Medical News

RSS

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity.

23 Apr 2006

Link between expectancy, visual cues and the desire to smoke

In a study recently published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and the Department of Psychology at McGill University found that when people expect to smoke in the near future, external cues such as watching someone smoke affects their brain more than their level of craving or how long they have gone without a cigarette.

23 Apr 2006

Arf gene loss enhances oncogenicity and limits imatinib response in mouse models of Bcr-Abl-induced acute lymphoblastic leukemia

New clues to why some kinds of leukemia are more aggressive and deadly than others are coming from research examining the types of genetic damage that allow some blood cells to grow out of control, scientists report.

23 Apr 2006

HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60

For the last few years, women have heard conflicting reports about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A new study that analyzes many trials together concludes that HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60 but has mixed results for older women.

23 Apr 2006

Simple mobile device for people at risk

Validated for commercial use in the MobilAlarm project with funding from the European Commission's eTEN Programme, the small and simple mobile device allows users to place a call to a service centre in the event of an emergency, while satellite positioning via GPS provides information about their location with an accuracy of 50 metres or less.

23 Apr 2006

WRN exonuclease structure and molecular mechanism imply an editing role in DNA end processing

A team of scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Scripps Research Institute has determined the crystal structure and molecular mechanisms of a key part of WRN, a protein that protects humans from premature aging and cancer.

23 Apr 2006

No support for medical use of marijuana from the FDA

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the U.S. there are no scientific grounds for the medical use of use of marijuana and the agency is highly critical of attempts by individual states to legalise it.

23 Apr 2006

Drug combo might beat type 1 diabetes

Scientists in California have developed a cocktail of drugs which can reverse diabetes and say the discovery is an important step towards a potential cure.

23 Apr 2006

How much advice on mental illness treatment is influenced by drug companies?

According to new research in the U.S. most of the experts giving advice on the diagnosis and management of mental illness have had financial links to drug makers such as research funding or stock holdings.

23 Apr 2006

Hypnotherapy relieves chest pain not linked to heart disease

According to a small study in the UK, hypnotherapy was helpful in relieving the angina-like chest pain experienced by some people which is not caused by heart disease.

23 Apr 2006

Abortion rights group victorious in Kansas court battle

In what is being seen as a victory for an abortion rights group, a federal judge in the United States has ruled that abortion clinic doctors and other professionals are not required under Kansas law to report report consensual sexual activity of those under 16 to authorities.

23 Apr 2006

Sex not such a happy experience in male-dominated societies

According to the results of a global survey older men are more satisfied with their sex lives than their female equivalents.

23 Apr 2006

Plain language labels now required for eight top allergens

If you or someone in your family suffers from a food allergy, you know how difficult it can be to decipher the food label if the product contains an offending substance.

20 Apr 2006

No alarm on fluoride: cancer risk unproven

Suggestions that fluoridated water supplies may be linked to a rare form of bone cancer have not been scientifically established, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Robert Hall said this week.

20 Apr 2006

Fitness sausages

German sausage might be very popular, but that tasty exterior conceals a lot of fat. Together with a master butcher, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV has developed a new manufacturing process for sausages using just 2.5 percent fat.

20 Apr 2006

Australian scientists tackle deadly Q fever

Scientists at James Cook University have taken the lead in developing a new vaccine against a highly infectious cattleyard disease caused by a bacteria which has the potential to be developed as a bioterrorist weapon.

20 Apr 2006

Teenage girls prioritise travel, study and home ownership above marriage and motherhood

The two-year study led by Dr Jackie Sanders in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work followed three groups of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 - those no longer in school, those at a co-educational high school performing at an average level, and those in accelerated classes at single-sex schools.

20 Apr 2006

Australia's medicines regulator close to decision on herceptin

Australia's medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is considering a recommendation by its expert committee, the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC), to conditionally approve an application by Roche Products Pty Limited to extend the registration of the breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) for use in HER2 positive localised breast cancer in addition to chemotherapy.

20 Apr 2006

Research puts something extra in your grapes

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered a potential way to increase the amount of Vitamin C in grapes.

20 Apr 2006

Corticosteroids do not improve survival in patients with late-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome

The study is the first multi-center randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of moderate doses of steroids in ARDS patients when treatment is started 7 days or more after the onset of the condition.

20 Apr 2006