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Research finds a role for the GABA neurotransmitter in maintaining energy balance

Controlling body weight is a complicated process, as any frustrated dieter might attest. But as scientists continue to investigate the brain's intricate neurocircuitry and its role in maintaining energy balance, they are forming a clearer picture of the myriad events that lead to weight gain and weight loss.

10 Aug 2008

COMT gene variation affects fear processing, anxiety

Inborn differences may help explain why trauma gives some people bad memories and others the nightmare of post-traumatic stress. Scientists in Germany and the United States have reported evidence linking genes to anxious behavior. The findings appear in the August issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological Association.

10 Aug 2008

The hype around stem cells

The most common use of stem cells in the near future will be in trials testing drugs for toxicity, rather than in revolutionary medical breakthroughs, a world expert in the social effects of stem cell research says.

10 Aug 2008

Research compares organic food with food grown with pesticides and chemicals

New research in the latest issue of the Society of Chemical Industry's (SCI) Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows there is no evidence to support the argument that organic food is better than food grown with the use of pesticides and chemicals.

10 Aug 2008

Media coverage of persistent vegetative state and end-of-life decision-making

In 1990, Theresa Schiavo, an American citizen, had a cardiac arrest that caused irreversible brain damage which led to a persistent vegetative state diagnosis. A few years later, this diagnosis became a source of conflict over the interruption of artificial nutrition.

10 Aug 2008

Watson Pharmaceuticals announces limited recall of Fentanyl transdermal patches

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that one lot of 75 mcg/hr Fentanyl Transdermal System patches sold in the United States is being voluntarily recalled from wholesalers and pharmacies.

10 Aug 2008

Survey details New Orleans residents experiences three years after Hurricane Katrina

A comprehensive new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of the experiences of New Orleans residents - the second since Hurricane Katrina - reveals a still-struggling population that gives very mixed reviews in key areas of the recovery efforts. Most residents feel forgotten by the nation and its leaders, yet are still optimistic about their city's future.

10 Aug 2008

First cigarette "buzz", addiction linked to gene

Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly. For some, it brought a wave of nausea or a nasty coughing fit. For others, those first puffs also came with a rush of pleasure or "buzz."

10 Aug 2008

Yellow fever outbreak in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire

The Ministry of Health of Cote d'Ivoire has declared a yellow fever outbreak in the capital, Abidjan. The outbreak was laboratory confirmed at the beginning of May 2008.

10 Aug 2008

Luminaries call for continued support for an AIDS vaccine to end the epidemic

Discussions about how to manage AIDS in the long term and how to improve prevention efforts globally took center stage at this year's International AIDS Conference (IAC) held in Mexico City.

10 Aug 2008

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is the major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in western countries and the third cause of global blindness, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

10 Aug 2008

Nanowires from DNA

For millions of years nature has been optimizing DNA - in all living creatures this biomolecule is responsible for storing genetic information.

10 Aug 2008

Scientists discover new species of bacteria in the mouth

Scientists have discovered a new species of bacteria in the mouth. The finding could help scientists to understand tooth decay and gum disease and may lead to better treatments, according to research published in the August issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

10 Aug 2008

Sexual dysfunction - The brain-body connection

When asked, everyone seems to agree that sex is an important part of life and that sexual health is important for one's overall well-being.

10 Aug 2008

Discovery of obesity genes

A study of 228 women has revealed genetic variants responsible for body shape. Based on work in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, research published in the open access journal BMC Genetics identifies natural variation in the human LAMA5 gene as a key determinant of weight.

10 Aug 2008

FDA warns consumers about Baltimore Medicine Shoppe pharmacies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers who filled prescriptions at The Medicine Shoppe pharmacies located at 8035A Liberty Road and 5900 Reisterstown Road in Baltimore that they may have received drugs that were either expired or suspected counterfeit.

10 Aug 2008

New study aims to help Latino HIV patients

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will soon begin researching how a lack of trust in formal medicine is contributing to disproportionately higher mortality rates in Latino HIV patients than in white HIV patients across the country.

10 Aug 2008

New therapeutic platform technology tackles major diseases

A spin out company from basic structural biology, Asterion Ltd., has led to new technology that provides a way of creating therapeutic proteins to tackle major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and infertility.

8 Aug 2008

Hope overlooked in policies to tackle HIV/AIDS

The links between HIV transmission and the degree to which people are able to adopt realistic plans to achieve future projects, in other words, hope, have been overlooked in policies to tackle HIV/AIDS. New research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) argues that hope is a powerful tool in the battle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

8 Aug 2008

Cancer Research UK expresses 'deep concern' on kidney cancer drug decision

Cancer Research UK - the largest publicly funded research charity in the UK - wants to see the way NICE review the value of drugs altered for rare diseases, such as this type of kidney cancer, where clinical benefit is proven but evidence is limited.

8 Aug 2008