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New test for rapid detection of influenza

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the development of a new test for influenza, which received 510(k) clearance today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

30 Sep 2008

$2.5 billion to modernize U.S. health IT systems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the selection of ten contractors to receive up to a total of $2.5 billion for information technology (IT) and data center management services over the next ten years.

30 Sep 2008

Innovative technology to improve colon cancer prevention

Researchers at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) and Northwestern University have discovered that fiber optic technology can for the very first time effectively measure blood levels in the colonic lining (mucosa) in humans, thus having potential applications for analyzing risk of colon cancer. The study appears in the October 2008 issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

30 Sep 2008

Don't ask, don't tell doesn't work in prenatal care

While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports that patients don't volunteer information about substance abuse unless specifically queried.

30 Sep 2008

Danish study provides new information on hormone replacement therapy and the risk of heart attacks

It's not what you take but the way that you take it that can produce different results in women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to new research on the association between HRT and heart attacks, published online in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal today.

30 Sep 2008

Cancer Research UK and Astex Therapeutics join forces to develop new anti-cancer treatment

Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Technology (CRT) - the charity's development and commercialisation arm - and Astex Therapeutics Limited announced today that they have agreed to take into development a potential new anti-cancer treatment.

30 Sep 2008

Surgical treatment provides new option for some colorectal cancer patients

Research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that a surgical technique not traditionally used in advanced abdominal cancer may be a viable treatment option for some patients previously thought to be untreatable, offering the real possibility of extending survival for those patients.

30 Sep 2008

A DNA-based vaccine shows promise against avian flu

Though it has fallen from the headlines, a global pandemic caused by bird flu still has the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high alert. Yet, to date, the only vaccines that have proven even semi-effective are produced in chicken eggs, take five to six months to prepare and act against a single variant of the H5N1 virus, which mutates incredibly quickly.

30 Sep 2008

When particles are so small that they seep right through skin

Scientists are finding that particles that are barely there - tiny objects known as nanoparticles that have found a home in electronics, food containers, sunscreens, and a variety of applications - can breech our most personal protective barrier: The skin.

30 Sep 2008

Chocolate giant Cadbury latest victim in Chinese poisoned milk scandal

The British chocolate giant Cadbury has become the latest victim in China's poisoned milk scandal - the company has reported finding melamine in its Chinese-made chocolates.

30 Sep 2008

Arthritis treatments glucosamine and chondroitin shown to be no better than placebo

According to the latest research, the popular supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, used to fight arthritis and joint pain, do not seem to work any better than a placebo in slowing the loss of knee cartilage in osteoarthritis.

30 Sep 2008

Drinking alcohol before age 15 a risky habit

Researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have found that drinking alcohol before 15 years of age is risky and increases a child's risk of becoming a heavy drinker later on.

30 Sep 2008

Birth size a marker for breast cancer later in life

A new study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that birth size is a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer later in life - they say birth size, and in particular birth length, is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in adulthood.

30 Sep 2008

Kids' hectic activity programs stress out parents

In an age when many parents are struggling to find a balance between their offspring's out of school activities and their own needs and pleasures, new research has found that as far as middle-class children are concerned, these organized activities are linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and behaviour.

30 Sep 2008

'Eyes tight shut case' confounds experts

The case of an Australian woman unable to open her eyes on three days of each week is confounding doctors.

30 Sep 2008

Plastic surgeons call for shake-up of cosmetic surgery in Australia

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has called for a ban on cosmetic surgery on teenagers.

30 Sep 2008

Sexual health course satisfying community needs

An understanding of sexuality is a vital prerequisite for any professional who interacts with people on a day-to-day basis, according to Dr Patricia Weerakoon.

30 Sep 2008

Warfarin linked to increased bleeding in brain

A new study shows that people who take the commonly used blood thinning drug warfarin may have larger amounts of bleeding in the brain and increased risk of death if they suffer a hemorrhagic stroke. The study is published in the September 30, 2008, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Sep 2008