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Natural aromatic oils may cause allergies

Hypersensitivity to perfumes is the most common contact allergy in adults.

3 Feb 2009

At last a male contraceptive jab!

At last a male contraceptive jab has been developed and is all set to be trialled - and Sydney men will be the first guinea pigs!

3 Feb 2009

Effects of brain exercise depend on opponent

Playing games against a computer activates different brain areas from those activated when playing against a human opponent.

3 Feb 2009

Drugs may be 'magic bullet' for infants born with rare form of diabetes

Infants born with a rare form of inherited diabetes might avoid irreversible damage to their pancreases if they are treated immediately with sulfonylurea drugs rather than insulin, according to a new report in the February 4th issue of Cell Metabolism , a Cell Press publication.

3 Feb 2009

Animal eggs no source for embryonic stem cells

Stem cell researchers in the U.S. say that eggs from cows, rabbits and other animals are not a good source for creating embryonic stem cells.

3 Feb 2009

Divorce, antidepressants, or weight gain/loss can add years to your face

Your mother's wrinkles - or lack there of, may not be the best predictor of how you'll age. In fact, a new study claims just the opposite.

3 Feb 2009

New inhibitors could be new class of cancer drugs

A team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators has developed a group of chemical compounds that could represent a new class of drugs for treating cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Erectile dysfunction doubles the risk of heart disease

Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a link between heart disease and erectile dysfunction - they say in some cases that risk is doubled.

3 Feb 2009

Dialysis patients residing at higher altitude have lower rate of death

Compared to dialysis patients living near sea level, dialysis patients living at an altitude higher than 4,000 feet have a 12-15 percent lower rate of death, according to a study in the February 4 issue of JAMA.

3 Feb 2009

Chronic drinking causes more liver injury than acute or binge drinking

Alcohol consumption is known to cause liver damage. Yet the specifics of alcohol-induced liver injury can differ depending on the pattern of drinking.

3 Feb 2009

Scientists unlock secrets of gene regulatory networks

A quartet of studies by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) highlight a special feature on gene regulatory networks recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ).

3 Feb 2009

Boys have greater psychological well-being than girls

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone.

3 Feb 2009

Sun-intensive holidays may increase future skin cancer risk in children

Vacationing at the shore led to a 5 percent increase in nevi (more commonly called "moles") among 7-year-old children, according to a paper published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Feb 2009

Advancement in tissue engineering promotes oral wound healing

Oral tissue engineering for transplantation to aid wound healing in mouth (oral cavity) reconstruction has taken a significant step forward with a Netherlands-based research team's successful development of a gum tissue (gingival) substitute that can be used for reconstruction in the oral cavity.

3 Feb 2009

19 percent of breast cancer patients don't receive recommended radiation after mastectomy

One-fifth of women who should receive radiation after a mastectomy are not getting this potentially lifesaving treatment, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 Feb 2009

Groundbreaking human evolution book launch to kick start Imperial's Darwin bicentenary celebrations

A new book by eminent Darwin historians, which will revolutionise our understanding of Darwin's path to human evolution, will be launched at Imperial College London on Monday 9 February 2009

3 Feb 2009

In developing countries young children have better survival chances if their mothers are taller

Each centimeter/inch counts for women in developing countries. This is the outcome of research by Christiaan Monden of Tilburg University and Jeroen Smits of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, which was recently published online in American Journal of Human Biology.

3 Feb 2009

Robot scientist promises to dig up new drugs

A robot scientist that can make informed guesses about how effective different chemical compounds will be at fighting different diseases could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry by developing more effective treatments more cheaply and quickly than current methods.

3 Feb 2009

Computer writing programs make writing easier for persons with aphasia

Aphasia affects the ability to understand and use spoken language, and the ability to read and write. Persons with aphasia were trained in the use of computerised writing aids in the study on which speech and language pathologist Ingrid Behrns' doctoral thesis is based. The subjects were aided by a computer-based spell-checker and a program for word prediction, similar to that used when writing SMS messages on mobile telephones.

3 Feb 2009

Physical self-concept and psychological well-being/unwellness during adolescence

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone. To date, however, there has been no investigation into the relationship that physical self-concept has with psychological well-being or psychological unwellness.

3 Feb 2009