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Lack of sleep compromises airport baggage screeners' ability to detect rare targets

A lack of sleep may affect the performance of airport employees, which can, in turn, compromise the safety of airline passengers.

16 Jun 2007

Simple test predicts a person's risk for developing dementia within six years with 87 percent accuracy

The test, developed in the study by the researchers, is a 14-point index combining medical history, cognitive testing, and physical examination. It requires no special equipment and can be given in a clinical setting such as a doctor's office or at a patient's bedside.

16 Jun 2007

New model shows how simple chemical and physical processes may have laid the foundation for life

Before life emerged on earth, either a primitive kind of metabolism or an RNA-like duplicating machinery must have set the stage, so experts believe.

15 Jun 2007

Sensitivity to diverse range of chemotherapeutic drugs linked to common pathway

Using a functional genomic screen, scientists have defined elements that impact the responsiveness of cancer cells to drugs commonly used as anticancer therapeutics.

15 Jun 2007

Scientists decode RNA mystery

A team of University of Maryland scientists have made a discovery that will help better direct drug therapies to their molecular targets.

15 Jun 2007

Affluent society faces greater risks for skin cancer

Skin cancer levels have shown a significant increase in Northern Ireland since the early 1990s and are more likely to affect men, older people and those living in more affluent areas, according to a study just published in the June issue of British Journal of Dermatology.

15 Jun 2007

Researchers shed light on shrinking of chromosomes

A human cell contains an enormous 1.8 metres of DNA partitioned into 46 chromosomes.

15 Jun 2007

Researchers find new mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug sorafenib

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have uncovered a new mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug sorafenib, which could stimulate the development of novel regimens in which it is combined with other molecularly targeted agents for patients with blood cancers and solid tumors.

15 Jun 2007

Urocanic acid linked to a deadly parasite of the developing world

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found a link between some of the world's most common parasites that cause infection and disease throughout the developing world and their attraction to a chemical secreted from human and animal skin.

15 Jun 2007

Structure of protein altered in autism revealed

As a result of mapping the structure of the protein complex implicated in autism spectrum disorders, a research team led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has discovered how particular genetic mutations affect this complex and contribute to the developmental abnormalities found in children with autism.

15 Jun 2007

New genetic cause for Joubert syndrome

An international study by researchers at Seattle Children?s Hospital Research Institute, the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands has identified a new genetic cause for Joubert syndrome (JS).

15 Jun 2007

Link between restless legs syndrome and hypertension

An international team of researchers, led by Emory University clinician scientists, has found evidence that people suffering from moderate to severe cases of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are at significantly increased risk for developing hypertension.

15 Jun 2007

Study shows pre-op red blood cell levels affect post-op outcomes

Men over 65 with even slightly abnormal red blood cell counts either too low or too high are at greater risk of post-operative death or car-diac events following a major non-cardiac surgery, according to a new study by researchers at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

15 Jun 2007

Recurrence of SIDS overestimated

Recurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is rare and has been overestimated by studies which have tried to quantify it, says a review published online ahead of print in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

15 Jun 2007

Impact of prenatal cocaine exposure on children

Adding to the evidence that maternal drug use can have lasting effects, a new study finds that young schoolchildren of cocaine-using moms scored more poorly on attention tests.

15 Jun 2007

Splitting high-dose pills and swallowing half could save cost

Slicing certain pills in half could slice a hefty amount off of America's prescription drug costs. While only some types of pills can be split safely, the practice could be used by millions of Americans – including many of those who take popular cholesterol-lowering drugs.

15 Jun 2007

Explanation for the random selection of X chromosome based on thermodynamics

A University of Warwick physicist has uncovered how female cells are able to choose randomly between their two X chromosomes and why that choice is always lucky.

15 Jun 2007

Periodontal diseases are a threat to women of all ages

Two new studies in the June issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) suggest that periodontal diseases are a threat to women of all ages due to hormonal fluctuations that occur at various stages of their lives.

15 Jun 2007

Irrational use of medicines is a major problem all over the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) and many other bodies are concentrating on improving the use of medicines. Problem-based teaching of Pharmacology and Therapeutics to undergraduate medical students has been recognized as a key intervention to improve the use of medicines.

15 Jun 2007

In vivo imaging of siRNA delivery and silencing in tumors

Using magnetic nanoparticles labeled with dye molecules, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a delivery vehicle capable of transporting antitumor small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules into cells.

14 Jun 2007