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Study finds high PCB levels in western coast of Africa

"We were not expecting to find such high levels of PCBs, highly toxic compounds that are considered as priority compounds by European legislation, in a region such as the western coast of Africa", Ailette Prieto, a researcher at the University of the Basque Country and co-author of a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, tells SINC.

7 Apr 2011

MDGs still in reach, but 2015 deadline will be missed, Bill Gates says

The U.N. Millennium Development Goals can still be attained if developed nations meet their aid pledges, but the 2015 deadline likely will be missed, Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in remarks to the European Parliament's development committee in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday, EUobserver reports. Gates is traveling in Europe this week.

7 Apr 2011

Persistent fatigue in breast cancer survivors may be caused by autonomic nervous system running in overdrive

The persistent fatigue that plagues one out of every three breast cancer survivors may be caused by one part of the autonomic nervous system running in overdrive, while the other part fails to slow it down.

7 Apr 2011

Patients with type 2 diabetes can benefit from metformin than other drugs

New research suggests that several commonly prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes may not be as effective at preventing death and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and stroke, as the oral anti-diabetic drug, metformin.

7 Apr 2011

Ingenia MRI system is now available in the U.S.: Philips

Royal Philips Electronics today announced the United States availability of the Ingenia MRI system, the first-ever digital broadband magnetic resonance imaging solution.

7 Apr 2011

Study highlights transitional care importance in health reform

A new study, conducted by Ellen Kurtzman, R.N., M.P.H., FAAN, assistant research professor in the GW School of Nursing, and colleagues, published in the April 2011 issue of Health Affairs, highlights the importance of transitional care in reaching the goals of health reform, and provides evidence-based strategies to guide its implementation.

7 Apr 2011

AstraZeneca's vandetanib receives FDA approval in medullary thyroid cancer

AstraZeneca today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the orphan drug vandetanib for the treatment of medullary thyroid cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or that has spread to other parts of the body.

7 Apr 2011

Roche launches Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote diabetes education

Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-CHEK products and services, has launched dedicated Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote diabetes education, awareness and advocacy.

7 Apr 2011

CEM to reconvene its popular 'Methods in Bioengineering' conference on July 14-15

The Center for Engineering in Medicine -- a bioengineering research institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard Teaching Hospital -- has announced it will reconvene its popular "Methods in Bioengineering" conference in conjunction with event organizer Horizon House Ltd.

7 Apr 2011

Alnylam defends against Tekmira complaint, files answer and counterclaim

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, has filed an answer and counterclaim to a complaint filed by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation in the Business Litigation Session (BLS) of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

7 Apr 2011

Short-term govt. spending measure still in question; Shutdown looms

Even as Republicans unveiled their 2012 budget plan, negotiations continued and stalled on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers attempt to reach an agreement on current-year spending to avert a government shutdown on Friday.

7 Apr 2011

New CDC guidelines to reduce risk of catheter-associated infections in the U.S.

The CDC has announced new guidelines to reduce the risk of catheter-associated infections in the United States. The guidelines now designate treatment with chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated sponge as a category 1B recommendation exclusively based on evidence related to BIOPATCH® Protective Disk with CHG.

7 Apr 2011

Key enzyme in non-small cell lung cancers could make standard chemotherapy more effective

Scientists at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit today presented a study at the American Association for Cancer Research's 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 that identifies a key enzyme in non-small cell lung cancers that could potentially make standard chemotherapy more effective against this highly deadly disease.

7 Apr 2011

Living human taste cells maintained in culture for seven months

Following years of futile attempts, new research from the Monell Center demonstrates that living human taste cells can be maintained in culture for at least seven months. The findings provide scientists with a valuable tool to learn about the human sense of taste and how it functions in health and disease.

7 Apr 2011

U.S., Canada research institutions to participate in NCI's Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network

Research institutions at 27 sites in the U.S. and Canada have been selected to participate in the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network, a new initiative in immunotherapy funded by the National Cancer Institute and headquartered at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

7 Apr 2011

Optometrists congratulate Ontario government for progressive health policy

Ontarians will enjoy better access to eye health care now that optometrists can prescribe medications for sight-threatening conditions like eye infections and glaucoma.

7 Apr 2011

Johns Hopkins scientists identify autism gene linked to severity of social interaction deficits

With the help of two sets of brothers with autism, Johns Hopkins scientists have identified a gene associated with autism that appears to be linked very specifically to the severity of social interaction deficits.

7 Apr 2011

World Health Day 2011 highlights problem of antimicrobial resistance

On the eve of World Health Day 2011, Inter Press Service examines the growing global challenge of antibimicrobial resistance.

7 Apr 2011

Cliffside encourages patients to continue antidepressant use despite health risks

Cliffside Malibu, one of America's leading drug and alcohol treatment centers, is strongly urging its patients who are currently taking antidepressants not to stop, despite a new study and subsequent media reports that such drugs could raise the risk of heart attack or stroke in middle-age men taking the medications.

7 Apr 2011

Novel strategy to build molecular probes may lead to development of new cancer drugs

Chemical engineers at UC Santa Barbara expect that their new process to create molecular probes may eventually result in the development of new drugs to treat cancer and other illnesses.

7 Apr 2011