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Australian Medical Association slams BUPA Australia

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, today slammed claims by health insurer, BUPA Australia, that doctors are forcing up the cost of patient care in private hospitals by ordering the most expensive drugs and medical technology.

20 Jan 2005

Mother’s diet and slimness might have long-term effects on the health of her baby

Researchers have discovered a link between the amount of blood flowing through the liver of the unborn baby in late pregnancy and the diet of expectant mums.

20 Jan 2005

African drug Ibogaine blocks alcohol cravings

A naturally occurring hallucinogen advocated by some clinicians as a potent anti-addiction drug has been rigorously studied for the first time, confirming its ability to block alcohol craving in rodents, and clarifying how it works in the brain.

20 Jan 2005

Low-carbohydrate diets have made a substantial comeback

New research conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation this month has determined that low-carbohydrate diets have made a substantial comeback in the first weeks of 2005. This finding of a "New Year's bounce" refutes news reports published in the final months of 2004 declaring the end of the low-carb phenomenon.

20 Jan 2005

Fracture jaw, lose consciousness and suffer less than if you don't black out?

Contrary to what might be expected, people who sustain a jaw fracture and lose consciousness actually tend to have milder bone injuries than those who do not black out from a trauma to the jaw, according to a study published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

20 Jan 2005

Breakthrough technology which will allow tailor-made tissues and bones to be grown

Made-to-measure skin and bones, which could be used to treat burn victims or patients who have suffered severe disfigurements, may soon be a reality using inkjets which can print human cells.

From The University of Manchester 20 Jan 2005

Uncircumcised men have more than twice the risk of acquiring HIV

The first study to examine the probability of HIV infection per act of heterosexual sex among a population with multiple sexual partners has found that uncircumcised men have more than twice the risk of acquiring HIV than do circumcised men.

20 Jan 2005

Heart patients with gastrointestinal complications should use low doses of aspirin combined with drugs that treat stomach ulcers

Physicians are challenged in treating heart patients who may be at high-risk for gastrointestinal bleeding from aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Factors that place patients at high-risk include a history of ulcers or gastrointestinal complications such as bleeding, increased age and congestive heart failure.

20 Jan 2005

Cord blood transplantation now a viable option for adult leukemia patients

Stem cell transplantation using umbilical cord blood is a standard treatment option for blood disorders in children, but not for adults, due to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently large dose of cells.

20 Jan 2005

When people process information, they develop unconscious strategies – or biases – that simplify their decisions

Research into how people make decisions while under pressure could help the U.S. military improve training for its leaders and lead to better decision-support systems. Studies have shown that when people process information, they develop unconscious strategies – or biases – that simplify their decisions.

20 Jan 2005

New ideas for creating a new generation of oral medications to treat infertility

Researchers now have a much better picture of how follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), one of the most frequently used fertility drugs, works, and with it new ideas for creating a new generation of oral medications to treat infertility.

20 Jan 2005

Jeans too tight, then check your genes

If you're a middle-aged guy who's packed on the pounds and now is battling to take them off, it's a 50-50 shot that your jeans are fitting tighter because of your genes, according to a Saint Louis University School of Public Health study.

20 Jan 2005

Aircraft drinking water contaminated with bacteria

A second round of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing shows that 17.2 percent of 169 randomly selected passenger aircraft carried water contaminated with total coliform bacteria.

19 Jan 2005

Insight into potential mechanisms underlying type II diabetes

New research published in the premier issue of Cell Metabolism finds that a single brain region is sufficient for normal control of blood sugar and activity level by the fat hormone leptin. The same region also exerts significant, though more modest, control over leptin's effects on body weight.

19 Jan 2005

Consumption of alcohol the risk of several common cancers

An article appearing in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis presents definite evidence of these findings amongst other papers as part of an open forum discussion on wine, alcohol, and cardiovascular risk.

19 Jan 2005

Low to moderate amounts of alcohol reduce cardiovascular risk, while larger quantities raise it

Women see a slightly higher health benefit over men from alcohol consumption according to twelve separate studies reviewed in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. However, more studies are needed to determine if there are more significant results from either wine, other spirits or beer.

19 Jan 2005

More evidence that wine helps protect the heart

A recent article in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis determined that drinkers of wine benefit from its cardio-protective effects, more so than those who drink beer or other spirits, and may also live longer.

19 Jan 2005

Role of ethnicity in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

The first study to examine nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among different ethnic and racial groups in the United States finds that Hispanics may be at a higher risk of developing the condition. The study is published in Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hepatology is available online via Wiley InterScience.

19 Jan 2005

Sildenafil restores cognitive function in rats after liver failure

A study involving rats reveals the mechanism responsible for learning impairment due to liver failure and shows that sildenafil restores cognitive function.

19 Jan 2005

Small is beautiful in the medical world

Small is beautiful in the medical world. And being able to give European industry the edge in a nearly €200 billion worldwide biomedical market is what drives a consortium of EU-backed partners to make and market smaller, cheaper and better biomedical devices and innovative new applications.

19 Jan 2005