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Human immune system has not adapted to changes in the environment

It seems that the current "allergy epidemic" is due not so much to an increase in allergenic risk factors as to the disappearance of factors protecting people against allergies.

25 Jan 2007

Meningococcal in Uganda

From 1 January to 21 January 2007, the Ministry of Health has reported 241 suspected cases including 16 deaths (case-fatality rate, 6.6%) in Arua/ Maracha-Terego, Koboko, and Yumbe districts, an area bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

25 Jan 2007

Asentar for prostate cancer, a potential blockbuster

A tablet designed to emulate the healing power of the sun could be available for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer as early as 2009.

24 Jan 2007

Gums produce substances that lead to degeneration of the jawbone

Our gums' own cells produce the substances that lead to the degeneration of the jawbone. This is one of the findings in a dissertation that Py Palmqvist defended at Umea University in Sweden recently.

24 Jan 2007

Children participating in sports feel pressure

Many children feel pressure and discomfort in connection with their participation in sports. Adults in general think that children are exposed to tough pressure from their parents.

24 Jan 2007

Anaesthetic spray delays ejaculation by five times longer

Patients with premature ejaculation who used a topical anaesthetic spray were able to delay ejaculation for five times as long, according to a study in the February issue of the urology journal BJU International.

24 Jan 2007

Using fibre in the fight against breast cancer

Wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereal could be key weapons in the battle against breast cancer.

24 Jan 2007

Chromatin plasticity gets a 3.7 Million Euro boost

The European Commission has awarded 3.7 Million Euro under the European Union Framework 6 Programme over the next four years to a new Marie Curie Research Training Network, coordinated by Dr. Andreas Ladurner at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

24 Jan 2007

Smart way of living for people with dementia

A groundbreaking home that uses the latest smart technology to give people with dementia and other serious long-term health conditions greater independence will be showcased for the first time in Bristol.

24 Jan 2007

Are you really what you eat?

Aston University in Birmingham, UK has launched a unique new laboratory facility dedicated to solving the mysteries that lie in the relationship between the food we eat and the human brain.

24 Jan 2007

An active mind delays the onset of Alzheimer's

Learning appears to slow the development of two brain lesions that are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at UC Irvine have discovered. The finding suggests that the elderly, by keeping their minds active, can help delay the onset of this degenerative disease.

23 Jan 2007

Tuberculosis intervention program in Senegal improves patient outcomes

Patients with tuberculosis in the West African country of Senegal who participated in an intervention program that included improved communication with health personnel and community involvement had higher cure and treatment completion rates, according to a study in the January 24/31 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 Jan 2007

$After low-trauma fracture, older men and women have similar and substantial risk of subsequent fracture$

After low-trauma fracture, older men and women have similar and substantial risk of subsequent fracture

Despite substantial evidence that a prior fracture results in an increased risk of subsequent fracture, less than 30 percent of postmenopausal women and less than 10 percent of men with prior fracture are treated to help lower this risk.

23 Jan 2007

New drug to combat Gastrointestinal graft-vs.-host disease in stem-cell patients shows significant reduction in deaths

Gastrointestinal graft-vs.-host disease is a common and potentially deadly side effect for patients who undergo an allogeneic stem-cell transplant to treat certain blood cancers.

23 Jan 2007

Multiple behavioral risk factors among adolescent cancer survivors

A significant number of young survivors of childhood cancers smoke, are physically inactive and/or don't use sunscreen, according to researchers at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Jan 2007

FDA urged to review policy that bans MSM from donating blood

The American Red Cross and other organizations that collect donated blood are urging FDA to review a policy in effect since the early 1980s that prohibits men who have sex with men -- regardless of sexual activity, safer-sex practices or HIV status -- from donating blood, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

23 Jan 2007

Massachusetts health insurance law could cost more than anticipated

Monthly premiums under the proposed minimum requirements for the new Massachusetts health insurance law would cost an estimated $380 on average for an individual, according to a state panel, the Boston Globe reports.

23 Jan 2007

New York hospitals recommended for closure seek ways to continue operating

Several small private hospitals are seeking ways to reinvent themselves or be removed from a list of closures created by the New York Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, while other hospitals have filed lawsuits challenging the commission's recommendations, AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

23 Jan 2007

Community should promote preventive care among immigrants

Community groups, not medical providers, "are in the best position to spread health information and push for prevention among immigrants," according to experts, the AP/Washington Times reports.

23 Jan 2007