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Scientists uncover mode of action of enzyme linked with several types of cancer

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal have discovered a key mechanism used by cells to efficiently distribute chromosomes to new cells during cell multiplication.

3 Jun 2009

A bionic broadband ear

MIT engineers have built a fast, ultra-broadband, low-power radio chip, modeled on the human inner ear, that could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals.

3 Jun 2009

SmartPill capsule for ulcerative colitis patients

An electronic diagnostic tool called the SmartPill is swallowed by patients in order to take measurements as it travels through the gastrointestinal tract.

3 Jun 2009

Thinking lean in healthcare

Lean thinking helps healthcare professionals eliminate waste in any activity performed within a facility. It is the efficient use of staff, resources and technology to provide the highest level of service possible to the healthcare customer: the patient, according to a feature article in the June issue of the Journal of AHIMA.

3 Jun 2009

Lilly resubmits Cymbalta supplemental NDA for chronic pain to FDA

Eli Lilly and Company has resubmitted its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the management of chronic pain to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

3 Jun 2009

Skin cells provide new knowledge about brain functions

Until now diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been difficult to study biologically, since this would entail taking samples from the patient's brain.

3 Jun 2009

Simple MRI test involving breathing oxygen helps determine cancer therapy success

A simple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test involving breathing oxygen might help oncologists determine the best treatment for some cancer patients, report researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

3 Jun 2009

Being overweight or obese does not worsen asthma, but may reduce response to medications

Being overweight or obese does not make asthma worse in patients with mild and moderate forms of the disease, according to a study by National Jewish Health researchers, although it may reduce the response to medications.

3 Jun 2009

Women with heavy periods may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder

According to researchers in the United States many women suffer from bleeding disorders, but are unaware they have one because doctors are not looking for the condition.

3 Jun 2009

Imaginary friends help children learn

According psychologist, Dr. Evan Kidd at Melbourne's La Trobe University, children with imaginary friends are better at learning to communicate than other children because they have a lot of practice at inventing interactions with their friends, which helps them improve their conversational skills.

3 Jun 2009

Swine flu in Victoria - alert measures move up a level

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in Australia has now reached 502 - three quarters of which are in Victoria and as a result the state's alert measures have been moved from "contain" to the next level, the "sustain" phase.

3 Jun 2009

Australian food industry told to 'shape up' over fat, sugar and salt

The food industry in Australia has been told in no uncertain terms to shape up when it comes to the fat, sugar and salt content in food products.

3 Jun 2009

Swine flu - a threatening pandemic or media panic?

The latest update from the World Health Organisation (WHO) # 42, reports that as of the 1st June 2009, 62 countries have officially reported 17,410 cases of influenza A H1N1 infection (swine flu), including 115 deaths.

3 Jun 2009

The colourful world of synesthesia

David Eagleman, Ph.D will explore the brilliant scope of the human mind in his forthcoming lecture at the University of Sydney on the perplexing cognitive condition, Synesthesia.

2 Jun 2009

Internet-based programs effective in treating depression – new study

In a discovery that could lead to new treatment approaches for depression, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown that internet-based therapy programs are as effective as face-to-face therapies in combating the illness.

2 Jun 2009

U.N. agencies increase request for foreign donations to Zimbabwe

In the midst of Zimbabwe's growing humanitarian crisis, U.N. agencies on Monday released a revised statement of appeal for foreign donations totaling $718 million for "food, clean water, AIDS medicines and other aid – up from an estimate of $550 million in November," the AP/Washington Post reports (Shaw, AP/Washington Post, 6/1).

2 Jun 2009

Report shows Jamaica's progress towards achieving U.N. MDGs

Jamaica has already achieved some U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets and is "on track" to attain five more, according to a report that mapped the country's progress toward the MDGs, the Jamaica Observer reports.

2 Jun 2009

British researchers call for WHO to 'condemn homeopathy' for serious diseases

British researchers on Monday requested the WHO "publicly condemn homeopathy as a treatment for serious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria," amid growing concern that some patients are dying as a result of choosing homeopathy over effective medicines, the Mail & Guardian reports. "The WHO works with national organisations that promote homeopathy and other alternative medicines in their public health programmes," according to the Mail & Guardian.

2 Jun 2009

Advocates say Nigeria should consider photo health warnings on cigarettes; WHO honors Malaysia for tobacco regulation

In honor of 2009 World No Tobacco Day Nigerian Heart Foundation President Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson spoke at an event in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday where he called for members of the National Assembly to pass a new bill requiring that cigarette manufacturers print pictorial and graphical health warnings on the packages of cigarettes - an effort supported by the WHO, Vanguard/allAfrica.com reports.

2 Jun 2009

Universal access to malaria drugs, prevention by 2013 will lead to eradication, Nigerian Government says

The Nigerian government believes that by 2013 malaria will cease to be a major public health problem in the country because families will have universal access to prevention and treatment, which will ultimately lead to malaria eradication in Nigeria, according to a document prepared by the National Malaria Control Program of the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Xinhua reports.

2 Jun 2009