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1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary medicine to treat insomnia

A recent analysis of national survey data reveals that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping according to scientists at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2006

Kin recognition and the perceived facial similarity of children

Perceived facial similarity of children is effectively an estimate of the probability that two children are close genetic relatives according to a new study recently published in Journal of Vision, an online, free access publication of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

19 Sep 2006

Acne drug Roaccutane linked to depression

A drug commonly used to treat severe acne can lead to depressive behaviour in mice, according to research published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

19 Sep 2006

Detecting cancer with silica nanoparticles

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha is a widely accepted biomarker for cancer, but the minute amounts of this protein circulating in blood makes detecting the molecule and measuring its concentration accurately a technological challenge.

19 Sep 2006

Cisplatin nanoliposomes for cancer therapy

Cisplatin is one of the most powerful and effective drugs for treating a wide variety of cancers, but many tumors develop resistance to this drug, ultimately limiting its benefits for cancer patients.

19 Sep 2006

FDA approves Noxafil (posaconazole) to prevent invasive fungal infections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Noxafil (posaconazole) to prevent fungal infections caused by certain molds and yeast-like fungus called Aspergillus and Candida.

19 Sep 2006

Sen. DeMint pledges to hold Von Eschenbach's FDA Commissioner nomination unless steps taken to take Mifeprex off market

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) plans to place a hold on President Bush's nomination of acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to permanently head the agency unless "immediate steps" are taken to remove Danco Laboratories' medical abortion drug Mifeprex from the market, DeMint press secretary Wesley Denton said recently, the New York Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

AIDS Vaccines: The Next Frontiers

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition on Thursday released its annual report, titled "AIDS Vaccines: The Next Frontiers," which says that without sufficient future planning, AIDS vaccine research could be slowed.

18 Sep 2006

Oregon Prescription Drug Program would expand coverage to all uninsured residents

An initiative that will appear on the November ballot in Oregon would expand a state prescription drug program to cover all residents without drug coverage, the Oregonian reports.

18 Sep 2006

More physicians now visit web sites to find information on brand-name prescription drugs

An increased number of physicians visited Web sites that promote brand-name prescription drugs during the first six months of 2006 to seek information about dosages and side effects, according to a recent Manhattan Research study, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

18 Sep 2006

Extremely virulent, drug resistant strain of TB running wild in South Africa

It was 18 months ago when doctors in South Africa who were treating HIV/AIDS patients first raised the alarm that an untreatable form of tuberculosis (TB) was circulating.

18 Sep 2006

WHO gives indoor use of DDT a clean bill of health for controlling malaria

Nearly thirty years after phasing out the widespread use of indoor spraying with DDT and other insecticides to control malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that this intervention will once again play a major role in its efforts to fight the disease.

18 Sep 2006

UK abortion rates rise despite easy access to morning-after pill

According to an expert in the UK, abortion rates have not been reduced by making it easier for women to get emergency contraception.

18 Sep 2006

Bill Gates puts hand in pocket and gives $70 million for research into tropical diseases

Bill Gates has once again put his money where his mouth is by donating almost U.S$70 million for research into fighting tropical diseases in the 'third world'.

18 Sep 2006

Acupuncture for low back pain provides long-term benefit

Low back pain is one of the most common medical complaints and affects millions of people, and according to researchers in the UK the ancient Chinese treatment acupuncture can help sufferers.

18 Sep 2006

Racial discrimination can affect adolescents' development - lead to depression and behavior problems

Racial discrimination in the lives of African-American children can lead to depression and behavior problems in adolescence, but teens who have had close relationships with their parents, friendships focused on positive pursuits and good schooling experiences are less likely to experience these negative effects.

14 Sep 2006

Eating disorder activists meet Washington

Eating disorder activists from across the United States are meeting in Washington to call attention to what they describe as an inadequate response by the federal government.

14 Sep 2006

California Bill seeks to restrict payments to egg donors

A California bill seeks to extend to privately funded laboratories a provision under Proposition 71 that says scientists receiving state embryonic stem cell research funds can reimburse egg donors only for their expenses and cannot pay egg donors, the Los Angeles Times reports (Romney, Los Angeles Times, 9/13).

14 Sep 2006

Primary election results for races involving women's health issues

Nine states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday held primary elections, and some of the races involved women's health issues.

14 Sep 2006

Fewer than half of studies conducted on effect of medications on children are published

Fewer than half of studies conducted on the effects of prescription drugs in children are published in medical journals, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

14 Sep 2006