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Spatial organisation of the nervous system in primates and worms

Scientists have provided new insights into how the brain is organised - knowledge which could eventually inform diagnosis of and treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's disease and autism.

1 Aug 2006

Domestic violence during pregnancy increases risk of early childhood mortality

Domestic violence towards mothers during pregnancy significantly raises the risk of death for their children during the earliest stages of childhood, according to a study of families in India.

1 Aug 2006

New way to assess pandemic potential of influenza viruses

Study provides first assessment of the risk of an H5N1 pandemic strain emerging from the combining of avian and human influenza viruses.

1 Aug 2006

Chemicals in curry and onions may help prevent colon cancer

A small but informative clinical trial by Johns Hopkins investigators shows that a pill combining chemicals found in turmeric, a spice used in curries, and onions reduces both the size and number of precancerous lesions in the human intestinal tract.

1 Aug 2006

Volatile organic compounds and pulmonary function

New research shows that a chemical compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products, may be harmful to the lungs.

1 Aug 2006

Knee bone marrow lesions may be hereditary

Bone marrow lesions in the knee, a cause of pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, may be hereditary.

1 Aug 2006

Lung disease study hope for premature babies

A Europe-wide trial involving premature babies is investigating whether the risk of chronic lung disease can be halved if they are given nitric oxide gas to breathe shortly after birth.

1 Aug 2006

Construction of proteins with new mechanical properties through recombination of protein fragments

So that we can move, and so that our heart beats, we need proteins with special mechanical properties, "molecular springs", which give our tissues the necessary strength and take care of elasticity and tensibility.

1 Aug 2006

Creating your own pandemic virus is not so easy

A team of scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a new research method that may help identify the types of genetic changes that would be necessary for the avian influenza virus (H5N1) to be more easily transmitted among people.

1 Aug 2006

Couple charged after home-style liposuction results in death

A Brazilian couple in the United States have been charged with drug possession and distribution, illegal possession of a hypodermic needle and unauthorized practice of medicine without a license after a female patient died following liposuction.

1 Aug 2006

Anti-obesity vaccine keeps rats trim

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California in the U.S. have developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in rats even when they over ate.

1 Aug 2006

Future looks bleak for victims of 'elephant man' drug trial

The men who suffered horrendous reactions during a drug trial in the UK could well be facing developing cancer and other fatal diseases as a result of being poisoned in the test, and are at risk of an early death.

31 Jul 2006

Bird flu doing the rounds again in Thailand

The discovery of the H5N1 bird flu virus in northeast Thailand's Nakhon Phanom province near the border with Laos has prompted the culling of 310,000 hens; the lethal virus killed a teenager in the northern province of Phichit last week, the country's first victim this year.

31 Jul 2006