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New virtual microscopy system

Researchers at the universities of Helsinki and Tampere (Finland) have developed a new virtual microscopy system, which allows users digitize entire microscope glass slide specimens, and then create a virtual slide with the quality and resolution similar to the original glass slide viewed on a microscope.

29 Nov 2004

New possibilities for the use of VEGF in the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS is an incurable, paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder that strikes 5 persons in every 100,000. The disease commonly affects healthy people in the most active period of their lives − without warning or previous family history.

29 Nov 2004

Tougher action needed to stop cigarette sales to children

Retailers should be licensed to sell cigarettes, and the licence revoked if they are caught selling tobacco to children, the Australian Medical Association (WA) said today.

29 Nov 2004

Rigour and Vigour Conference: Directions in HIV Prevention

Curtin University of Technology, Australia, will host the Rigour and Vigour Conference: Directions in HIV Prevention tomorrow to coincide with World AIDS Day on Wednesday 1 December.

29 Nov 2004

Manufacturers in the European active pharmaceutical ingredients market are struggling to overcome a variety of challenges

Manufacturers in the crowded and highly fragmented European active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) market are struggling to overcome a variety of challenges. One of the most pressing of these is the problem of overcapacity.

29 Nov 2004

British parents admit responsibility lies with them to tackle childhood obesity

More than 80% of parents say that they intend to be more accountable for their child's weight and four in five believe that measures set out in the Government's White Paper last week would go a long way to help them combat obesity in their children.

29 Nov 2004

Moldova making progress in fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis

Moldova’s early actions to fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are slowing the rise of the country’s dual tuberculosis and AIDS epidemics, the World Bank reports.

29 Nov 2004

Virtual colonoscopy raises issues for further study

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has reacted with caution to claims of the benefits of computed tomography (CT) colonography, also referred to as virtual colonoscopy, compared to standard colonoscopy.

29 Nov 2004

Effective management of insomnia begins with recognition and adequate assessment

A seminar in this week’s issue of THE LANCET outlines the common but poorly understood condition of insomnia, concluding that awareness and assessment of insomnia by family doctors is a priority.

29 Nov 2004

Drug combination of amodiaquine and sulfadoxinepyrimethamine might offer the optimal treatment for malaria

Results of a randomised trial from Uganda in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that the drug combination of amodiaquine and sulfadoxinepyrimethamine might offer the optimal treatment for malaria in terms of efficacy and cost-effectiveness in this region.

29 Nov 2004

4 million extra health workers needed worldwide

Authors of a public-health article in this week’s issue of THE LANCET are calling for urgent international action to address the chronic lack of investment in human resources which is limiting the chance of tackling diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB.

29 Nov 2004

FDA approves Combunox tablets for the short-term treatment of acute, moderate to severe pain

Forest Laboratories have announced that Combunox (Oxycodone HCl and Ibuprofen) Tablets (CII), the first and only fixed-dose combination of the opioid oxycodone HCl (5 mg) and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen (400 mg), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the short-term management of acute, moderate to severe pain.

29 Nov 2004

Study finds that stomach cancer originates from bone marrow derived stem cells, rather than from stomach stem cells

A common assumption among cancer specialists is that most cancers originate from tissue stem cells – for example, the gastric stem cells contained in the lining of the stomach.

29 Nov 2004

Women with recurrent miscarriage and infertility are undergoing tests and treatments that have no scientific rationale

Women with recurrent miscarriage and infertility are undergoing tests and treatments that have no scientific rationale and are linked with known risks to mother and fetus, warn researchers in this week's BMJ.

29 Nov 2004

Testosterone patches for women with low sex drive

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a fast track review of testosterone patches for women with low sex drive, despite concerns about insufficient data and potentially misleading marketing by their manufacturer Proctor & Gamble, claim two articles in this week's BMJ.

29 Nov 2004

Parents are failing to recognise obesity

Researchers surveyed the parents of 277 children and found that only a quarter recognised when their offspring were overweight. Where children were obese, a third of mothers and 57% of fathers thought their sons and daughters were "about right".

29 Nov 2004

New research may lead to treatments for atherosclerosis

Scientists are one step closer to deciphering the molecular signaling process controlling innate immunity with the discovery that a molecule called IRAK1 regulates the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Because atherosclerosis patients often have elevated IL-10 levels, IRAK1 may be a viable target for developing therapeutics for atherosclerosis.

29 Nov 2004

New computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) methods for cancer

Not all masses are cancer. When a person undergoes a scan to identify a lump or nodule, the radiologist looks at the texture, the borders and the shape to determine if it is malignant or just a benign growth.

29 Nov 2004

Cancer survival rates differ among ethnic groups in New Zealand

There were 115,811 adult patients with an invasive cancer recorded on the New Zealand Cancer Registry between 1994 and 2002. The study linked these patients to the Mortality Collection in order to calculate survival rates. Ethnicity (Maori, Pacific, and non-Maori/non-Pacific) was assigned from hospitalisation and health administration databases.

24 Nov 2004

U.S. pharmacists not opposed to importing drugs to lower patients' costs

Many community pharmacists are not opposed to importing drugs to lower patients' costs as long as those drugs are channeled through U.S. pharmacies to ensure safety and efficacy, according to a study by pharmacists at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Michigan.

24 Nov 2004