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Statins appear to preserve lung function

Statins are known to be good for lowering cholesterol and maybe even fighting dementia, and now they have another reported benefit: they appear to slow decline in lung function in the elderly - even in those who smoke.

15 Oct 2007

New species of fungus

A species of fungus new to science has been discovered on Imperial's Silwood Park campus, and has been named in the campus' honour.

15 Oct 2007

Portable detection system for foot-and-mouth and avian flu

Smiths Detection, part of the global technology business Smiths Group, today announces it is to launch a portable detection system that will enable veterinarians to carry out on-site diagnosis of animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth and avian flu.

15 Oct 2007

Short-term hemofiltration is cost-effective for severe acute pancreatitis

Early nasogastric enteral nutrition is a breakthrough in the management of severe acute pancreatitis.

15 Oct 2007

Launch of new transatlantic research link

Scientists in London will be able to use and manipulate, in real-time, leading multi-million dollar scientific instruments and technology in the USA, following the official launch of the Global Lab at Imperial College London.

15 Oct 2007

Pregabalin decreases pain after knee replacement surgery

The drug pregabalin, administered before and after knee replacement surgery, significantly decreased patient pain while increasing and expediting mobility after surgery, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Cause and clinical outcome of portal vein thrombosis

Among the 118 patients with portal vein thrombosis, noncirrhotic and nontumoral extrahepatic portal vein obstruction are young and present with well tolerated bleed.

15 Oct 2007

Anesthesia passport ensures optimal care

A patient “passport,” outlining individual anesthetic experiences and side effects, can help patients to better understand the procedures they have undergone in the operating room and potentially avoid future, unnecessary complications.

15 Oct 2007

Nicotine patch for prostate surgery relief?

The use of a nicotine patch - successfully used to help many smokers decrease their dependency on nicotine - was shown to reduce pain in men after prostate removal surgery in a new anesthesiology study.

15 Oct 2007

Microarray-based genomic selection accelerates discovery of subtle DNA variations

A new technology developed by scientists at Emory University will allow researchers to more easily discover subtle and overlooked genetic variations that may have serious consequences for health and disease.

15 Oct 2007

Familial multiple sclerosis appears more severe than non-familial

Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of a large group of patients with multiple sclerosis has provided the first evidence that those with a history of MS in their families show more severe brain damage than patients who have no close relatives with the disease.

15 Oct 2007

Discovery of way to match pathogens to their antibodies

The search for a vaccination against HIV has been in progress since 1984, with very little success.

15 Oct 2007

Annual maternal mortality ratio decline rate below target

The world's maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100 000 live births) is declining too slowly to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which aims to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015.

15 Oct 2007

Even low levels of weekly exercise can be beneficial

Even low levels of weekly exercise can drive down blood pressure and boost overall fitness according to new research for the University of Ulster.

15 Oct 2007

Central venous catheters may harm patients

Central venous catheters are commonly used to provide permanent hemodialysis for patients with serious kidney disease.

15 Oct 2007

Fearful eyes and happy faces - how we perceive certain cues

You may not be fully dressed without a smile, but a look of horror will make a faster first impression.

15 Oct 2007

How does the opioid system work?

The opioid system controls pain, reward and addictive behaviors. Opioids exert their pharmacological actions through three opioid receptors, mu, delta and kappa whose genes have been cloned (Oprm, Oprd1 and Oprk1, respectively).

15 Oct 2007

New gene findings show that controls of lifespan and cancer have deep, common roots

A person is 100 times more likely to get cancer at age 65 than at age 35. But new research reported in the journal "Nature Genetics" identifies naturally occurring processes that allow many genes to both slow aging and protect against cancer in the much-studied C. elegans roundworm.

15 Oct 2007

People with lower dopamine levels eat more

Science has found one likely contributor to the way that some folks eat to live and others live to eat.

15 Oct 2007

First high-res 3D structures of first mammalian GRP94 protein solved

Dr. Dan Gewirth, Hauptman-Woodward senior research scientist, has just solved the structure of the first mammalian GRP94 protein implicated in immune diseases such as sepsis, AIDS and certain cancers.

15 Oct 2007