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28 percent of injecting drug users acquired their needles from safe sources

Nearly half of injection drug users disposed of their used syringes safely, yet only 28 percent acquired their needles from safe sources, according to a study of injection drug users in Baltimore, Md., conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

27 Feb 2005

Self-reporting of symptoms by patients with ulcerative colitis better than assessing patients with endoscopy

People living with fatigue, abdominal discomfort and bloody diarrhea caused by the chronic inflammation of ulcerative colitis may no longer need to undergo frequent and uncomfortable endoscopies, a new study shows.

27 Feb 2005

Novel mutation in the recently identified LRRK2 gene causes parkinsonism

Neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., leading a team of researchers in the United States and Europe, have discovered that a novel mutation in the recently identified LRRK2 gene causes parkinsonism in several North American and European families.

27 Feb 2005

More standardized geriatric training needed across all medical specialties

The changing medical needs of the growing 65-and-over population in the United States are not being met by current medical education, University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers warn.

27 Feb 2005

Gel provides protection from HIV and herpes

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers demonstrated that a gel applied in the vagina provides protection from both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the herpes simplex Virus. The study, presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, is the first to show that a gel can retain anti-viral activity within the human vagina.

27 Feb 2005

Early Alzheimer's disease may be precipitated by a neuron traffic jam

Early Alzheimer's disease may be precipitated by a “traffic jam” within neurons that causes swelling and prevents proper transport of proteins and structures in the cells, according to new studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers.

27 Feb 2005

Branding treatment in India should be banned

A letter in this weeks BMJ reports on how researchers are urging rural clinics in India to stop the superstitious practice known as 'branding treatment'.

27 Feb 2005

Scientific rationale behind the use of antiretroviral therapy

Johns Hopkins researcher and infectious disease specialist Robert Siliciano, M.D., Ph.D., will provide an update on the scientific rationale behind the use of antiretroviral therapy, focusing on the mechanisms that allow life-long persistence of HIV even in patients on potent medication.

27 Feb 2005

Tobacco industry influences research

At a tobacco industry meeting in 1987 to consider how to ‘improve the industry’s position’on passive smoking, one of the strategies proposed by Philip Morris USA was to ‘establish a genuine scientific journal on indoor air quality’. In 1989 the International Society of the Built Environment, was established.

27 Feb 2005

NIH awards grant to explore causal relationship between epoetin dose and survival of hemodialysis patients

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has awarded a two-year grant to the Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute (MTPPI) in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) to explore the causal relationship between epoetin dose and survival of hemodialysis patients receiving this therapy.

27 Feb 2005

Common epigenetic problem doubles cancer risk

In experiments with mice, a team of scientists from the United States, Sweden and Japan has discovered that having a double dose of one protein is sufficient to change the normal balance of cells within the lining of the colon, thereby doubling the risk that a cancer-causing genetic mutation will trigger a tumor there.

27 Feb 2005

Cellular porthole has a major role in helping the brain sense odors

A cellular "porthole" known best for its role in the digestive system apparently has a major role in helping the brain sense odors, Johns Hopkins scientists report in the Feb. 17 issue of Neuron. The porthole, which lets chloride into cells, is also critical in digestion, hearing, balance, and fertility.

27 Feb 2005

Protein called CK2 plays a deadly role in colorectal carcinoma

A protein called CK2 plays a deadly role in colorectal carcinoma by blocking the ability of these tumors to activate a natural self-destruct mechanism that would clear this cancer from the body. This finding, by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is currently published in the online edition of Oncogene.

24 Feb 2005

Mathematical model describes the electrical storm that rages during a brain seizure

"We're trying to get to the underlying state of the brain that leads to these seizures," said Mark Kramer, a Ph.D. student in UC Berkeley's Applied Science and Technology Program and lead author of the paper. "Our hope is that the model can highlight potential areas where a seizure can be stopped."

24 Feb 2005

Discovery could lead to the prevention, and possibly treatment of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have identified a way to prevent Type I diabetes in rats that are genetically prone to develop the disease.

23 Feb 2005

Is it exercise or dieting that helps prevent cancer?

Scientists and health professionals have long believed that maintaining a healthy - or "ideal" - weight makes a difference in decreasing an individual's risk for cancer. But one lingering question is whether or not it's better, in terms of cancer prevention, if that weight is reached and maintained by dieting or by exercising.

23 Feb 2005

Sir Bobby Robson opens state-of-the-art research centre

Cancer survivor Sir Bobby Robson marked the official opening of a state-of-the-art research centre by meeting the doctors and scientists using its facilities to help patients.

23 Feb 2005

Dramatic evidence of how psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed in hospital emergency departments

New research offers dramatic evidence of how psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed in hospital emergency departments, affecting an increasing number of Americans who rely on such facilities for much of their primary health care needs.

23 Feb 2005

$20 million advance in Canadian mental health research

University of B.C. President Martha Piper and Premier Gordon Campbell have announced a $20 million advance in mental health research, training and policy, generated by a $10 million gift, the largest ever to mental health in Canada, from a close friend of the university who wishes to remain anonymous.

23 Feb 2005

Simple saliva test can predict whether children will get cavities

A simple saliva test can predict for the first time whether children will get cavities, how many cavities they will get and even which teeth are most vulnerable, USC researchers say.

23 Feb 2005