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Study looks at effects of smoking and breathing second-hand smoke along with drinking

Tobacco smoke-filled air is bad for cardiovascular health, and drinking alcohol at the same time only makes it worse, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

21 Nov 2007

Carbon monoxide counteracts one side-effect of an anti-cancer drug

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a red-colored anticancer drug that carries serious side effects for the heart, including cardiac muscle deterioration (cardiomyopathy) and scar tissue accumulation in the heart (fibrosis).

21 Nov 2007

There is a new twist on the question of how biological clocks work

In recent years, scientists have discovered that biological clocks help organize a dizzying array of biochemical processes in the body. Despite a number of hypotheses, exactly how the microscopic pacemakers in every cell in the body exert such a widespread influence has remained a mystery.

21 Nov 2007

Threat women face from vascular disease not widely understood

Though arterial vascular disease is widespread and often deadly among older American women, doctors too often fail to spot and treat it, according to a new report by a team of vascular surgeons from the Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College campuses of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

21 Nov 2007

Antidepressant drug mianserin extends the lifespan of adult roundworms

A team of scientists led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Linda B. Buck has found that a drug used to treat depression can extend the lifespan of adult roundworms.

21 Nov 2007

Pregabalin decreases pain, speeds movement in knee replacement patients

The drug pregabalin administered before and after knee replacement surgery, significantly decreased patient pain while increasing and expediting mobility after surgery, according to a study by Asokumar Buvanendran, MD, director of Orthopedic Anesthesia and associate professor of Anesthesiology at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.

21 Nov 2007

New technique provides stem cells without ethical and legal constraints

In a paper to be published Nov. 22 in the online edition of the journal Science, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers reports the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells.

21 Nov 2007

Human pluripotent stem cells without human cloning

Two major scientific papers published this week in Science and Cell unveil a proven way to generate patient-matched human pluripotent stem cells without human cloning, and without the use of human embryos or human or animal eggs.

21 Nov 2007

Trauma earlier in life may result in long-term changes

Researchers have known for years that psychological trauma that results in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression can change how a person responds to stress.

21 Nov 2007

Most physicians are not adequately prepared to deal with obesity epidemic

The soaring obesity rates across the globe have been called the most critical challenge to public health of the 21st century.

21 Nov 2007

Doctors may be missing cancers in obese men due to misleading PSA scores

Doctors may be missing cancers in obese men because the telltale blood marker used to detect the disease can be falsely interpreted as low in this population, according to a new study led by Duke Prostate Center researchers.

21 Nov 2007

Research shows how embryonic cells may regulate levels of retinoic acid

Human embryos that get too much or too little retinoic acid, a derivative of Vitamin A, can develop into babies with birth defects.

21 Nov 2007

Advancing stem cell research and therapies while fully respecting the dignity of human life

The following statement was released by Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

21 Nov 2007

Skin injuries to patients can be avoided when radiation dose is monitored

Maximum radiation skin dose during coronary angioplasty can be accurately determined by monitoring the total entrance skin radiation dose as the patient is being examined and dividing that number in half according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.

21 Nov 2007

Human skin could be a new source of stem cells

A simple recipe—including just four ingredients—can transform adult human skin cells into cells that resemble embryonic stem cells, researchers report in an immediate early publication of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

21 Nov 2007

Japanase scientists reprogramme human adult cells to function like pluripotent embryonic stem cells

Acclaimed stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, has reported that he and his Kyoto University colleagues have successfully reprogrammed human adult cells to function like pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells.

21 Nov 2007

Scientists find what we see depends on the patterns of neural activity in our brains

Vase or face" When presented with the well known optical illusion in which we see either a vase or the faces of two people, what we observe depends on the patterns of neural activity going on in our brains.

21 Nov 2007

Study looks at rural and urban cancer patients in terms of late-stage presentation

Rural patients are often assumed to be the top truants in American medicine, not seeking medical attention until a condition is more advanced and less treatable.

21 Nov 2007

Chlamydia pneumoniae involved in both heart disease and infertility

Outside the laboratory, Anthony Azenabor is outgoing and talkative, an extrovert who laughs heartily at his own jokes.

21 Nov 2007

Stem-cell finding alters ethical controversy

When University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers succeeded in reprogramming skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells, they also began to redefine the political and ethical dynamics of the stem-cell debate, a leading bioethicist says. R. Alta Charo, a UW-Madison professor of law and bioethics, says the scientific finding could have far-reaching effects on the social dimensions of the ongoing controversy over embryonic stem cell research.

21 Nov 2007