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Killer flu in Hong Kong not bird flu

The deaths of three children in Hong Kong from a virulent form of influenza has forced health officials to close all of the district's elementary schools.

13 Mar 2008

Just a 10% reduction in bad cholesterol could save 3,000 Australian lives each year

New research has revealed that a ten percent lowering of 'bad' LDL cholesterol could save nearly 3,000 Australian lives each year.

13 Mar 2008

Quit smoking during pregnancy for a happier baby

New research from the UK has revealed that women who smoke heavily during pregnancy have the most difficult babies.

13 Mar 2008

Outrage in the UK over Down Syndrome child's cosmetic surgery

The case of a Down syndrome girl subjected by her parents to cosmetic surgery to improve her appearance, has generated great controversy in the UK.

13 Mar 2008

Vitamin D supplements in early childhood reduces the adult diabetes risk

Scientists in Britain have found that vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

13 Mar 2008

Short blokes are the jealous ones

According to European scientists short men are the most likely to be jealous. Researchers from Spain and Holland arrived at this conclusion after querying 549 Dutch and Spanish men and women.

13 Mar 2008

Researchers find benefit for lymphoma patients in combined PET-CT scanning

Combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging of lymphoma patients is a more effective method to evaluate response to radiation therapy, and may help patients avoid unnecessary follow-up treatments, a study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) suggests.

13 Mar 2008

Total ankle replacement gaining foothold in upstate New York

A procedure aimed at not only relieving pain from arthritic ankles, but providing new-found mobility for patients, is gaining a foothold in upstate New York.

13 Mar 2008

The yin and yang of genes for mood disorders

Individual genes do not cause depression, but they are thought to increase the probability of an individual having a depression in the face of other accumulating risk factors, such as other genes and environmental stressors.

13 Mar 2008

DuPont no. 1 innovator in chemical and biotech patents

DuPont has achieved top rankings in science and patent strength according to several leading indicators published by The Patent Board and Nature Biotechnology.

13 Mar 2008

Researchers find way to increase cells' energy consumption

With obesity still on the increase, it appears that the main weapon in the fight against it - reducing energy consumption by eating less - is ineffective.

13 Mar 2008

TRPV1 receptor blockers may interfere with brain functions

A new class of painkillers that block a receptor called TRPV1 may interfere with brain functions such as learning and memory, a new study suggests.

13 Mar 2008

Study helps explain how tumor cells rapidly grow and proliferate

Nearly 80 years ago, scientist Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells perform energy metabolism in a way that is different from normal adult cells.

13 Mar 2008

Scientists identify 25 genes that regulate lifespan

Scientists at the University of Washington and other institutions have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change.

13 Mar 2008

Researchers find cause of severe allergic reaction to cetuximab

Clinicians have been perplexed by the fact that some patients given the drug cetuximab - an immune-based therapy commonly used to treat persons diagnosed with head and neck cancer, or colon cancer - have a severe and rapid adverse reaction to the drug.

13 Mar 2008

Genomic tool helps select best eggs for IVF

A research team supervised by Universite Laval scientist Marc-Andre Sirard has identified genetic markers that allow the selection of eggs with the best chance of leading to successful pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF).

13 Mar 2008

Research could put penicillin back in battle against antibiotic resistant bugs

Research led by the University of Warwick has uncovered exactly how the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae has become resistant to the antibiotic penicillin.

13 Mar 2008

Protein deficiency leads to faster fat burning in mice, study shows

Researchers have developed a new, lean mouse with characteristics suggesting that someday, using medication to manipulate a specific protein in humans could emerge as a strategy to treat obesity and disorders associated with excess weight, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

13 Mar 2008

Preschoolers benefit from daycare program to prevent obesity

A preschool-based intervention program helped prevent early trends toward obesity and instilled healthy eating habits in multi-ethnic 2- to 5-year-olds, according to a report presented at the American Heart Association's Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

13 Mar 2008