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Dementia often goes undiagnosed in primary care

Many older patients showing signs of dementia are not being diagnosed for the progressive brain disorder by their primary care physicians, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

16 Jul 2004

DNA left overs, new mechanism for evolution

A team of researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has discovered that transposons, small DNA sequences that travel through the genomes, can silence the genes adjacent to them by inducing a molecule called antisense RNA.

16 Jul 2004

Obesity in mothers is one of the most decisive factors contributing to the appearance of congenital malformations in their children

A study of more than 2000 children of women with gestational diabetes (the diabetes that some women get during pregnancy) has revealed that obesity in mothers is one of the most decisive factors contributing to the appearance of congenital malformations in their children, even more so than the seriousness of the diabetes.

16 Jul 2004

School-based programs are unable to decrease the long-term smoking prevalence among adolescents

Slapping a $1-a-pack tax on cigarettes and putting the money into antismoking campaigns could cut the number of young smokers by 26 percent and avoid more than 108,000 smoking-related deaths by the time their generation reaches age 85, new research suggests.

16 Jul 2004

Teen birth rate hits record low and prevalence of overweight among children has increased

The well-being of America's children has shown strong gains in some areas but has declined in others, according to a yearly report by federal agencies compiling statistics on children.

16 Jul 2004

Children and adolescents who consistently watch television for 2 hours or more a day are at an increased risk of being overweight

Children and adolescents who consistently watch television for 2 hours or more a day are at an increased risk of being overweight, to smoke, and to have high cholesterol concentrations in early adulthood—substantial risk factors for long-term health problems in later life—conclude authors of a study from New Zealand in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

15 Jul 2004

Success of the UK’s national screening programme for cervical cancer

An epidemiological study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlights the success of the UK’s national screening programme for cervical cancer introduced in 1988.

15 Jul 2004

The cancer risk from plutonium exposure

Plutonium may be many times more dangerous than previously thought. The cancer risk from exposure inside the body could be 10 times higher than is allowed for in calculating international safety limits.

15 Jul 2004

8.5 million Euros to address a fundamental question on mitosis: How is cell division regulated?

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) join forces with top scientists from eleven research institutes in Austria, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom for “MitoCheck” – the largest integrated research project on cell cycle control within the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme (FP6).

15 Jul 2004

Funding improves the quality of the fish we eat

The quality of the fish that ends up in the shops, and eventually on our dining tables, is set to improve following a three and a half year research project into the monitoring techniques available to the fish processing industry.

15 Jul 2004

Effective treatment for soft tissue sarcoma (rhabdomyosarcoma)

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a highly malignant aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in children, the causes of which are currently unknown. Although the fibrous growths can be found all over the body they commonly develop around the head, neck, bladder and testes in young boys.

15 Jul 2004

Gulf war veterans are at increased risk of infertility

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine surveyed 24,379 male Gulf war veterans and a matched comparison group of 18,439 non-deployed servicemen.

15 Jul 2004

New research into what causes endometriosis

Researchers know what causes endometriosis, but how the cysts that are characteristic of the disease maintain themselves and produce severe pain in some women has remained a mystery.

15 Jul 2004

Research team developing new defenses against plague and smallpox

Using a federal biodefense grant, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center team will try to develop new approaches to immunizing people against the plague and smallpox, two of the most feared potential agents of bio-terrorism.

15 Jul 2004

Ghrelin may help reduce obsesity in children with genetic disorder

What if your child’s overeating was so uncontrollable that it led to eating out of the garbage, ransacking the kitchen and getting arrested for stealing food?

15 Jul 2004

Statement on HHS announcement on Stem Cell Bank

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has said that while the NIH is doing its best to accelerate progress in the field of embryonic stem cells, any success would remain minimal so long as the current Administration policy severely limits federal funding for stem cell research.

15 Jul 2004

Older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest

An Australian study has found a disturbing number of older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest and do not know what to do in the event of such an emergency.

15 Jul 2004

Using a combination of therapies and cell grafts could help treat patients with chronic spinal cord injuries

Using a combination of therapies and cell grafts, a team of University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine researchers has promoted significant regeneration of nerve cells in rats with spinal cord injury.

15 Jul 2004

Reports of MRSA have increased by 3.6% in England over the last year

The results from the third year of the mandatory surveillance scheme for Staphylococcus aureus show the number of blood-stream infections caused by both sensitive strains, and also strains resistant to methicillin (MRSA) broken down by regions and also by each acute NHS Trust.

15 Jul 2004

Violence, sex, and profanity increased significantly in movies between 1992 and 2003

Violence, sex, and profanity increased significantly in movies between 1992 and 2003 according to a study by researchers from the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health. The study appears July 13 in Medscape General Medicine.

15 Jul 2004