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Teamwork increases student learning and career success

A two-year study of college students at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) proves that students learn better and develop higher-level skills by participating in cooperative (team) activities, compared to traditional classroom teaching methods.

5 Nov 2007

Uplifting news about sagging boobs

A new study has found that breastfeeding does not make breasts sag. This news will be welcome to nursing mothers who may well have been deterred from breast feeding because they thought it might adversely affect the shape of their breasts.

5 Nov 2007

New view of lung cancer genome

An international team of scientists, supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have announced that its systematic effort to map the genomic changes underlying lung cancer has uncovered a critical gene alteration not previously linked to any form of cancer.

5 Nov 2007

Smaller heart pump bridges time to transplant for more women

A small, implantable device that helps the heart pump blood works equally well for men and women but may benefit twice as many women awaiting transplants, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

5 Nov 2007

Screening overweight and obese adults for pre-diabetes is cost-effective

Screening overweight and obese adults for pre-diabetes is cost-effective, according to a study by researchers at RTI International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Michigan, MedStar Research Institute, and Indiana University.

5 Nov 2007

Scientists challenge the underlying scientific premise behind folic acid fortification

Scientists at the Institute of Food Research have highlighted possible consequences of fortifying flour with folic acid due to new evidence of how it is absorbed by the body.

5 Nov 2007

Medical causes of iatrogenic renal disorders

Nephrologists and other health care providers need to be aware of certain medications and diagnostic test preparations that, in some patients, can cause damage to the kidneys, according to a special clinical update being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.

5 Nov 2007

Plasma serotonin levels can correlate with degree of liver insufficiency

Liver cirrhosis is a worldwide disease with an incidence of 5 - 10% and represents a major health problem everywhere. Prognosis depends on the degree of liver damage and etiology of cirrhosis.

5 Nov 2007

Overweight mothers run greater risk of having hyperactive children

If a woman is overweight when she becomes pregnant, the probability is much greater that her child will evince ADHD-like symptoms when he/she reaches school age, according to a new Nordic study.

5 Nov 2007

Older adults no more distractible than younger adults

Despite previous research suggesting that older adults are more distractible, new research shows they are no more distractible than younger adults when asked to focus their attention on their sense of sight or sound, or when asked to switch their attention from one sense to the other.

5 Nov 2007

Living kidney donors show no increase in their risk of heart attacks

Living kidney donors show no increase in their risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in the years after donation, according to the largest-ever study of the issue, being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.

5 Nov 2007

Research confirms Itamar's PAT technology to diagnose early cardiovascular disease

Itamar Medical announced confirmation of PAT technology by several prestigious research groups. In light of scientific confirmation of PAT technology, Itamar Medical will now promote clinical use in the medical community for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

5 Nov 2007

New investigational combination pill improves multiple cholesterol disorders

Patients treated with a new investigational combination pill showed significant improvements in cholesterol, triglycerides and other key lipids that lead to heart disease, according to results presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions.

5 Nov 2007

Researchers identify gene behind rheumatoid arthritis

University of Manchester researchers have identified a genetic variant in a region on chromosome 6 that is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting 387,000 people in the UK.

From The University of Manchester 5 Nov 2007

Large dose dexamethasone plays important roles in severe acute pancreatitis

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a fatal systemic disease featuring acute onset, serious conditions, high incidence of complications and 20 - 30% mortality, mainly due to multiple organ failure at its early stage.

5 Nov 2007

How does the antitumor drug get to the cell nucleus?

Platinum complexes such as the well-known cisplatin are powerful antitumor medications. They cross the cell membrane and reach the nucleus, where they attach to DNA and stop cell growth. But how does cisplatin get to the nucleus Italian researchers have now proven that a copper transport protein may play a critical role.

5 Nov 2007

Hepatitis C virus found to spread directly from cell to cell by-passing antibodies

Scientists looking for an effective treatment for Hepatitis C may face an even bigger task than anticipated. Recent studies looking into how the virus spreads in liver tumour cells have demonstrated that the virus uses two different routes, which may explain why the body's natural occurring antibodies are ineffective at controlling the virus.

5 Nov 2007