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DNA test reveals unlisted ingredients in herbal brews, teas

Take a second look at your iced or steaming tea. Guided by scientific experts, three New York City high school students using tabletop DNA technologies found several herbal brews and a few brands of tea contain ingredients unlisted on the manufacturers' package.

22 Jul 2011

IAS conference concludes with positive news on HIV prevention

"Scientists on Wednesday wrapped up their biggest forum in the 30-year history of AIDS, unveiling stunning weapons to prevent the spread of HIV," Agence France-Presse reports about the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

22 Jul 2011

House Foreign Affairs Committee bill would cut U.S. aid, U.N. payments

"House Republicans sought to put their stamp on U.S. foreign policy Wednesday by advancing a bill that would slash federal payments to the United Nations and other international bodies and slap restrictions on aid to Pakistan, Egypt and others," the Washington Post reports.

22 Jul 2011

GE second-quarter revenues decrease 4% to $35.6 billion

GE announced today strong second-quarter 2011 operating earnings from continuing operations of $3.7 billion, up 18%, or $0.34 per share, up 17%, from the second quarter of 2010.

22 Jul 2011

UCSF, Kaiser Permanente achieve first major milestone in genomics project

One of the nation's largest and most diverse genomics projects has reached its first major milestone in just 15 months. Scientists have genotyped the DNA and analyzed the length of chromosome tips in more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members who agreed to be part of the research.

22 Jul 2011

IRIN reports on challenges to fighting child malnutrition in Nepal

IRIN examines the "silent epidemic" of child malnutrition in Nepal, where nearly half of all children under five have stunted growth and 13 percent of children over six months and under five years old have moderate or severe acute malnutrition, a measurement known as global acute malnutrition.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists discover new bases of DNA

For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life.

22 Jul 2011

Financial Times examines product development partnerships developing drugs for neglected diseases

The Financial Times examines the rise of product development partnerships (PDPs), which are "non-governmental organizations that generate their own funding and build partnerships with universities, businesses, government and patients in low-income countries to develop new drugs, vaccines, prevention techniques and diagnostics for diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, cholera and meningitis."

22 Jul 2011

Insight into Fragile X Syndrome and autism

Researchers now have a much clearer understanding of how mutations in a single gene can produce the complex cognitive deficits characteristic of Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability.

22 Jul 2011

Hepatitis B immunization for health care students may fall short of current recommendations

A study in the August issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), suggests that documentation of hepatitis B vaccination for health care students may fall short of current recommendations.

22 Jul 2011

Global peripheral vascular devices market to reach $5.3B by 2017

The global peripheral vascular devices market is forecast to increase from $4.3 billion in 2010 to $5.3 billion by 2017, according to a new report available on companiesandmarkets.com.

22 Jul 2011

The next round of mammogram advice

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new recommendations that women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40.

22 Jul 2011

Impaired immunological memory causes psoriasis, atopic eczema

Scientists from the Centre for Allergy and Environment in Munich (ZAUM), the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München have reached a milestone in their specialist area with their discovery of the causes of atopic eczema and psoriasis.

22 Jul 2011

Michigan Cardiovascular Institute performs first Astron Pulsar stent procedure in the U.S.

BIOTRONIK announced today that the first endovascular procedure was completed in the BIOFLEX-I clinical trial—a trial set to evaluate the safety and performance of the Astron and Astron Pulsar self-expanding peripheral stents.

22 Jul 2011

Medicare Part D prescription drug rebates would increase monthly premiums for seniors

Including Medicare Part D prescription drug rebates in the final debt ceiling package would increase monthly premiums by up to about 40 percent for more than 17 million seniors, according to a new analysis of government data.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists directly link lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia

Scientists from Graz, Austria, have now directly linked lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia. Science reports via its online channel Science Express that mice deficient in the lipid degrading enzyme Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL) are fully protected against cancer-associated cachexia.

22 Jul 2011

Roche's cobas KRAS Mutation Test for colorectal cancer now available in Europe

Roche announced today that the cobas KRAS Mutation Test is now commercially available in Europe for use in colorectal cancer.

22 Jul 2011

Clinton discusses clean cookstove initiative in India

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday "used a visit to India to highlight the damage done to women and children's health in poor countries by poor quality stoves," Agence France-Press reports.

22 Jul 2011

Enrollment begins in Repligen's RG1068 pilot study to improve detection, staging of pancreatic cancer

Repligen Corporation today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a pilot study to evaluate the ability of RG1068 to improve detection and characterization of pancreatic cancer in combination with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography.

22 Jul 2011

Calif. workers seek mental hospital safety; Md.'s rate-setting policies explained; palliative care rare in Ga.

This roundup of state hospital news also includes reports about a Mass. hospital company planning layoffs and the controversy over the proposed sale of a hospital in Denver.

22 Jul 2011