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New insight into oocyte chromosome abnormalities

Ovarian stimulation undertaken by women of advanced maternal age receiving fertility treatment may be disrupting the normal pattern of meiosis - a critical process of chromosome duplication followed by two specialised cell divisions in the production of oocytes and sperm - and leading to abnormalities of chromosome copy numbers that result in IVF failure, pregnancy loss or, more rarely, the birth of affected children with conditions such as Down's syndrome, which is caused by the inheritance of three copies of chromosome 21.

4 Jul 2011

Simple blood test for melanoma-inhibitory activity could detect neurofibromas

Neurofibromatosis (NF1) is a genetic condition which affects one in every 3,000 people. The severity of symptoms can range from benign 'café au lait' patches on the skin, through small tumors under the skin and deep plexiform neurofibromas, to malignant tumors of the nerve sheath.

4 Jul 2011

Grim truth about underage drinking during July 4 weekend

Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking double for males during the Fourth of July holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

2 Jul 2011

New fish study focuses on prevalence of plastic ingestion

The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."

2 Jul 2011

Virus-tested sweetpotato foundation seeds proven to increase yields

Sweetpotato is gaining popularity in the United States, where health-conscious consumers have created increased demand for the tasty, versatile food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of the crop increased over 24% from 1998-2008 and the value of the U.S. sweetpotato crop in 2009 exceeded $400 million.

2 Jul 2011

HEI names CPMC as 2011 leader in LGBT healthcare equality

California Pacific Medical Center - part of the Sutter Health network - achieved a perfect score for its non-discrimination policies in creating a welcoming environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients.

2 Jul 2011

Increasing total sleep time may help improve athletic performance

Young basketball players spend hours dribbling up and down the court aspiring to NBA stardom. Now, new Stanford University School of Medicine research suggests another tactic to achieving their hoop dreams: sleep.

2 Jul 2011

Researchers use clever technique to look at in vivo virus-bacterium interactions

Viruses are the most abundant parasites on Earth. Well known viruses, such as the flu virus, attack human hosts, while viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus infect plant hosts.

2 Jul 2011

Science should inform global AIDS policy

Thirty years have passed since the first reported case of AIDS, and "we now have an unprecedented opportunity, based on solid scientific data, to control and ultimately end the AIDS pandemic," after decades of the idea being "a distant aspiration because we lacked sufficient evidence-based tools to convert the hope to reality," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, writes in a Science editorial.

2 Jul 2011

Michigan Sinus Center director demonstrates how to build cheap home air purifier

Many people with sinus problems have underlying allergies to dust, pollen, mold or animal dander. All of these can build up in the air inside homes.

2 Jul 2011

We must do more to monitor aid spending abroad

In a Washington Times opinion piece, Rep. Jason Chaffetz points to recent developments and experiences that have led him to conclude that "vast amounts of U.S. aid money is being spent with little documentation or verification of quantifiable results."

2 Jul 2011

Scientists use statistical approach to assess order of genetic abnormalities in cancers

Zeroing in on the early cell mutations that enable a cancer to grow is one of the best ways to find a personalized therapy to stop it. Scientists were able to use a statistical approach for the first time to map out the order in which these abnormalities form to analyze the pattern of DNA changes in advanced skin and ovarian tumors.

2 Jul 2011

Patients to get satisfaction survey when they leave hospitals

A provision of the 2010 health care law that seeks patient feedback on hospital stays goes into effect today. Also, federal officials issued a new rule designed to streamline paperwork requirements for the health care industry.

2 Jul 2011

Beetroot juice effective for simulated competition environment

Winning margins in the Tour de France can be tight - last year just 39 seconds separated the top two riders after more than 90 hours in the saddle. When every second counts, riders do everything possible to gain a competitive advantage - from using aerodynamic carbon fibre bikes to the very latest in sports nutrition.

2 Jul 2011

IRIN reports on concerns over poor midwife training in Senegal

IRIN reports on concerns about the low level of training midwives in Senegal undergo, a topic that was discussed at the launch of the U.N. Population Fund's (UNFPA) State of the World's Midwives report in Senegal.

2 Jul 2011

Study finds two reasons behind racial disparities in stroke treatment care

African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive critical stroke treatment primarily because they do not get to a hospital soon enough for time-sensitive treatment and because of preexisting medical conditions. For patients who are eligible for treatment, no racial disparity was found.

2 Jul 2011

State insurance officials' panel seeks protection for insurance brokers

By voice vote, the task force called on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to endorse legislation by Rep. Mike Rogers that would exclude fees paid to agents and brokers when calculating how much health plans are spending on administrative costs versus medical care.

2 Jul 2011

Infected astrocytes can cause neuroAIDS

A longstanding medical mystery - why so many people with HIV experience memory loss and other cognitive problems despite potent antiretroviral therapy - may have been solved by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

2 Jul 2011

CDC helping to detect and control disease outbreaks in other countries

"The Atlanta-based CDC is expanding its involvement in cases of illness overseas, from helping track the source of the highly toxic E. coli outbreak in Germany to homing in on the cause of cholera in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake," in an effort "to stop epidemics before they can reach the United States," Reuters/MSNBC.com reports.

2 Jul 2011

Johns Hopkins team reconstitutes single stem cells' family tree

A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia - important types of brain cells - but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells.

2 Jul 2011