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Mercury conference in Edinburgh to confront contentious topics

One of the panel sessions at the ‘Mercury 2013’ International Conference in Edinburgh (28th July – 2nd Aug) “will be highly contentious and should result in a heated debate,” says Prof. K. Clive Thompson who will be chairing the session with Eric Uram from SafeMinds.

24 May 2013

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Linneah sat at a desk at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt in the suburbs of Baltimore and filled out a questionnaire. She read briskly, making swift checks beside her selected answers, and when she was finished, she handed the pages across the desk to Martina Miller, who gave her a round of pills.

24 May 2013

Findings highlight importance of IL-21 in the development of antiviral vaccines

Scientists at Emory Vaccine Center have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections.

24 May 2013

Study highlights human's potential to cultivate compassion

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion - the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

24 May 2013

States embroiled in Medicaid expansion battles are running out of time

Politico reports that this health law implementation issue remains an open question for about a dozen states. Some are on the brink of giving up for the first year but looking ahead to the next set of state legislature sessions. Meanwhile, news outlets report on related developments in Michigan, Texas, Ohio, California and Iowa.

24 May 2013

Researchers recommend that bexarotene should not be tested on Alzheimer's patients

Approximately a year ago, the leading journal Science published an article about bexarotene as a potential Alzheimer's drug. A significant breakthrough and an important starting point for further Alzheimer's research.

24 May 2013

Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer have similar genetic origins

Mayo Clinic researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings appear online today in the journal Cancer Research.

24 May 2013

Cinnamon compounds show some promise in the effort to fight Alzheimer's disease

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of -- or warding off -- the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

24 May 2013

EGFR gums up cell's miRNA-processing machinery under oxygen starvation conditions

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers reported in an early online publication at Nature.

24 May 2013

Novel multiplex immunoassay approach to capture HIV antibodies

Detection of HIV antibodies is used to diagnose HIV infection and monitor trials of experimental HIV/AIDS vaccines. New, more sensitive detection systems being developed use microspheres to capture HIV antibodies and can measure even small amounts of multiple antibodies at one time.

24 May 2013

New approach to genetic engineering reduces time and effort needed to insert genes into bacteria

A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting.

24 May 2013

The Hill: Insurers feel pressure to support Enroll America

The Hill reports that unnamed insurance industry sources say they feel that Enroll America, the non-profit group raising funds to support outreach to the uninsured, is "just an arm of the administration." In a separate story, The Hill notes new research concluding the trend toward part-time work and reduced health benefits began before the overhaul.

24 May 2013

Pediatric safety expert says proper training and supervision can prevent drowning and other injuries

Fun in the summer often means kids spending time in the water, whether at a pool, the beach, a lake or river. A pediatric safety expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) stresses proper training and supervision to avoid drowning and other injuries.

24 May 2013

Research shows PODXL protein contributes to aggressive forms of bladder cancer

Aggressive forms of bladder cancer involve the protein PODXL - a discovery that could hold the key to improved treatment, according to researchers at Lund University, Uppsala University and KTH in Sweden.

24 May 2013

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander sees reflections of Oliver North in Sebelius' quest to raise funds; vaccine scare's legacy

Major news outlets in recent days have reported that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is raising money from the private sector -- including from health care executives -- for use by a private entity that is helping to implement ObamaCare. ... Is Ms. Sebelius raising funds for a private entity and then coordinating with that entity to do something Congress has refused to authorize, or for which it has refused to appropriate funds?

24 May 2013

Women experience memory problems during hot flashes

Don't doubt it when a woman harried by hot flashes says she's having a hard time remembering things. A new study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), helps confirm with objective tests that what these women say about their memory is true.

24 May 2013

Two out of five medical students have unconscious bias against obese people, shows study

Two out of five medical students have an unconscious bias against obese people, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Academic Medicine.

24 May 2013

Economic rewards have a positive effect on blood donations, say researchers

A team of researchers including Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Assistant Professor Mario Macis says the answer is an emphatic yes. Pointing to a large body of recent research that supports their argument, the three economists write in the May 24, 2013, issue of Science that the World Health Organization and national blood collection agencies should reconsider their opposition to economic incentives for much-needed blood donations.

24 May 2013

Promising approach to prevent emergence of drug-resistant forms of cancer

Re-routing anti-cancer drugs to the "power plants" that make energy to keep cells alive is a promising but long-neglected approach to preventing emergence of the drug-resistant forms of cancer - source of a serious medical problem, scientists are reporting.

24 May 2013

New report examines growth of senior hunger in US

HMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp., applauded today the release of a new report the company helped support. Spotlight on Senior Hunger is based on research commissioned and underwritten by the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger.

24 May 2013