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Triplet pregnancies cost more than eight times as much as singleton pregnancies

Research in France has revealed that triplet pregnancies cost more than eight times as much as singleton pregnancies, and twin pregnancies cost more than three times as much, the 21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard.

27 Jun 2005

If you know how viruses get into cells, you know how to better design drugs to keep them out

When it comes to gaining entry into cells, size matters. A team from Brown University and the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research has created a model that explains how viruses and other bioparticles slip inside cells without a special protein coating called clathrin.

27 Jun 2005

This is not live aid, it's reverse aid

In a message setting a "very clear moral and ethical priority for the new Government as it chairs the G8 summit", the leader of the UK’s doctors, BMA Chairman James Johnson yesterday (Monday 27 June) criticised developed countries for draining skilled health professionals from some of the world’s poorest countries. The "rape of the poorest countries must stop" he said.

27 Jun 2005

Health, well-being, and aging in Latin America and the Caribbean

The demographics of aging in the Americas are well known. The United Nations has published projections showing that by the middle of this century, Latin America and the Caribbean will have 112 persons 60 years and older for every 100 persons 15 or under. North America will have 148 older persons for every 100 persons 15 or younger. While those numbers are impressive, the phenomenon itself represents more than just numbers.

27 Jun 2005

$5.1 billion could save 6 million children

Six million children could be saved if $5.1 billion in new resources for preventive and therapeutic interventions were provided each year, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

27 Jun 2005

Simple analysis of a bone marrow transplant patient's oral rinse indicates whether infection will develop

Simple analysis of a bone marrow transplant patient's oral rinse can give medical personnel a quick indication of the transplant's effectiveness and predict whether an infection will develop, says a University of Toronto researcher.

27 Jun 2005

Modernising Care for Patients Undergoing Major Surgery

Hospitals could improve survival rates following major surgery by streamlining their critical care units, according to a new report launched recently at a London conference. As well as saving lives, hospitals could save an estimated £2 million each by implementing some of the report's key recommendations to help reduce hospital stay times.

27 Jun 2005

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have successfully isolated stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory and coaxed them into becoming fat, muscle and bone cells.

27 Jun 2005

Minimally invasive approach to removing diseased thyroids

An incision about half the length used for traditional surgery works just as well in removing diseased thyroids, researchers have found.

27 Jun 2005

Brief course of chemotherapy after surgery should be the new standard of care around the world

A Canadian national clinical trial has found that chemotherapy following surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer significantly improves survival for the disease over just surgery alone.

27 Jun 2005

Breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR holds promise for more targeted treatment

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered the breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR, which may be a useful tool in monitoring a patient's responsiveness to treatment with the drug letrozole.

27 Jun 2005

Harmonic scalpel could reduce operative time and blood loss in patients

A harmonic scalpel that uses ultrasound to coagulate as it cuts can reduce blood loss and postoperative facial paralysis in patients who need a portion of their salivary gland removed, surgeons say.

27 Jun 2005

Enzyme known as cathepsin G may be a target for anti-inflammatory treatments

The finding by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that an enzyme known as cathepsin G regulates the ability of immune cells known as neutrophils to secrete chemicals that attract other immune cells and start the local inflammatory process. Over time, the excessive accumulation of immune cells can lead to tissue and cartilage damage in joints, causing pain and limiting mobility.

27 Jun 2005

Tricirbine may help fight cancers

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, working in partnership with the University of South Florida (USF), has discovered a new use for an old, previously discredited anti-cancer drug that could add another weapon in the arsenal against several cancers, including tumors of the breast, ovary, colon, skin and prostate.

27 Jun 2005

Light used to regulate protein synthesis

Proteins are the puzzle-pieces of life, involved in how organisms grow and flourish, but studying their complex biological processes in living systems has been extremely difficult.

27 Jun 2005

Medical residents in Japan are more likely to involve patients' families in end-of-life decision making

...and to favor informing family members over the patients first - than their United States counterparts, who prefer dealing directly with the patient, according to a new study conducted by Dr. Bob Gabbay and colleagues.

27 Jun 2005

Powerful steroids could be avoided in many cases of childhood eczema

An expert at the University of Sheffield will be talking about the causes for the increased incidence of eczema in children in a Channel Four documentary, Allergic to Everything on Thursday 30 June at 9pm.

27 Jun 2005

Do singlehanded general practices have a future in the NHS

Between 1994 and 2004, the number of singlehanded general practitioners in England fell from 2,959 to 1,918 (from 11% to 6% of all general practitioners). This contrasts sharply with the United States, where 46% of family practitioners and 34% of general internists were practising alone in 1998.

27 Jun 2005

New low-cost technology that allows thousands of tumor slices to be screened side-by-side

Scientists at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have devised a new low-cost technology that allows thousands of tumor slices to be screened side-by-side, an improvement over current and more expensive methods that can analyze only several hundred tumors at once.

27 Jun 2005

GlaxoSmithKline announces availability of Paxil CR to U.S. market

GlaxoSmithKline announced today the availability of Paxil CR (paroxetine hydrochloride controlled release) tablets in pharmacies across the United States. Other markets will follow shortly thereafter.

27 Jun 2005