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Striking shift seen among newly HIV-infected men regarding partners

New data from six U.S. sites show a dramatic shift by men acutely infected with HIV to choose to have unprotected intercourse only with other HIV-infected partners.

5 Dec 2007

Smell experience during critical period alters brain

Unlike the circuitry of the visual system, that of the olfactory system was thought to be hardwired: Once the neurons had formed, no amount of sensory input could change their arrangement.

5 Dec 2007

Scientists strike blow in super bugs struggle

Scientists from the University of Manchester have pioneered new ways of tweaking the molecular structure of antibiotics - an innovation that could be crucial in the fight against powerful super bugs.

From The University of Manchester 5 Dec 2007

Discovery of potential "getting drunk" gene

A variant of a gene involved in communication among brain cells has a direct influence on alcohol consumption in mice, according to a new study by scientists supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Army.

5 Dec 2007

Costs of lower-calorie foods are rising the fastest

As food prices rise, the costs of lower-calorie foods are rising the fastest, according to a University of Washington study appearing in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

5 Dec 2007

Pheromones identified that trigger aggression between male mice

A family of proteins commonly found in mouse urine is able to trigger fighting between male mice, a study in the Dec. 6, 2007, issue of Nature has found.

5 Dec 2007

Physician style and HMO affiliation impact lengths of patient visit

Apart from a more complicated medical case, what makes different physicians spend different amounts of time with their patients" Researchers at UC Davis have identified several key doctor- and practice-specific characteristics that affect the length of a patient's medical appointment, and ultimately with a patient's satisfaction with the doctor's visit.

5 Dec 2007

Myocor receives trial approval for percutaneously implanted iCoapsys system

Myocor, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted conditional approval of the Valvular and Ventricular Improvement Via iCoapsys Delivery (VIVID) feasibility study.

5 Dec 2007

Premature babies on the increase

The preterm birth rate rose again in 2005 and preliminary data for 2006 show a continued increase, underscoring the urgent need for a sustained, comprehensive plan to address this growing crisis.

5 Dec 2007

Missing brain protein may be one of the culprits behind autism and other brain disorders

The protein helps synapses develop. Synapses--through which neurons communicate with one other-underlie our ability to learn and remember. Now Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, has uncovered an enzyme that is key to that protein's activity.

5 Dec 2007

Study examines the relationship between diabetes and mortality in a depression intervention trial

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report that older adults with diabetes and depression are half as likely to die over a 5-year period when they receive depression care management than depressed patients with diabetes who do not receive depression care management.

5 Dec 2007

Implanting embryonic cardiac cells prevents arrhythmias

When researchers at Cornell, the University of Bonn and the University of Pittsburgh transplanted living embryonic heart cells into cardiac tissue of mice that had suffered heart attacks, the mice became resistant to cardiac arrhythmias, thereby avoiding one of the most dangerous and fatal consequences of heart attacks.

5 Dec 2007

Stress-induced analgesia - new understanding

One way to alleviate the pain of banging your shin while on a hike is to encounter a grizzly bear - a well-known phenomenon called stress-induced analgesia.

5 Dec 2007

HIV-infected infants respond poorly to childhood vaccination

It is known that HIV-infected children who do not receive appropriate antiretroviral drugs experience immune depression, and may become susceptible to infectious diseases that would otherwise be prevented by childhood immunization.

5 Dec 2007

HIV Collaborative Fund receives $5.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The HIV Collaborative Fund, a partnership of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition and Tides, announced today that it has received a three-year grant for $5.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support community-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa engaged in advocacy and educational activities to increase access to HIV treatment and prevention services.

5 Dec 2007

Rhodiola rosea found to increase lifespan in fruit flies

The herbal extract of a yellow-flowered mountain plant indigenous to the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia increased the lifespan of fruit fly populations, according to a University of California, Irvine study.

5 Dec 2007

Dengue fever health education is "insufficient, under-funded, and irregular" in Cambodia

Health education regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of dengue fever is "insufficient, under-funded, and irregular" in Cambodia, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

5 Dec 2007

Many cancers caused by infections

Cancer -- popularly understood as a result of mutations or mistakes within the genetic code in cells -- is also caused by infections from viruses, bacteria and parasites.

5 Dec 2007

$Dads break or fracture the bones of their children far more often than moms$

Dads break or fracture the bones of their children far more often than moms

...and they tend to inflict their abusive rage on infants younger than five months old, according to a study in Child Abuse & Neglect.

5 Dec 2007

Court approves Biomira's move to U.S. and name change to Oncothyreon

Biomira Inc. has announced that the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench issued a Final Order approving the plan of arrangement under which the Company will move to the United States and change its name to Oncothyreon Inc.

5 Dec 2007