

6 Oct 2011

Herceptin chemo combination could mean longer survival and lower side effects in breast cancer patients: Study

A new study released this Wednesday revealed that breast cancer that is highly aggressive but caught early could be best treated with a combination of Herceptin and chemotherapy.

6 Oct 2011

Pregnant mums taking miscarriage prevention drug decades ago may have put their girls at risk of infertility and cancers

A new study reveals that a drug that was taken by millions of pregnant women decades ago to prevent miscarriage and complications has put their daughters at higher risk for breast cancer and other health problems. The study shows that many of these daughters are now over 40 and may not even know of their risk if their mothers never realized or told them they had used the drug, a synthetic estrogen called DES or Diethyl stilbesterol.

6 Oct 2011

Thriving stem cells created by cloning technique

In a breakthrough that has been debated and awaited for long, scientists have finally derived colonies of embryonic stem cells from human embryos created using cloning technology.

6 Oct 2011

Vitamin D deficiency might be common in fair skinned people: Study

The British study suggests that pale people tend to be deficient in the “sunshine” vitamin and that without supplements they're unlikely to get their levels up without getting sunburned. That can put them at risk for bone loss, heart disease, and poorer survival from breast cancer, according to the study's authors.

5 Oct 2011

Overweight and blood pressure risk in kids: Study

According to a new study kids who are overweight are nearly three times more likely to have high blood pressure compared to their peers. The study, published in the journal Hypertension, followed 1,111 school-aged children in Indiana for an average of four years.

5 Oct 2011

The male circumcision debate continues

Much has been written on the controversies and debates on whether males – from infants to adults – have a human right to retain their foreskin. The protestors have helped persuade 18 states to stop paying for circumcisions under their Medicaid health insurance programs.

5 Oct 2011

Drink driving reduced by 30% but more needs to be done: CDC report

A new survey brings welcome news – drink driving in the U.S. is down by nearly 30% from its peak in 2006. This is in spite of the fact that an estimated 4 million Americans still admit to at least once having operated a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, resulting in about 112 million “alcohol impaired driving episodes” and thousands of fatalities, wrote researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a paper published Tuesday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

5 Oct 2011

New malaria study in Africa offers evidence of method to bypass, or delay, insecticide resistance

Indoor spraying with the insecticide bendiocarb has dramatically decreased malaria transmission in many parts of Benin, new evidence that insecticides remain a potent weapon for fighting malaria in Africa despite the rapid rise of resistance to an entire class of mosquito-killing compounds, according to a study published today in the October edition of The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

5 Oct 2011

Hormonal contraceptive shots and risk of HIV in African women

A new study from Africa reveals that using a hormone shot given every three months - the most popular contraceptive for women in eastern and southern Africa, may make it easier for HIV to spread between heterosexual sex partners.

5 Oct 2011

Blue Shield of California refuses to pay for breast cancer drug Avastin

In a new development, health insurer Blue Shield of California has decided not to pay for Roche Holding's drug Avastin to treat breast cancer after health advisers said it was not safe or clinically beneficial. Blue Shield of California with around 3.3 million members, said in a notice posted on its web site that the drug would no longer be covered as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer beginning October 17. It said exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4 Oct 2011

HPV may be responsible for the alarming numbers of oral cancers: Study

Sore throat for a very long time could be an early precursor of a sexually transmitted virus that is fueling a rise in oral cancer suggest researchers. Between 1988 and 2004, head, neck and throat cancers that tested positive for the human papilloma virus rose an astounding 225 percent, according to a new study.

4 Oct 2011

Teenage problem drinking could be detected on Facebook

A new study suggests that college students’ Facebook pages might hold clues to which of them are at risk for alcohol dependence and abuse.

4 Oct 2011

Anesthesia in very small kids may raise risk of learning disabilities

According to the latest research very young children exposed to general anesthesia during surgical procedures may be at an increased risk for learning problems.

4 Oct 2011

Parents choosing alternative vaccine schedules for their kids: Survey

According to a new study some parents choose alternative schedules for vaccinating their children and yet others decide their own vaccine timelines.

4 Oct 2011

Australian project aims to improve the early detection of breast cancer

The University of Sydney, in partnership with BreastScreen NSW and Ziltron, has developed a pioneering web-based programme to monitor the performance of radiologists in detecting and diagnosing abnormalities in breast x-rays. Currently commencing its nationwide rollout, the BREAST Project has the potential to improve the early detection of breast cancer through screening and in turn reduce breast cancer mortality and morbidity.

4 Oct 2011