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First human implant of new style Australian artificial heart

On 22 March 2006, a 48 year old male patient suffering NYHA Class IV Heart Failure became the first recipient of HeartWare's HVAD mechanical circulatory assist device.

27 Mar 2006

Medicinal properties in mahogany bark may hold colon cancer cure

U of So. Carolina cancer researcher Dr. Michael Wargovich is studying whether medicinal properties in the bark of mahogany trees may hold clues to understanding colon cancer.

27 Mar 2006

MRI study shows way to prevent development of degenerative brain diseases

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study at UCLA opens new doors to assessing and potentially preventing brain iron accumulation associated with risk of developing degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Dementia With Lewy Bodies.

27 Mar 2006

Novel therapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) using Rituximab

Dana-Farber researchers found that rituximab reduced the severity of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in 70 percent of the study participants.

27 Mar 2006

Children of men with stressful jobs more likely to commit suicide

The children of men with stressful jobs, particularly jobs in which they have low control over their work and low psychological demand, are at higher risk of attempting suicide than others.

27 Mar 2006

Study finds no clear benefit of omega 3 fats on health

A study published online by the BMJ doesn't find evidence of a clear benefit of omega 3 fats on health.

27 Mar 2006

Cognitive processes related to gait velocity

Psychologists wanting to help old people safely cross the street and otherwise ambulate around this busy world have found that from age 70 and up, safe walking may require solid "executive control" (which includes attention) and memory skills.

27 Mar 2006

Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome - new syndrome in women not much fun!

A new syndrome affecting women has been identified by doctors; the sexual condition tentatively named 'Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome', (PSAS), has as its primary symptom continual unrelieved feelings of genital arousal in the absence of genuine sexual interest or desire.

27 Mar 2006

Aspirin therapy offers equal heart-protection to both men and women

Previous studies have suggested that when it comes to using aspirin as a preventative for heart attacks, it is less effective in women than in men.

27 Mar 2006

It's 2006 and two hundred children are crippled by polio in Somalia

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that since the re-emergence of the disease in July last year, 200 children in Somalia have been paralyzed with polio.

27 Mar 2006

Smokos banned in Scotland

A widespread ban on smoking came into action in Scotland on Sunday with relatively few problems.

27 Mar 2006

Link between alcohol abuse and dependence with medical conditions in two American Indian reservation communities

Alcohol abuse and dependence are known to be major health problems among American Indians, yet little research has examined alcohol's detrimental effect on organ systems among these populations.

27 Mar 2006

It's time for Britain to adopt universal hepatitis B immunisation

The United Kingdom is one of the few developed countries that have not implemented universal immunisation. Instead, it follows a policy of selective immunisation of high-risk groups, and screening all women attending antenatal clinics.

27 Mar 2006

Alcohol misuse and ethnicity

Ethnic minorities may have particular problems with alcohol use, yet may not be seeking help, warns a senior psychiatrist in this week's British Medical Journal.

27 Mar 2006

Effects of energy drink ingestion on alcohol intoxication

The combined use of alcohol and "energy drinks" such as Red Bull. have become increasingly popular among youth and young adults in recent years. Users often report reduced sleepiness and increased sensations of pleasure.

27 Mar 2006

Marital strain appears to matter for health as individuals age

Researchers have found that marital strain accelerates the typical decline in self-rated physical health that occurs over time and that this adverse effect is greater at older ages.

27 Mar 2006

Hope for alcoholics with Korsakoff Syndrome

People with Korsakoff Syndrome (KS), a brain disorder usually associated with long-term heavy drinking and thiamine deficiency, often have profound deficits in their "explicit memory" or ability to recall recent events.

27 Mar 2006

The use of record linkage to examine alcohol use in pregnancy

Babies born to women hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons during pregnancy are smaller, have lower Apgar scores and are more likely to be admitted to a special care unit, a large Australian study finds.

27 Mar 2006

Light activated anticancer drug targeted to DNA using cisplatin like sub-units: Coupling light absorbers to reactive metal centers

One of the most effective chemotherapy drugs against cancer is cisplatin because it attaches to cancer DNA and disrupts repair. However, it also kills healthy tissue. Many scientists are creating alternative drugs or cisplatin analogs in attempts to find treatments without side effects.

27 Mar 2006

Innovative sensing tool used to investigate adenosine triposphate release and its role in cystic fibrosis

The ATP study marks the first application of a novel sensing system developed by a research team led by Christine Kranz at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

27 Mar 2006