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Cholera study provides exciting new way of looking at infectious disease

Scientists in Italy have discovered a new perspective in the study of infectious disease. Normally, such studies are based upon laboratory work looking at an organism and how it works within the human body.

2 May 2008

New tool for tissue damage assessment

A tool with the potential to determine the level of tissue damage in patients with osteo-arthritis, sports injuries and other conditions affecting bone and cartilage is being developed by QUT researchers. Professor Oloyede said that the device, which he calls a "smarthroscope", may be able to reduce the cost of surgery, eliminate unnecessary surgery, and could be useful in developing countries.

2 May 2008

Who pays for health care when workers are uninsured?

Health insurance coverage and unpaid health care for full-time workers and their family members without employer coverage costs the U.S. public $45 billion a year, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund released today.

2 May 2008

New funding to deliver targeted research

The Medical Research Council is launching a new funding stream to encourage the development of new therapies, interventions and diagnostic tools, and also of research tools used in their development by adopting problem-led approaches.

2 May 2008

Study identifies new mechanism linking activation of key heart enzyme and oxidative stress

A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in heart disease.

1 May 2008

Novavax opens new U.S. vaccine plant in Rockville, Maryland

Officials from Novavax, Inc., the State of Maryland and Montgomery County today celebrated the opening of Novavax's new state-of-the-art vaccine production facility at the company's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.

1 May 2008

Harmful blood glucose levels linked to genetic mutation

A genetic mutation that can raise the amount of glucose in a person's blood to harmful levels is identified today in a study in the journal Science.

1 May 2008

The "pain gap" in American society

A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population -- 28 percent -- are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free.

1 May 2008

Legalizing opium production in Afghanistan for medical use is neither viable or necessary

Proposals to legalise the production of opium in Afghanistan for medical use are unworkable and unnecessary, says the Minister of State for Africa, Asia, and the United Nations in an editorial in this week's BMJ.

1 May 2008

Does it matter that medical graduates don't get jobs as doctors?

In 2007, 1300 UK medical graduates were unable to secure training places, and this shortfall looks set to be repeated this year. But is this a betrayal of students' expectations or is this inevitable if patients are to get the best care?

1 May 2008

Poor nighttime sleep associated with daytime napping in older adults

Deficiencies in nighttime sleep are associated with daytime napping in older adults, according to a study published in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

1 May 2008

Increasing transmission of drug resistant tuberculosis in the UK

A changing population structure and ongoing migration have increased cases of drug resistant tuberculosis, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

1 May 2008

Antidepressant amitriptyline shown to alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

Researchers at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have found that low-dose antidepressant therapy can significantly improve the overall quality of life for adolescents suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

1 May 2008

Breakthrough compound could lead to new class of antihypertensive drugs

University of Florida researchers have identified a drug compound that dramatically lowers blood pressure, improves heart function and - in a remarkable finding - prevents damage to the heart and kidneys in rats with persistent hypertension

1 May 2008

Short and long sleepers more likely to have metabolic syndrome

A study published in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP is the first known to report that short and long sleepers are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, or a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

1 May 2008

Stanford researchers synthesize new agents to flush HIV out of hiding

Any hunter will tell you that when your quarry goes into hiding, you have to flush it out to get a good shot at it. Such is the case with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

1 May 2008

Phase of clock gene expression in human leukocytes correlates with habitual sleep timing

The phase of clock gene expression in leukocytes, assessed in the absence of the masking effects of light-dark and sleep-wake cycles, correlates with habitual sleep timing, according to a study published in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

1 May 2008

Novel automated anesthetic technique

Researchers at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have performed the world's first totally automated administration of an anesthetic. Nicknamed "McSleepy," the new system developed by the researchers administers drugs for general anesthesia and monitors their separate effects completely automatically, with no manual intervention.

1 May 2008

Children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit

Nearly one in three children admitted to pediatric intensive care will experience delusions or hallucinations, which put them at higher risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms, according to a new study of children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

1 May 2008

Obesity and heart failure risk

Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere report what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe overweight to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue and the subsequent damage leading to failure of the body's blood-pumping organ.

1 May 2008