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deCODE discovers novel genetic links between pigmentation traits and risk of skin cancer

In two papers published today, deCODE scientists and academic colleagues from Europe and the U.S. expand upon the company's recent findings in the genetics of pigmentation traits in people of European descent, and demonstrate that certain of these common variants also confer risk of two types of skin cancer.

19 May 2008

Aridol authorised for sale in Germany

Pharmaxis Ltd today announced that it has received national approval to market Aridol in Germany.

19 May 2008

Group Health study debunks five myths about abuse of men

Domestic violence can happen to men, not only to women, according to Group Health research in the June American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Domestic violence in men is under-studied and often hidden-much as it was in women 10 years ago," said study leader Robert J. Reid, MD, PhD, an associate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies. "We want abused men to know they're not alone."

19 May 2008

Lubiprostone brings relief for many IBS patients who experience constipation

Many patients may soon find relief from the bloating, cramping, abdominal pain and constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

19 May 2008

Despondent nurse practitioners - disabling postmodern punishment

The essence of postmodernism theme is that of an epochal shift, discontinuity, or rupture with modernity, bringing new social conditions and sociological principles with it (Baudrillard, 1988). Postmodernism views that the authority and status of the medical professionals does not exist anymore in the area of health care consistent with the postmodern message about the deconstruction of traditional centers of postindustrial authority (Cockerham et.al, 1997).

19 May 2008

Nurse-administered prevention and management strategies can decrease incidence of lymphedema and improve quality of life in patients

A poster session presented by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the Oncology Nurses Society 33rd Annual Congress, found that early nursing intervention and implementation of effective strategies can lead to a decrease in the incidence of lymphedema, better management of chronic lymphedema and improved quality of life in breast cancer patients.

19 May 2008

Obesity concern over Indiana Jones film marketing

Obesity experts today questioned Burger King's commitment to improve its standards on marketing to children on the day it launched its new 'Indiana Jones' campaign in the US with toys, internet games and scratch competition prizes.

19 May 2008

Scientists discover why plague is so lethal

Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology.

19 May 2008

Bacterial slime helps cause Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Now research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology shows for the first time how bacteria that cause the disease survive in the environment.

19 May 2008

Pfizer and Peter MacCallum support the future of cancer research in Australia

Australia's reputation for excellence in cancer research has been strengthened with the launch of the Peter MacCallum Pfizer Translational Oncology Research Collaborative Hub (TORCH) at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr.

18 May 2008

Asbestos-induced lung cancer patients do not appear to benefit from chemotherapy

Adding chemotherapy to established methods of symptom management does not appear to enhance the quality of life or survival of patients suffering from an asbestos-induced form of lung cancer called malignant plural mesothelioma (MPM). These are the results of MS01, a large UK and Australian study published in the Lancet, which set out to assess the potential benefits of combining active symptom control (ASC) with chemotherapy.

18 May 2008

New dimension discovered in body clock rhythm

Research on what makes the body clock tick has led Dr Michael Hastings of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge to discover a new and unanticipated cog in the human body clock. A patent for the compound involved has been filed by MRC Technology. The results, published in Science, could lead to therapies for people whose sleep is disrupted by shift work or old age.

18 May 2008

DNA vaccines boosted by dendritic cells

The concept sounds ideal: vaccines made of DNA that could be taken in by other cells and give instructions for how to fight off different diseases. The reality, however, has fallen short. Although DNA vaccines have been around for about 15 years and shown lots of promise for HIV, SARS and influenza vaccines during preclinical testing in mice, researchers have yet to make them potent enough to be helpful in humans.

18 May 2008

Separation from parents linked with learning trouble in kids

In the wake of divorce, illness, violence and other problems that can unsettle homes, countless young children are liable to experience temporary separations from one or both parents before packing their knapsack for kindergarten. Published in the May/June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, a new, community-wide study from Rochester, New York, warns that such kids are at increased risk for learning difficulties and that these separations are good predictors of which children may require special educational interventions to succeed.

18 May 2008

Disease outbreak prevention crucial in China earthquake aftermath

Preventing communicable disease outbreaks is the key public health issue now facing the People's Republic of China in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country's south-western region on 12 May.

18 May 2008

Heatwaves, floods and health concerns - special lecture on climate change and how we're dealing with it

Extreme floods, droughts and heatwaves, and how scientists are battling to deal with the effects of our rapidly warming planet, will be the subject of the first annual Grantham Lecture at Imperial College London on Thursday 22 May 2008.

15 May 2008

Too much water raises seizure risk in babies

It's a recurrent summer-time scenario in the pediatric emergency room and doctors from Johns Hopkins Children's are sounding the alarm on it: An otherwise healthy infant is brought in by panicked parents after suffering a seizure, which turns out to be caused by drinking too much water.

15 May 2008