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"What if" health scenarios for a "dirty bomb"

If a so-called "dirty bomb" exploded in a populated area, first responders would have to make immediate decisions to lessen health impacts on people who might be exposed to radioactive material.

18 Feb 2007

New research into human vision

Researchers from the Psychology departments of Queen's University Belfast, University College London and Saint Andrew's University have made an important finding which will inform research aimed at the development of intelligent robots capable of seeing in a similar way to humans.

18 Feb 2007

Tea tree oil can lead to antibiotic resistance

Repeated exposure to low doses of Tea Tree Oil - a common ingredient in many beauty products - can increase the chances of suffering from "superbug" infections, University of Ulster scientists have revealed.

18 Feb 2007

Watercress shows anti-cancer potential

Eating watercress daily can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells, which is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer, University of Ulster scientists revealed.

18 Feb 2007

$204M effort to unite and conquer brain disorders

Australia's largest united effort to combat brain disorders - the Florey Neuroscience Institutes (FNI) and the Australian Centre for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research - will be officially launched by the Governor of Victoria, Prof David de Kretser AC at a Government House reception at 6:00pm on 22 February 2007.

18 Feb 2007

Promising results on avian influenza vaccines

Experts meeting this week at the World Health Organization (WHO) on advances in pandemic influenza vaccine development reported encouraging progress.

18 Feb 2007

Bugs galore on the office desk!

According to the results of a new study when it comes to the workplace, women are "germier" than men.

18 Feb 2007

Nasal spray vaccine gives kids more protection from flu than shots

In a new study involving thousands of children across the world, a new version of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist has been found to be more effective at preventing influenza than traditional flu shots.

18 Feb 2007

For the greater good of mankind - Major project will examine factors which cause common diseases

Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente research division are about to embark on one of the largest research projects in the United States.

18 Feb 2007

HIV protein TAT used to pull protein Bim into cancer cells - helps kill cancer cells

Cancer cells are sick, but they keep growing because they don't react to internal signals urging them to die. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found an efficient way to get a messenger into cancer cells that forces them to respond to death signals. And they did it using one of the most sinister pathogens around - HIV.

15 Feb 2007

Slow-release morphine helps chronic persistent cough

Slow-release morphine helped a group of patients with long-term, treatment-resistant chronic cough reduce their daily cough score levels by 40 percent.

15 Feb 2007

Study shows PanK2 enzyme within mitochondria is triggered by the first step in fatty acid breakdown

Just as homes have smoke detectors, cells have an enzyme that responds to a buildup of fatty acids by triggering the production of a key molecule in the biochemical pathway that breaks them down, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This provides the cell energy while reducing the chance that excess fatty acids will accumulate.

15 Feb 2007

New Kaiser Permanente research aims to reveal genetic and environmental causes behind deadly and disabling diseases

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research is launching one of the largest research projects in the United States to examine the genetic and environmental factors that influence common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, asthma and many others.

15 Feb 2007

Primary targets of HIV-1 infection in human vagina identified

The primary targets of HIV-1 infection in the human vagina have been definitively identified in a new study published in the February 2007 issue of the journal Immunity. The findings are likely to guide development of new strategies that will prevent HIV-1 transmission.

15 Feb 2007

Survey finds perceived risk of recurrence is low in African American breast cancer survivors

A unique survey of African American breast cancer survivors at heightened risk for hereditary breast cancer has found the majority do not believe they have an increased chance of developing the cancer again.

15 Feb 2007

Active lifestyle reduces risk of invasive breast cancer

Six or more hours per week of strenuous recreational activity may reduce the risks of invasive breast cancer by 23 percent, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC).

15 Feb 2007

Shortening chromosomes cause for earlier cancer onset in families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome

In families with a high incidence of Li-Fraumeni syndrome, the ends of individuals' chromosomes act somewhat like a lit fuse, according to researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Their findings detail how telomeres, the ends of the chromosomes, shorten with every successive generation, leading to more severe cancers at an earlier age.

15 Feb 2007

Twin study on the increased cardiometabolic risk in obesity

A unique monozygotic twin study by researchers from the Finnish Twin Cohort, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland found that obesity, already in its early stages and independent of genetic influences, is associated with deleterious alterations in the lipid metabolism known to facilitate atherogenesis, inflammation and insulin resistance.

15 Feb 2007