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Scientists have developed a new dye that could offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

MIT scientists have developed a new dye that could offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could aid in monitoring the progression of the disease and in studying the efficacy of new treatments to stop it.

26 Aug 2005

Inflammation plays an important role in post-operative stroke

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that patients who have two specific gene variants are more than three times as likely to suffer a stroke after heart surgery.

26 Aug 2005

New strategy to turn off the function of a special group of T cells to suppress immune response to tumors

A special stretch of genetic material may turn off the immune suppression that stymies attempts to fight cancer with a vaccine, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) at Houston.

26 Aug 2005

Campaign for tougher anti-smoking laws stepped up

The British Medical Association (BMA) has stepped up it's campaign for tougher anti-smoking laws with a blunt warning to the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, that her current plans are a virtual death sentence for some bar staff.

25 Aug 2005

No show patients cost the health service millions each year

According to a new survey, missed appointments costs the National Health Service in the UK £21m.

25 Aug 2005

Teen cancer patients need specially designed wards

According to an National Health Advisory Body in the UK, most children and teenagers with cancer are treated on adult or paediatric wards.

25 Aug 2005

Austrian authorities find mad cow disease in Slovenian cattle

The health ministry says a case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was found in a Slovenian animal that had been brought to the southern city of Graz to be slaughtered, but says there is no risk to consumers.

25 Aug 2005

Kids texting messages in danger of RSI

Health experts in Britain are warning that children who regularly send text messages to their friends on mobile telephones, are at risk of developing repetitive strain injury.

25 Aug 2005

Children are worst hit as India's encephalitis toll reaches 175

Reports say the number of deaths from an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in India's Uttar Pradesh state has now risen to at least 175.

25 Aug 2005

Drug Cytotec as good as surgery at expelling tissue following failed pregnancy

According to test results just released, the drug Cytotec is almost as effective as surgery for removing tissue that can remain in the uterus after a failed pregnancy.

25 Aug 2005

Making human lungs in the lab a future possibility

Scientists in the UK say they have made a significant step towards making human lungs for transplantation.

25 Aug 2005

Study continues to support margarine's use in heart-healthy diets

A new study gives the "thumbs up" to soft, trans fat-free margarines in terms of foods that can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

25 Aug 2005

Ichor Medical Systems issued key patent

Ichor Medical Systems today announced that it has been issued a patent that protects vital elements of the company's technology.

25 Aug 2005

Call for closer examination of a metabolic syndrome

Two major health organizations in Europe and the United States are calling for closer examination of a syndrome that has been widely believed to predict the risk of developing heart disease, questioning whether it has been appropriately defined and whether it is in fact a syndrome at all.

25 Aug 2005

First clinical trial of a biologic nanoparticle designed to give back to cancer patients the tumor-busting gene they have lost

The phase I clinical study will enroll 20 patients with advanced solid cancers (including most common tumor types), and is the culmination of more than a decade of work by a team of researchers led by Professor Esther H. Chang, Ph.D. at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

25 Aug 2005

Stem cells with heart bypass surgery trial to begin

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a clinical trial to determine the safety and feasibility of injecting a patient's own bone marrow-derived stem cells directly into the heart during conventional heart bypass surgery.

25 Aug 2005

Media reports of drug trials can lack accuracy and reliability

Media reports of drug trials can lack accuracy and reliability, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC International Health and Human Rights.

25 Aug 2005

What possible argument is there for NOT implementing a total ban?

In its response to the Government’s proposals for tobacco legislation in England and Wales, the British Medical Association - BMA has said there is no justification for pubs and restaurants to have a longer lead-in time to go smokefree than other businesses or for there to be any exemptions for non-food pubs.

25 Aug 2005

Psychological distress of parents of children with spina bifida

Parents of children with spina bifida suffer from more psychological distress than parents of able-bodied children. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics reveals that having a child with spina bifida (SB) has a negative effect on parents' psychological well-being.

25 Aug 2005

Protein snapin has potential as a drug target in therapies aimed at learning and memory disorders

Rutgers' Bonnie Firestein likens nerve cells to trees -- some are short and bushy with many branches while others are tall with a few branches coming out of one or two main trunks. Different branching patterns correlate with specific disorders and Firestein's quest is to discover how these dissimilar patterns come about and why.

25 Aug 2005