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Molecules that give certain bugs their color also help them resist attack by immune cells called neutrophils

A new study in the July 18 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine shows that gold-colored bacteria are more harmful than their unpigmented relatives.

11 Jul 2005

New approach to preventing or reversing heart failure

Duke University Medical Center researchers have identified a new protein that plays a critical role in enabling the heart to respond to such external stimuli as exercise or stress, as well as in the progressive loss of heart function that is heart failure, the researchers said.

11 Jul 2005

Northerners in the UK more prone to certain cancers

According to the office for National Statistics (ONS) ' "Cancer Atlases" for the 1990s, people in the north of England and Scotland are far more likely to get certain cancers than those living in the south.

11 Jul 2005

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

A recently released report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University suggests between 1992 and 2003, more Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together.

11 Jul 2005

Vioxx safe enough for Canadian market says health panel

A canadian health advisory panel says that Merck's arthritis drug Vioxx should be allowed to go on sale again in the country, 10 months after the company withdrew the blockbuster painkiller over reports that it increased the risk of heart disease.

11 Jul 2005

Genes decide the shape you're in!

According to a study by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of identical twins, the reason why some people can eat all the chocolate and chips they want and not increase their cholesterol levels, is all down to their genes.

11 Jul 2005

Low dose birth control pill raises heart attack risk, especially in some women

A new review suggests that low-dose birth control pills, which are generally considered to be safer than the pill of the past, still carries an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

11 Jul 2005

Thousands to be screened for affects from Teflon

After a federal scientific review panel said the chemical used to make teflon is "likely" to be carcinogenic to humans, tens of thousands of Ohio and West Virginia residents could be tested over the next year, to determine if their health has been affected by drinking water containing a chemical used to make the nonstick substance.

11 Jul 2005

Findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms that cause hypertension

An enzyme known to cause hypertension increases blood pressure by activating tiny pores, or channels, in kidney cells that allow increased levels of sodium to be reabsorbed into the blood, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

6 Jul 2005

Neurological complication may result from rapid withdrawal from pregabalin

A report in the July Annals of Neurology describes a serious adverse event experienced by a participant in a clinical trial that may raise a new caution about the use of antiepileptic drugs for conditions other than epilepsy.

6 Jul 2005

Novel inhibitor offsets neurotoxic effects of tPA - possible new stroke treatments

A research team lead by the Burnham Institute has synthesized and tested a new series of inhibitors that can prevent the type of nerve cell injury and death associated with many neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.

6 Jul 2005

Ten million Africans treated by international disease treatment

A disease treatment programme started three years ago by Imperial College London has now treated over ten million African children and adults for schistosomiasis and intestinal worm infections in six sub-Saharan countries.

6 Jul 2005

Urine testing may predict birthmarks

Vascular anomalies - birthmarks caused by abnormal development of arteries, capillaries, veins or lymph vessels - can sometimes begin to progress, requiring aggressive treatment to save the child's health or vision. Research at Children's Hospital Boston now suggests that urine testing can help monitor these anomalies and predict those about to become a serious threat.

6 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

Study details safety and efficacy of new Merci Retriever treatment for stroke patients

The recently released July issue of "Stroke," the official journal of the American Stroke Association, published new data on the safety and efficacy of the Merci Retriever System, the first medical device cleared by the FDA to remove blood clots from the brain in patients suffering an ischemic stroke.

6 Jul 2005

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical and requires more attention by affected countries and the international community, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

6 Jul 2005

Plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza

International animal and human health experts today unveiled a multi-point plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus spreading from poultry to humans, and appealed to the international community to come forward with funds to make it work and help stave off the risk of an influenza pandemic.

6 Jul 2005

Antidepressants will cheer you up and stop a repeat heart attack

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression and heart disease have long been associated, and one can often lead to the other.

6 Jul 2005

Tourette's and obsessive compulsive disorders linked to strep throat

A new study is suggesting that Strep throat infections can triple a child's risk of developing compulsive behaviors or tics, an indication that the same antibodies that attack the infection may also damage brain cells.

6 Jul 2005

Potential novel treatment targets for the most common form of childhood epilepsy

New research suggests novel treatment targets for the most common form of childhood epilepsy - with the potential to have fewer side effects than traditional therapy. The findings from Wake Forest University School of Medicine are reported in the July issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology.

6 Jul 2005