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Brits told by the NHS their lives will not be saved if the cost is too much

An announcement by government authorities in the UK that drugs which are too expensive should not be prescribed even if they prolong life, because the money could be better spent elsewhere, has caused an uproar.

11 Aug 2008

Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to develop short-sightedness

"The results of this study are consistent with an American study which found that outdoor sport was protective, however our study shows that the crucial feature is being outdoors irrespective of the activity you are doing."

11 Aug 2008

PET scans spot signs of early Alzheimer's

Scientists in Finland say a type of imaging technique known as positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be a useful and non-invasive way of diagnosing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

11 Aug 2008

Australian doctors call for a national immunisation register

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has welcomed the announcement of a new national register of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccinations but says it would be more cost effective to create a register for all vaccinations.

11 Aug 2008

Australian researchers reveal how cancers become more aggressive

A team of Australian scientists have discovered how some cancers are able to mutate into more aggressive and potentially fatal cancers in the human body.

11 Aug 2008

Running and regular exercise mean a longer life with fewer disabilities

According to scientists in the U.S. people who keep fit by running when they are middle aged and older, are less likely to become disabled later in life and may live longer.

11 Aug 2008

Viread approved for chronic hepatitis B

The FDA has approved Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) as a treatment option for adults with chronic hepatitis B, a serious liver disease.

11 Aug 2008

GSK begins shipments of Fluarix and FluLaval to U.S. customers for 2008-2009 flu season

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it will begin shipment of Flulaval [Influenza Virus Vaccine] and Fluarix [Influenza Virus Vaccine] to U.S. customers for the 2008-2009 influenza season.

11 Aug 2008

Researchers identify molecular mechanism underlying a genetic brain malformation called holoprosencephaly

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified one of the molecular mechanisms underlying the genetic brain malformation called holoprosencephaly (HPE).

11 Aug 2008

Subtle signs of Alzheimer's appear many years before symptoms appear

Scientists from the University of South Florida and the University of Kentucky report that people who develop Alzheimer's disease may show signs of this illness many decades earlier in life, including compromised educational achievement.

11 Aug 2008

Links found between built-environment and prevalence of overweight/obesity

Does your neighborhood have a lot of fast food outlets, few sidewalks, and no parks? If yes, your physical neighborhood may be hampering your ability to be physically active and placing you at increased risk for obesity.

11 Aug 2008

Scientists identify microRNA that controls blood vessel development - therapeutic target for a number of diseases

Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and UCSF have identified a key regulatory factor that controls development of the human vascular system, the extensive network of arteries, veins, and capillaries that allow blood to reach all tissues and organs.

11 Aug 2008

Newly discovered molecular switch creates new path to study birth defects and cancer

Researchers have discovered a central molecular switch in fruit fly embryos that opens new avenues for studying the causes of birth defects and cancer in humans.

11 Aug 2008

Finding cancer's original cell key to treatments

Cancer biologists are turning their attention to the normal cells that give rise to cancers, to learn more about how tumor growth might be stopped at the earliest opportunity.

11 Aug 2008

Cancer survival secrets discovered by Australian researchers

A team of Monash University researchers has uncovered the role of a family of enzymes in the mutation of benign or less aggressive tumours into more aggressive, potentially fatal, cancers in the human body.

11 Aug 2008

Medulloblastoma originates in normal brain "stem" cells that turn malignant

An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain "stem" cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

11 Aug 2008

Scientists discover reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations present in the general population

Researchers at the University of Newcastle, England, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech in the United States have revealed a large reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations present in the general population. Clinical analysis of blood samples from almost 3,000 infants born in north Cumbria, England, showed that at least 1 in 200 individuals in the general public harbor mitochondrial DNA mutations that may lead to disease.

11 Aug 2008

Low vitamin D levels substantially increase risk of death

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the most conclusive evidence to date that inadequate levels of vitamin D, obtained from milk, fortified cereals and exposure to sunlight, lead to substantially increased risk of death.

11 Aug 2008

Prions can survive in the ground for several years

Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant.

11 Aug 2008

Designer RNA fights high cholesterol, medical researchers find

Small, specially designed bits of ribonucleic acid (RNA) can interfere with cholesterol metabolism, reducing harmful cholesterol by two-thirds in pre-clinical tests, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in collaboration with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

11 Aug 2008