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Trusts perform better on chemical incidents but protective suits and tents still imperfect

Trusts are far better prepared to deal with patients injured in chemical incidents following national training but the design and distribution of chemical protective suits and shelters are still a problem, says research published this week in Emergency Medicine Journal.

20 Apr 2005

Researchers study radiation blockers while conducting nuclear imaging of Iodine uptake in mouse tissues

Scientists have found that a dose five times higher than the FDA-recommended dosage of potassium iodide in the event of a nuclear accident is needed to protect small animals effectively from radioactive iodide in medical imaging procedures. The long-term animal nuclear imaging project is being conducted by a collaboration of biology and physics researchers from the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab and The College of William & Mary (CWM).

20 Apr 2005

Eating lots of fish during and after pregnancy reduces daughters' risk of developing breast cancer

Mothers who eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and while nursing, and who continue to feed their babies such a diet after weaning, may reduce their daughters' risk of developing breast cancer later in life dramatically, according to research presented here today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

20 Apr 2005

RNA interference permanently silences key breast cancer gene

In laboratory mouse experiments, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have developed a way to use RNA interference (RNAi) so that it permanently hampers breast cancer development. The technique permanently silences activated STAT3, a crucial gene found in some human breast tumors, thus reducing the cancer's ability to become invasive.

20 Apr 2005

New gene linked to familial cancer

Scientists have identified a new gene that appears to be linked to a small but significant percentage of familial cancer cases – as well as seemingly randomly occurring malignancies.

20 Apr 2005

Reducing expression of a gene called BRCC36 makes breast cancer cells more responsive to ionizing radiation

The research was presented today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Anaheim, Calif. BRCC36 directly interacts with the BRCA1 protein. Almost all invasive breast cancer cells have elevated BRCC36 levels compared to normal breast milk-duct cells.

20 Apr 2005

Selenium will have critical role in prostate cancer treatment

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have come a step closer to understanding selenium's molecular role in causing prostate cancer cells to self-destruct. According to data presented today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, Calif., selenium helps malignant cells overcome their resistance to TRAIL-induced apopstosis (self-inflicted cell death).

20 Apr 2005

Breast cancer gene may play a major role in the recurrence of prostate cancer

A gene associated with breast cancer also may play a major role in the recurrence of prostate cancer, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

20 Apr 2005

Arthritis medications (methotrexate and leflunomide) commonly used in adults are safe and effective in children

An international team of researchers, led by Dr. Earl Silverman of The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids), has found that two arthritis medications (methotrexate and leflunomide) commonly used in adults are safe and effective in children. This research is reported in the April 21, 2005 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Apr 2005

Louder neurons drown out their quieter neighbors

As the brain develops, neurons reach out helter-skelter to form new connections, only a small number of which take hold. How the brain chooses which connections to keep and which to prune back appears to be governed by which branches have the most electrical activity-a finding that could help to explain how early experiences guide brain development.

20 Apr 2005

Discovery of brain's first known 'safety circuit' gives new perspective on anxiety disorders

Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center have made a surprising finding about positive emotions that should change the way people think about anxiety disorders.

20 Apr 2005

Insights could yield new approaches to nerve regeneration

Nervous system development requires billions of neurons to migrate to the appropriate locations in the brain and grow nerve fibers (axons) that connect to other nerve cells in an intricate network.

20 Apr 2005

Cigarette smoking may contribute to the progression of multiple sclerosis

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) recently discovered that cigarette smoking may contribute to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that quitting smoking could limit or delay central nervous system deterioration.

20 Apr 2005

Gene that plays a key role in brain wiring

The complexity of the brain and, more specifically, how nerve cells form billions of contacts when there are fewer than 30,000 human genes is still a scientific mystery.

20 Apr 2005

Electroshock therapy speeds improvement in schizophrenia patients

Shock therapy, a controversial practice conjuring frightening images of behavior control, still has a place in schizophrenia treatment, a newly updated research review shows.

20 Apr 2005

Johns Hopkins ACG risk adjustment system to be used in Spain, Portugal

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have signed a four-year agreement with Iasist of Barcelona, Spain, which will give Iasist distribution rights to the JHU Adjusted Clinical Groups® Case-Mix System (ACG System) in Spain and Portugal. Iasist is currently assisting the Basque National Health Service (Osakidetza) in using the ACG System to allocate resources among primary care clinics.

20 Apr 2005

Brain-injury rehabilitation depends on acetylcholine circuitry

The ability of the brain to recover from such injury as stroke or trauma depends on a particular circuitry of neurons that "talk" to one another using the brain chemical acetylcholine, researchers led by James Conner and Mark Tuszynski in the Neural repair Group at UCSD have discovered.

20 Apr 2005

Researchers find ovarian cancer patients who appear to respond better than others to gefitinib, or Iressa

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have identified a subset of ovarian cancer patients who appear to respond better than others to gefitinib, or Iressa. The research was presented today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, Calif.

20 Apr 2005

New drug, RAD001, shown to stop the growth of ovarian cancer cells

A new drug, RAD001, has been shown to stop the growth and movement of certain ovarian cancer cells, according to scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The research was presented today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Anaheim, Calif.

20 Apr 2005

Football is the sport most likely to cause neck injury

According to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, football beats hockey and soccer for the dubious distinction of the sport most likely to cause neck injury.

20 Apr 2005