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Study finds no link between dental amalgam fillings containing mercury and disease

A new study into whether dental amalgam fillings containing mercury are hazardous to health has found little evidence of an association between amalgam and disease.

23 Aug 2004

Novel disease mechanism underlying rheumatoid arthritis

Investigators at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) have identified a novel disease mechanism underlying rheumatoid arthritis that may open the door to new therapies for this and other debilitating autoimmune disorders.

23 Aug 2004

Two more drugs added to Medicare demonstration program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced it is adding two more drugs to the list of drugs covered under a Medicare demonstration program providing substantial savings to beneficiaries with serious diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

17 Aug 2004

MDA opens center for Lou Gehrig's disease

The University of Rochester Medical Center in New York state has been designated as the site of a new MDA/ALS center. The center is the 32nd facility to receive the designation from the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS Division.

13 Aug 2004

Premature babies grow up to have a portion of the brain smaller than normal

Kids on a playground can be hard to tell apart. But those who were born significantly preterm may be struggling with a hidden handicap that sets them apart from their peers: specific areas of the brain that are smaller than normal, even years later.

9 Aug 2004

Alzheimer’s sufferers are more likely to have jobs that are less mentally challenging than people without Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's is a progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s; first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness

9 Aug 2004

Scripps Encinitas Program helps brain-injury patients regain living skills

Yvette, a 50-year-old stroke patient, entered the Scripps Encinitas Rehabilitation Center’s Brain Injury Day Treatment Program on March 3 in a wheelchair. On July 9, she walked out on her own with a new outlook on life.

3 Aug 2004

Computer-aided detection (CAD) can help physicians locate and analyze images from computed tomography (CT) scans

The diagnostic imaging modality of computed tomography (CT) scan is very helpful in lung cancer assessment as it spots even small lung tumors that might go undetected in conventional chest X-ray and other tests.

2 Aug 2004

Researchers have shown that an experimental vaccine can reduce the amount of neurodegeneration in a mouse model for Parkinson's disease

The finding suggests that a similar therapy might eventually be able to slow the devastating course of Parkinson's disease in humans.

29 Jul 2004

75 percent of Americans support call for more stem cell research

Public backing for stem cell research is neither a Republican nor Democratic issue and, as such, should not be turned into a political football during the 2004 elections, according to Civil Society Institute (CSI) President Pam Solo.

27 Jul 2004

Unique dual laparoscopic surgical procedure

The skill and teamwork of two physicians at Scripps Clinic, combined with the expertise of the surgical staff at Scripps Green Hospital, recently led to a unique surgery that changed the life of a local woman.

21 Jul 2004

Cannabis extract helps reduce pain in multiple sclerosis patients

Does the cannabinoid dronabinol reduce central pain in multiple sclerosis? Randomised double blind placebo controlled crossover trial, BMJ Online First.

17 Jul 2004

Genetic mutation is a major contributor to type 1 diabetes

A natural mutation of a gene that helps regulate the reactivity of the immune system is a major contributor to type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.

12 Jul 2004

Mitochondria in spinal cords is Lou Gehrig’s disease target according researchers

The selective killing of spinal cord neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, occurs when tiny cellular components called mitochondria actively recruit a mutant disease-causing protein into specific neuron cells, according to new research by University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine investigators.

9 Jul 2004

World’s leading experts to attend International Human Embryonic Stem Cell Symposium

The Centre for Stem Cell Biology (CSCB) at the University of Sheffield is welcoming some of the world’s leading experts to its International Human Embryonic Stem Cell Symposium on Friday 9 July 2004.

8 Jul 2004

British people should get out in the sun and not cover up for health reasons

British health is being put at risk by government policy that discourages sunbathing and promotes use of sunblock products. The cost of disease caused by insufficient exposure to sunlight and consequent deficiency of vitamin D is estimated to be billions of pounds per year in Britain.

5 Jul 2004

A new protocol for bone marrow transplants

A new protocol for bone marrow transplants, which does not require the destruction of the recipient’s immune system before transfer of the new bone marrow, is described by a group of Oxford scientists

5 Jul 2004

Relatively little is known about Lupus

Doctors have today launched an appeal for volunteers to take part in a new study into the widespread, yet largely unknown, autoimmune disease, SLE or Lupus.

1 Jul 2004

The medical use of marijuana

The medical use of marijuana enjoys wide public support. More than 70% of respondents to recent surveys agree that marijuana should be available medically. Sources: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Feb. 14-19, 2001 and The Gallup Poll. March 19-21, 1999.

30 Jun 2004

Oxford Therapeutic Antibody Centre receives Manufacturer’s Authorisation

Oxford University's Therapeutic Antibody Centre (TAC) has received a Manufacturer's Authorisation (Investigational Medicinal Products) from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

29 Jun 2004