Research News and Research

RSS

Latest sequencing targets for NHGRI

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has announced several new sequencing targets including the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys).

19 Jul 2006

Leukemia gene normally has mammary gland function

A gene critical for normal mammary gland function during nursing helps trigger highly lethal leukemias when it undergoes a mutation that fuses it to another gene, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

19 Jul 2006

A high sugar content, low caffeine drink does not alleviate sleepiness but may worsen it

An hour after consuming a high sugar, low caffeine drink you will tend to have slower reactions and experience more lapses in concentration than if you had simply drunk a decaffeinated, nil carbohydrate drink.

19 Jul 2006

Nipple piercing and breastfeeding

Until recently, the option to breastfeed after birth was not offered to women with nipple piercings.

19 Jul 2006

Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults

A class of drugs commonly used to treat typical influenza symptoms such as fever, headache and cough do not prevent people from becoming infected with the flu virus.

19 Jul 2006

Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programmes for alcohol dependence

Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs, while effective, are not the be-all and end-all in psychosocial treatments for alcohol dependence, according to new review of studies.

19 Jul 2006

Little evidence that wandering prevention works in dementia

Everything from multicolored lights to garden walks has been suggested as ways to keep people with dementia from wandering, but there is little evidence to show that any of these interventions work, according to a new analysis.

19 Jul 2006

Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly

Although national and international health organizations urge anyone over age 65 to get yearly flu shots, the vaccinations are only modestly effective in preventing flu and its complications among older adults, according to a new review of recent studies.

19 Jul 2006

School-based programmes for preventing smoking

It may take more than anti-smoking lessons in the classroom to keep school-age children and teens from lighting up, according to a recent review of studies.

19 Jul 2006

Conjugate vaccines for preventing meningococcal C meningitis and septicaemia

A new systematic review suggests that a certain kind of vaccine may help to protect babies and small children from a devastating killer: meningococcal meningitis.

19 Jul 2006

Humidified air inhalation for treating croup

For decades, parents and pediatricians have relied on humid air to relieve the barking cough and noisy breathing of croup, a common childhood condition that sometimes sends worried families to the emergency room.

19 Jul 2006

Structured treatment interruptions (STI) in chronic unsuppressed HIV infection in adult

A new analysis of existing research offers confirmation that taking a break from AIDS drugs is a bad idea for HIV patients with uncontrolled cases of the disease.

19 Jul 2006

Copper containing, framed intra-uterine devices for contraception

Intrauterine devices that contain higher doses of copper are more effective in preventing pregnancy than IUDs with lower copper doses, according to a new systematic review of studies.

19 Jul 2006

Calcium supplementation during pregnancy for preventing hypertensive disorders and related problems

Expectant mothers may be able to prevent potentially serious medical problems in themselves and their babies simply by boosting their daily calcium intake, says a new systematic review.

19 Jul 2006

Drugs for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting

Patients coming out of anesthesia after surgery may experience nausea or vomiting, and are frequently given drugs to prevent this. But the majority of patients won't benefit from these drugs, according to a large new review of studies.

19 Jul 2006

Cleaning water at household is best diarrhea prevention

Clean water can prevent diarrhea and save lives, but among the world's most susceptible populations, it is cleaned best at its point of use rather than its source, researchers report in a large new review of studies.

19 Jul 2006

Breastfeeding or breast milk for procedural pain in neonates

In the first 24 hours after birth, nearly every newborn in the United States is subjected to a painful, but routine heel prick or needle stick to screen the blood for disease or rare genetic disorders.

19 Jul 2006

Research shows which sex differences are developmental vs. sociological vs. hormonal

Differences in the way men and women perform verbal and visuospatial tasks have been well documented in scientific literature, but findings have been inconsistent as to whether men and women actually use different parts of their brains.

19 Jul 2006

Researchers find protein associated with brain cell death

Neuroscientists at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found evidence of which protein in the brain's immune cells triggers a cascade of reactions that produces unregulated free radical production that eventually leads to the neural cell death found in Alzheimer's disease.

19 Jul 2006