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Researchers block damage to fetal brain following maternal alcohol consumption

In a study on fetal alcohol syndrome, researchers were able to prevent the damage that alcohol causes to cells in a key area of the fetal brain by blocking acid sensitive potassium channels and preventing the acidic environment that alcohol produces. The cerebellum, the portion of the brain that is responsible for balance and muscle coordination, is particularly vulnerable to injury from alcohol during development.

11 Aug 2008

Boxed warnings now on popuar sleeping pill Stilnox

The popular sleeping pill Stilnox now carries a warning about the potentially dangerous sleep-related behaviours linked to the drug.

11 Aug 2008

Commonly used fertility drug useless

British scientists say that using the drug Clomid for the treatment of unexplained infertility is no more effective than no treatment at all.

11 Aug 2008

New research finds way to switch off breast cancer and leukaemia

Australian scientists have identified a way of switching off a molecule, which plays a key role in the process that triggers breast cancer and certain forms of leukaemia.

11 Aug 2008

Shocking death rate from diabetes revealed

Shocking new figures released in Britain show that diabetes accounts for more than 1 in 10 deaths in England.

11 Aug 2008

Technological crystal ball boosts AIDS survival

A cure for the virus that causes AIDS may still be beyond our grasp, but European researchers have developed a predictive software system for HIV that could help extend the lives of victims of the killer disease.

11 Aug 2008

Therapies which boost the clearance of faulty proteins in cells may slow down ageing

Scientists say as people age, their cells become less efficient at getting rid of damaged protein and the result is a buildup of toxic material; this is particularly apparent in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders associated with ageing.

11 Aug 2008

PSA screening among young men in the United States

A new analysis finds that one in five men in their 40s has had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test within the previous year and that young black men are more likely than young white men to have undergone the test.

11 Aug 2008

Thirteen Indonesian villagers clear of bird flu

Health officials in Indonesia say 13 people from a village on Sumatra who were hospitalised with suspected bird flu, have all tested negative for the H5N1 virus.

11 Aug 2008

Launch of new codes of ethics and professional conduct for Australian nurses and midwives

Today has seen the launch of new national codes of ethics and professional conduct for nurses and midwives.

11 Aug 2008

Too many women ignorant of symptoms of ovarian cancer

A new survey had revealed that though ovarian cancer remains one of biggest gynaecological cancer killers, many women are unsure or unaware of the symptoms of the disease.

10 Aug 2008

New treatment in the pipeline for leukaemia and rheumatoid arthritis

Australian scientists believe they are well on the way to developing a new treatment for leukaemia and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

10 Aug 2008

Dopamine and Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease and drug addiction are polar opposite diseases, but both depend upon dopamine in the brain. Parkinson's patients don't have enough of it; drug addicts get too much of it. Although the importance of dopamine in these disorders has been well known, the way it works has been a mystery.

10 Aug 2008

Clomifene citrate or unstimulated intrauterine insemination do not seem to improve fertility

Long established medical interventions to help couples with infertility problems do not seem to improve fertility, according to a study published on bmj.com.

10 Aug 2008

Early treatment key to combating hepatitis C virus

Canadian researchers have shown that patients who receive early treatment for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) within the first months following an infection, develop a rapid poly-functional immune response against HCV similar to when infection is erradicted spontaneously, according to a new study published in the Journal of Virology.

10 Aug 2008

Gab2 signalling protein switches off breast cancer and leukaemia

Australian scientists have identified a way to 'switch off' a molecule, a key player in the molecular processes that trigger breast cancer and certain forms of leukaemia.

10 Aug 2008

RNAi used to dramatically suppress HIV infection in an organism

Hopes languished last September when a promising candidate HIV vaccine failed to work. Despite this setback, many researchers still believe immunization is possible, and a new study suggests they're correct-at least at the cellular level.

10 Aug 2008

Testosterone and disease transmission

High levels of testosterone may be a key factor in spreading disease among mice, according to biologists. The findings could help explain why males in a population are often more likely to get infected, and transmit disease.

10 Aug 2008

Researchers find a cancer-inhibiting cyanobacteria that grows on coral reefs

University of Florida College of Pharmacy researchers have discovered a marine compound off the coast of Key Largo that inhibits cancer cell growth in laboratory tests, a finding they hope will fuel the development of new drugs to better battle the disease.

10 Aug 2008

Scientists stop age-related decline in an entire organ

As people age, their cells become less efficient at getting rid of damaged protein - resulting in a buildup of toxic material that is especially pronounced in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders.

10 Aug 2008