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At least two "diabetes genes" predict the risk of Type 2 diabete

Scandinavian researchers have confirmed that at least two "diabetes genes" predict the risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) when combined with lifestyle factors, in the largest study of its kind to date.

1 Nov 2005

Millions from Gates to fight malaria

A British university will benefit from a donation from Bill and Melinda Gates to the tune of £28 million as part of a £145 million gift to malaria research worldwide.

31 Oct 2005

Pre-teens need vaccine against sexually transmitted virus

According to a poll of doctors in the U.S., most would be prepared to give 11- and 12-year-old patients a vaccine to prevent infection with a sexually transmitted virus.

31 Oct 2005

Worldwide advertising campaign to focus attention on children with HIV/AIDS

For the first time ever the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has launched an outdoor advertising campaign highlighting the plight of children with HIV/AIDS.

31 Oct 2005

$107.6 million grant for malaria vaccine candidate

In an important step toward developing an effective malaria vaccine, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $107.6 million grant to the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) to extend the public-private partnership between MVI and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Bio) to develop GSK Bio's malaria vaccine for children in Africa.

30 Oct 2005

DCDC2 gene linked to dyslexia

Pediatric researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified a gene on human chromosome 6 called DCDC2, which is linked to dyslexia, a reading disability affecting millions of children and adults.

30 Oct 2005

Vaccination against measles could prevent many more cases of SSPE, than previously thought

A new study has found wild-type measles virus in tissues from patients who died of a fatal brain infection, providing evidence against the notion that the strain of virus in the measles vaccine caused the infection.

30 Oct 2005

Novel mouse model of medulloblastoma

A collaboration of researchers, led by Dr. Martine Roussel of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, has developed a novel mouse model of medulloblastoma -- the most prevalent malignant pediatric brain tumor -- that the researchers hope will more accurately represent the genetic changes involved in human brain tumor development.

30 Oct 2005

38.2 million Americans live in households that suffer directly from hunger and food insecurity

Hunger in American households has risen by 43 percent over the last five years, according to an analysis of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.

30 Oct 2005

Early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease may lead to longer life in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy patients

Cardiac disease, particularly dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, is the major cause of mortality in patients with muscular dystrophy and is present in most boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and approximately 70 percent of those with Becker muscular dystrophy. These are the two common forms of muscular dystrophy caused by defects in a gene called dystrophin.

30 Oct 2005

Researchers can now more accurately predict who will develop type 1 diabetes

In the process, they've also uncovered signs of a new protein that may forecast a more rapidly developing form of the disease. Together, these findings could help researchers screen patients for clinical trials that eventually may lead to a vaccine or cure for type 1 diabetes.

30 Oct 2005

Domestic irritability and depression in women

Does the act of being 'superwoman' at work and around the home leave you feeling stressed and unable to cope? Do you identify with the TV character Lynette from 'Desperate Housewives'?

30 Oct 2005

Women with defects in lipoprotein metabolism may actually be able to bear children without complications

A group of Belgian researchers has determined that a pregnant woman's ability to metabolize fats is determined not only by her genes but by her baby's genes as well.

30 Oct 2005

WHO wants more info on bird flu from China

Following pressure from world health bodies China on Friday to provide information on the death of a 12-year-old girl, Chinese officials now say the child died of pneumonia.

30 Oct 2005

Cesarean births not linked to childhood asthma

The theory that whether a child born by cesarean section or in the normal way, via the birth canal, could affect his or her chances of developing asthma later in life, has been laid to rest.

27 Oct 2005

Rate of weight gain, not the degree of fatness at any one time, which is the main predictor of future problems

Research published today indicates that the risk of heart disease in adulthood is more strongly related to how quickly children gain weight between the ages of two and eleven than their actual body weight at any particular age. Scientists believe this is linked to differences in insulin processing in later life.

27 Oct 2005

Math Learning Disorder (LD) is common among school-age children

Results show that boys are more likely to have Math LD than girls. The research also indicates that although a child can have a Math LD and a reading LD, a substantial percentage of children have Math LD alone.

27 Oct 2005

Growth patterns before birth, after birth and into childhood reveal a risk of coronary heart disease later in life

The risk of developing coronary heart disease as an adult is more strongly related to childhood growth patterns than body weight at any particular point in development, according to a new study published in the Oct. 27 New England Journal of Medicine. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

27 Oct 2005

China has become the 89th country to ratify the global tobacco treaty

...the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Countries that ratify the treaty commit themselves to stringent tobacco control measures, including advertising restrictions, clean indoor air laws, higher tobacco taxes, and bigger warning labels on tobacco packaging.

26 Oct 2005

FDA panel says approval for new depression drugs needs to be faster

According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel, drug makers seeking U.S. approval of new drugs to treat major depression should not be required to first provide data on how well they work long-term.

26 Oct 2005