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Frightening new Ebola strain ravages remote Congo area

An outbreak of a new strain of the deadly Ebola virus in a remote area near the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing considerable concern.

3 Dec 2007

Medical marijuana wins the day in court

Police in California have been ordered by a court to return a man's marijuana to him.

3 Dec 2007

FDA under pressure to do something about salt in foods

The Food and Drug Administration in the United States is coming under increasing pressure to enforce tougher regulations on the amount of sodium in food.

3 Dec 2007

Night shift work linked to cancer risk

A study by a team of international scientists has found that shift work may increase a person's risk of cancer.

3 Dec 2007

The true picture of AIDS in the U.S. yet to be revealed

Despite widespread reports in the U.S. media concerning the sharp rise in the number of annual infections from HIV/AIDS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is yet to confirm that is the case.

3 Dec 2007

Food preferences begin in the womb

Researchers in the U.S. have found that a liking for healthy food can begin in the womb.

3 Dec 2007

Hazards of CT scans overstated

Concerns over possible radiation effects of CT scans detailed in a report yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine should not scare people away from getting medically needed CT scans, as the scans play a critical role in saving the lives of thousands of people every day, according to an official with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM).

2 Dec 2007

FDA issues approvable letter for Nebivolol for the treatment of hypertension

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Mylan Inc. announced that Mylan has received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to its New Drug Application (NDA) for nebivolol (proposed brand name Bystolic), a novel beta blocker under review for the treatment of hypertension.

2 Dec 2007

FDA approves Cymbalta for maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.

2 Dec 2007

First map of imprinted genes in human genome

Scientists at Duke University have created the first map of imprinted genes throughout the human genome, and they say a modern-day Rosetta stone – a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning – was the key to their success.

2 Dec 2007

DNA methylation shown to promote development of colon tumors

Damaged or defective genes have long been known to be the cause of some cancers.

2 Dec 2007

Direct-to-consumer advertising for commercial genetic testing is on the rise and may be problematic

Direct-to-consumer advertising for commercial genetic testing is on the rise and may be problematic, according to a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician. In the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Erin Tracy, MD, MPH, warns that such testing is poorly regulated and may present potential pitfalls for patients and physicians.

2 Dec 2007

Childhood sleep-disordered breathing disproportionately affects obese and African-Americans

As the obesity epidemic grows in the U.S., doctors are discovering more and more far reaching health concerns for overweight children.

2 Dec 2007

Brain patterns of former anorexics reveal clues to disorder's lasting impact

Even after more than a year of maintaining a normalized body weight, young women who recovered from anorexia nervosa show vastly different patterns of brain activity compared to similar women without the eating disorder, Walter H. Kaye, M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

2 Dec 2007

Bowel cancer screening halves emergency admissions and cuts deaths

Bowel cancer screening halves emergency admissions for the disease and significantly cuts death rates, reveal the fifth year results from one of the first UK pilot sites.

2 Dec 2007

Bionovo describes a new class of therapeutic compounds

Bionovo, Inc. has announced the publication of a groundbreaking paper in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology covering the isolation, identification and description of a pure chemical compound, liquiritigenin, which represents a new class of therapeutic compounds showing promise for the safe treatment of menopausal symptoms.

2 Dec 2007

AstraZeneca receives six months pediatric exclusivity patent extension for ARIMIDEX (anastrozole)

AstraZeneca has announced that the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an additional six-month period of exclusivity to market ARIMIDEX (anastrozole) for its licensed breast cancer indications until June 2010.

2 Dec 2007

Altered sex hormone levels, higher body temp affects sleep quality in postmenopausal women

In an examination of potential relationships between objective sleep measures, nocturnal sex hormone levels, and the nocturnal course of body temperature of older postmenopausal women, a study published in the December 1, 2007 issue of the journal SLEEP finds that altered levels of both sex hormones and gonadotropins may contribute to sleep disturbance in older postmenopausal women and confirm the results of previous studies indicating that higher body temperature is associated with poorer sleep quality.

2 Dec 2007

Study of the post-transplant effects of alcohol use among lung donors

A recent study using an animal model of lung transplants shows that chronic alcohol consumption by the donor promotes scarring and airway injury after transplantation.

2 Dec 2007

Aging improves parent, child relationships, research shows

The majority of relationships between parents and their adult children improve as parents transition to old age, a Purdue University researcher has found.

2 Dec 2007