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IRIN examines impact of drone warfare on humanitarian aid

"In places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, strikes by unmanned planes are increasingly affecting humanitarian operations, aid workers say, necessitating a greater discussion by humanitarians on how to deal with the impact and a greater focus by U.S. policymakers on how to mitigate it," IRIN reports in an article examining how drone warfare is impacting humanitarian aid.

22 Mar 2013

EU-funded health research project launches Horizon Health web portal

The Horizon Health web portal has been officially launched today by Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor, European Commission, in the presence of the communication representatives of leading research institutions in Europe.

22 Mar 2013

Humanitarian situation worsening in Syria, U.N., U.S. officials tell Senate

"The top United Nations refugee official has warned that Syria's worsening humanitarian crisis risks overwhelming the international community's capacity to respond, and that some aid agencies could run out of money for relief activities as early as the end of this month," the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Mar 2013

ACMG issues recommendations on handling of incidental findings in clinical genome, exome sequencing

In a highly anticipated report, landmark recommendations on the handling of incidental findings in clinical genome and exome sequencing are being issued from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

22 Mar 2013

Global health community calls for more effective, accessible TB treatment in MSF statement

"Patients, doctors and international aid groups are calling on donors and governments to support measures that would make treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis more effective and accessible," Inter Press Service reports, noting, "The demands are being made amidst the recent or imminent approval of two new drugs" that some advocates say "present an historic opportunity to tackle the notoriously difficult-to-treat disease."

22 Mar 2013

Autistic children's brains have reduced connectivity, diminished capacity for neural communication

A new study of patterns of brain communication in toddlers with autism shows evidence of aberrant neural communication even at this relatively early stage of brain development. The results are presented in an article in Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

22 Mar 2013

Effectiveness of candidate malaria vaccine decreases over time, study shows

"The effectiveness of an experimental malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline wanes over time, with the shot protecting only 16.8 percent of children over four years, according to trial data," Reuters reports.

22 Mar 2013

Scientists find new way to move DNA through cells

Scientists have cracked a 35-year-old mystery about the workings of the natural motors that are serving as models for development of a futuristic genre of synthetic nanomotors that pump therapeutic DNA, RNA or drugs into individual diseased cells.

22 Mar 2013

Blog describes efforts to fight NTDs in Brazil

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End The Neglect" blog reports on the Brazilian Ministry of Health's launch of "a public health campaign to diagnose and treat soil-transmitted helminths (or intestinal parasites) and leprosy in school-aged children" and says it will feature stories related to the fight against NTDs in Brazil over the coming days.

22 Mar 2013

Last few meals before surgery may affect recovery after surgery, study says

According to a new study, the last few meals before surgery might make a difference in recovery after surgery. Fat tissue is one of the most dominant components that make up the body, and fat tissue is always traumatized during major surgery.

22 Mar 2013

Bangladesh using home-based program to treat childhood malnutrition

Inter Press Service examines how a program developed by the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) is working to promote the treatment of "children with severe acute malnutrition ... at home with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) made from locally available ingredients."

22 Mar 2013

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

Virginia Tech researchers successfully used a gene disruption technique to change the eye color of a mosquito - a critical step toward new genetic strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of diseases such as dengue fever.

22 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Spiritual bedside manner; Cancer and the environment; Doctors' fears about bringing up hospice

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

22 Mar 2013

Salk scientists discover how brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories

Ever find yourself racking your brain on a Monday morning to remember where you put your car keys? When you do find those keys, you can thank the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for storing and retrieving memories of different environments-such as that room where your keys were hiding in an unusual spot.

22 Mar 2013

Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown while House GOP moves forward with budget plan

The Senate measure, which funds federal operations through the end of September, is expected to gain House approval. However, the Republican's budget plan for the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, proposes to slash health and safety net programs and underscores the sharp differences between the parties.

22 Mar 2013

Researchers develop new approach for HIV vaccine development

Decades of research and three large-scale clinical trials have so far failed to yield an effective HIV vaccine, in large part because the virus evolves so rapidly that it can evade any vaccine-induced immune response.

22 Mar 2013

Poll: Misunderstanding about the health law persists

A new poll finds that, on its third birthday, many Americans -- especially those it was designed to help -- still don't understand much of what it means.

22 Mar 2013

$Study shows smoking presents significant risks to fracture patient$

Study shows smoking presents significant risks to fracture patient

In a new study presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, researchers reviewed existing literature on smoking and the healing of fractures involving long bones (bones that are longer than they are wide).

22 Mar 2013