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Study finds patients overestimate cancer screening history

A new American Cancer Society study finds female African American patients tend to overestimate their level of cancer screening, indicating that current estimates of screening based on self-reported data may be lower than reported.

15 May 2008

Discovery of 250 new genes potentially involved in leukemia

Researchers have found over 250 new genes that are potentially involved in the development of leukemia. The research was performed in close collaboration between the Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and the Wellcome Trust Institute (Cambridge, UK) and will be published in the Friday May 16th issue of the scientific journal Cell.

15 May 2008

Length of telomeres in blood cells tied to breast cancer survival rates

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have shown that the length of telomeres in blood cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is tied to survival rates. The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, was carried out by a research team headed by Professor Goran Roos at the Department of Medical Bioscience, Pathology.

15 May 2008

Research targets diabetes-related eye conditions

New research projects commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research's Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different screening tests used in diabetic eye care.

15 May 2008

Palatal surgery in less lexically advanced, younger children associated with better speech outcomes

A new study published in The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal has found that the timing of palatal surgery and size of lexicon, or vocabulary, in children are important factors to consider in determining the most beneficial management of children with cleft palate.

15 May 2008

Study finds new generation of drug-coated stent benefits heart patients

A two-year study comparing a new generation drug-coated stent, XIENCE, with a currently used drug eluting stent, TAXUS, has found that the XIENCE stent had superior benefits in more than 1,000 patients and is better at keeping the arteries of chest pain patients clear of blood clots.

15 May 2008

Bird flu pandemic would require multi-drug approach

Scientists have uncovered a change in the H5N1 bird flu virus which makes it resistant to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The mutation in the N1 component was found in human cases of the disease and suggests that a single drug approach is likely to be ineffective in case of a bird flu pandemic in humans. The findings by a team at the Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research are published in Nature.

15 May 2008

Poorer children have more eye problems than those from affluent families

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have certain problems with their eyes compared to children from more affluent backgrounds - a study in Bristol has reported. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are also less likely to be taken to see an optician who could correct the eye problems with glasses, or to a screening programme where children's vision is checked and any problems are referred for treatment.

15 May 2008

New Wilmot Cancer Center offers expanded care, research for cures

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) today celebrates the expansion of cancer care and research as it dedicates the new James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. The Center introduces leading-edge technology, greater access to multidisciplinary care, a new model for breast care, and more opportunities to receive tomorrow's therapies today.

15 May 2008

New hay fever jab promises year long relief for sufferers

Relief is in sight for millions of hay fever sufferers with the promise of a jab, which lasts for a year, that significantly reduces symptoms.

15 May 2008

China struggles to cope with killer virus amid earthquake devastation

The death toll in China from hand-foot-mouth disease has now risen to 42 with another 24,934 children sickened by the deadly virus; all the fatalities have been children.

15 May 2008

Australian scientists use gene technology to improve IVF treatment

Research by a team of Australian scientists promises to improve the fertility treatment in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

15 May 2008

Expert says Wembley Stadium could be filled with 'preventable' cancer cases

A British cancer expert has come up with a novel way of illustrating how a healthy lifestyle can beat cancer.

15 May 2008

Serious depression affects more than 2 million teens in the U.S.

A survey released in the U.S. has revealed that in the past year in excess of 2 million American teenagers experienced a serious bout of depression.

15 May 2008

Sildenafil could become a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new study appears to have found another use for the drug Viagra other than for treating problems such as erectile dysfunction.

15 May 2008

Sleep deprivation could affect students' academic results

A study by an American psychologist has found that many college students have sleep patterns that could have an adverse affects on their academic performance.

15 May 2008

Regular exercise for young women can reduce their risk of breast cancer

The latest research on breast cancer is good news, it says that regular exercise can reduce the risk.

15 May 2008

Getting sick in Victoria could be a worry

In what will be great concern to Australians living in Victoria, a newly released report has found that Victoria's hospitals have failed to meet key performance indicators.

15 May 2008

Scientists unravel how smoking causes cancer

Scientists have for the first time pinpointed a protein that explains how smoking can directly lead to genetic changes that cause cancer - research published in the British Journal of Cancer reveals.

15 May 2008

Remaining stocks of Trasylol removed

On Nov. 5, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. agreed to an FDA-requested marketing suspension of Trasylol, a drug used to control bleeding during heart surgery. At that time, preliminary results from a Canadian study suggested an increased risk for death compared to two other drugs used to control bleeding.

15 May 2008