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Genes that control cell death may play role in age-related hearing loss

Several genes that play a role in how our body's cells normally auto-destruct may play a role in age-related hearing loss, according to research published online in the journal Apoptosis - a journal devoted to the topic of cell suicide, or programmed cell death.

19 Oct 2008

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight

A single molecule in the intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether the host animals are lean or fatty, a research team, including scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center, has found in a mouse study.

19 Oct 2008

People with autism less influenced by gut instincts

People with autism-related disorders are less likely to make irrational decisions, and are less influenced by gut instincts, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study adds to the growing body of research implicating altered emotional processing in autism.

16 Oct 2008

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor may predict schizophrenia relapse

A factor that helps optimize brain formation and function may also provide clues about whether patients suffering with schizophrenia are headed toward relapse, researchers say.

16 Oct 2008

Increased pressure in the brain leads to vision loss more often in men

A new study shows that men are more likely to lose vision as a result of a particular cause of intracranial hypertension, or increased pressure in the brain, than women with the condition. The research is published in the October 15, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Oct 2008

Governments urged to fight pneumococcal disease

Pneumococcal disease, one of the world's leading causes of death and serious illness, must be recognised as an urgent global health issue together with HIV, malaria and TB, say the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pneumococcal Disease Prevention in the Developing World in a report launching at the House of Lords today. Between 700,000 and one million children under the age of five die each year from pneumococcal disease, equivalent to malaria and more than AIDS and tuberculosis.

16 Oct 2008

$2 egg-beater - low-cost centrifuge replacement - could save lives in developing countries

Plastic tubing taped to a handheld egg-beater could save lives in developing countries, the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Lab on a Chip reports.

16 Oct 2008

Biothera initiates second phase of metastatic colorectal cancer trial

Biothera has announced today it began dosing patients in the second arm of its metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) trial in August.

16 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to Reata's pancreatic cancer drug

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that RTA 402 has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. RTA 402 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with pancreatic cancer, and is also in Phase 2 development for chronic kidney disease.

16 Oct 2008

Medication error rates to be reduced by technology

The use of new information technology could significantly reduce the number of drug-related injuries in Australian hospitals, according to Professor Johanna Westbrook.

16 Oct 2008

White wine as healthy for the heart as red

A new study will provide comfort to white wine lovers and give them a good excuse to pour themselves a glass of Sauvignon blanc because it now appears that white wine is just as healthy for the heart as red.

16 Oct 2008

Makers of Maltesers and Jaffa Cakes come under fire from advertising watchdog

Confectionery giants Mars and McVitie's have come under fire in the UK for misleading the public about some of their products.

16 Oct 2008

New U.S. infant mortality data released

The United States ranked 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, compared to 27th in 2000, 23rd in 1990 and 12th in 1960, according to a new report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

15 Oct 2008

New therapy for heart failure

During heart failure the body reacts to the production of the hormone aldosterone. Too much aldosterone can stiffen and damage the muscles of the heart.

15 Oct 2008

Model against unnecessary use of antibiotics

Patients in intensive care units (ICU) are often administered antibiotics against ventilator-associated pneumonia, 'to be on the safe side'. Dutch researcher Stefan Visscher has developed a model that can quickly establish whether or not a patient has pneumonia. This can prevent unnecessary treatment with antibiotics.

15 Oct 2008

Health care questions we want to hear answered tonight

How does a $5000 tax credit help when the average family health care plan now costs more than $12,500/year, and how are working families expected to pay the difference?

15 Oct 2008

Citywide electronic health information exchange

Across the nation concerns about health-care quality and costs are growing. For the first time, both candidates aspiring to the nation's highest office are looking to greater reliance on electronic medical records as critical to any remedy.

15 Oct 2008

Women need to be aware of changes, breast expert says

Every day, women face a barrage of headlines about breast cancer. What should they do with all of that information?

15 Oct 2008

NIH funds two new centers for imaging technology for neurodegenerative disorders and software for protein analysis

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today it will provide up to an estimated $11 million over the next five years to create two new Biomedical Technology Research Centers (BTRCs) that will provide researchers nationwide with access to specialized research tools, training and state-of-the-art equipment.

15 Oct 2008

Prolonging the withdrawal of life support in the ICU affects family satisfaction with care

Clinicians in the intensive care unit (ICU) often care for patients who are on several life support measures at once. When such a patient is dying and the decision is reached to withdraw life support, these clinicians may make an imperfect compromise in seeking to balance the complex needs of the patient and the patient's family - they may remove the life support measures one at a time over a period of days, rather than withdrawing all at once.

15 Oct 2008