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Should doctors participate in capital punishment?

Should doctors be involved in the state-ordered administration of capital punishment?

5 Sep 2007

Do not ignore fatigue

Jennifer Sieck knew something had to be done when she would lie in bed most of the day and night.

5 Sep 2007

Benefits and limitations of health tests offered in community settings

Consumers who queue up for health screenings at the mall, a senior center, a drug store or other retail business could benefit from the information they learn.

5 Sep 2007

Clinical handover at the patient's bedside key to improving safety in hospitals

The handover of patient information during nursing shift changes is a key area under investigation in a national effort to improve patient safety in hospitals.

5 Sep 2007

Can brain-injured, partially-blind stroke patients regain some of their lost vision?

Is it possible to offer hope for stroke patients who've lose part of their vision?

5 Sep 2007

A new study in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, points to a new method for burning off all those irresistible extra calories—by turning on an energy-draining, but otherwise futile, cycle of protein synthesis and breakdown.

5 Sep 2007

Better communication makes for less complaints among doctors

Physicians who score poorly on patient-physician communication skills exams are far more likely to generate patient complaints to regulatory authorities, says a new study led by McGill University's Robyn Tamblyn and published in the September 5 issue of JAMA.

5 Sep 2007

Avocado extract stops growth of pre-cancerous cells that lead to oral cancer

Nutrients taken from avocados are able to thwart oral cancer cells, killing some and preventing pre-cancerous cells from developing into actual cancers, according to researchers at Ohio State University.

5 Sep 2007

Perindopril - indapamide drug combo cuts death rate in type 2 diabetes

The largest-ever study of treatments for type 2 diabetes has shown that a combination of two blood pressure lowering drugs reduced the risk of death, as well as the risks of heart and kidney disease.

5 Sep 2007

A little dirt never hurt!

A little dirt never hurt. But in today's super-clean world, vaccinations, anti-bacterial soaps, and airtight doors and windows are keeping dirt and disease-causing germs at bay.

5 Sep 2007

Ardea Biosciences completes phase 1 trials of HIV drug RDEA806

Ardea Biosciences, Inc. has announced that it has successfully completed Phase 1 single-ascending-dose, multiple-ascending-dose, food-effect, and drug-interaction studies of RDEA806, a novel HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), in healthy volunteers.

5 Sep 2007

Lower blood pressure to manage type 2 diabetes

A small reduction in blood pressure produced a significant benefit in the largest study ever done on the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes, presented on Sunday in Vienna at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, and published online in the Lancet the same day.

5 Sep 2007

U.S. may learn from Quebec's prescription drug plan

A new study published in The Milbank Quarterly finds a number of similarities between Canadian drug coverage and that of the United States, despite their publicized differences.

5 Sep 2007

N-acetylcysteine may not be as safe as once thought

Certain preparations taken to enhance athletic performance or stave off disease contain an anti-oxidant that could cause harm.

5 Sep 2007

1.5 million children suffering from diarrhoea can be saved every year with the right treatment

Despite global efforts to control it, diarrhoea is still one of the most common reasons for the high child mortality rates in many low and middle-income countries.

5 Sep 2007

Revlimid receives approval in Switzerland for treatment of multiple myeloma

Celgene International Sarl has announced that it's oral cancer drug, Revlimid (lenalidomide) has been granted approval by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) for use in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.

5 Sep 2007

Oncolytics Biotech issued new U.S. patent

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. has announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent 7,264,798 entitled "Sensitization of Chemotherapeutic Agent Resistant Neoplastic Cells with a Virus."

5 Sep 2007

3D fruit fly images to benefit brain research

The fragile head and brain of a fly are not easy things to examine but MRC scientists have figured out how to make it a little simpler. And they hope their research will shed light on human disease.

5 Sep 2007

Equine flu highlights issue of biosecurity

Not long before the equine flu outbreak, Dr Phil McManus from the University of Sydney School of Geosciences sent out an Australia-wide questionnaire to thoroughbred horse breeders. He asked them what they thought was the biggest threat to their industry.

5 Sep 2007

Has NHS programme for reforming doctors' training lost its way?

In this week's BMJ, father and son, Anthony and George Madden discuss Modernising Medical Careers, the programme of reform of junior doctors' training, and ask is it still fit for purpose?

5 Sep 2007