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Doctors call for taxes on junk food and subsidised fruit and veggies

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is calling for taxes on junk food and sugary drinks and subsidised fruit and vegetables to beat the obesity epidemic.

5 May 2008

High-fat diet for severe childhood epilepsy prevents seizures

According to experts in Britain a high-fat diet for children with severe epilepsy can dramatically reduce or prevent seizures; seizures are caused by bursts of electrical activity in the brain.

5 May 2008

Enterovirus 71 in China claims the lives of two more children

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a virus that has killed 24 young children and infected more than 5,000 could continue to spread regardless of efforts to contain it.

5 May 2008

Oestrogen works for women the way testosterone does for men

Collaboration by American and German scientists has revealed that the sex hormone oestrogen increases a women's competitiveness.

5 May 2008

It's official - there's a rogue fat gene!

Scientists from Oxford and Cambridge say in their second discovery they have found new genetic variants that influence fat mass, weight and risk of obesity and increase the chances of being fat, which may explain why some people are always battling with their weight.

5 May 2008

Expert says solve kidney donor crisis by paying for organs

A senior medical specialist has caused controversy over his comments regarding organ donations.

5 May 2008

Allergy expert says expect cure for peanut allergy in five years

The announcement by an American expert that within the next five years some form of immunotherapy will be available to treat peanut allergy, will bring relief to many concerned parents.

5 May 2008

Analysis of alcoholics' brains suggests treatment target

An analysis of brain tissue samples from chronic alcoholics reveals changes that occur at the molecular level in alcohol abuse - and suggests a potential treatment target, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

2 May 2008

Ads saying dairy products help you lose weight are misleading

There have been recent claims that dairy products can help people lose weight, and the dairy industry has hyped the assertion by investing millions of dollars in commercial advertising. However, a new review of the evidence published in the journal Nutrition Reviews reveals that neither dairy nor calcium intake promotes weight loss.

2 May 2008

Children affected by parents' behavior following trauma

A new study in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy examines the role that specific parenting practices may play in children's adjustment after trauma.

2 May 2008

Variations of the adiponectin gene may predict risk of breast cancer in women

According to a recent study, led by Virginia Kaklamani, MD, an oncologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, variations of the adiponectin gene, which regulates a number of metabolic processes, may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

2 May 2008

Stun guns may stimulate the heart

On the eve of the British Columbia inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, a review of scientific data in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) finds that in some cases, stun guns may stimulate the heart in experimental models. This evidence is contrary to current views that stun guns only affect skeletal muscles.

2 May 2008

On the road with allergies and asthma

For millions of Americans with allergies and asthma, summer travel concerns extend far beyond rising gas prices and airline security waits.

2 May 2008

New OPAL therapy presents simple, cost-effective method of treating HIV infection

Australian researchers have unveiled a new immunotherapy technique to help prevent the progression from HIV infection to AIDS. Details of the simple, cost-effective technique are published May 2nd in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.

2 May 2008

The HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia examined at EECAAC II

Starting tomorrow, the second Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference (EECAAC II), the largest AIDS-focused event to date in the region, will bring together a wide range of private and public groups at a critical time in the fight against AIDS.

2 May 2008

New surgical device earns high marks from combat surgeons

Results of an independent clinical study conducted by U.S. Army combat support surgeons in Baghdad show that a new medical device used to close a type of surgical wound more quickly is saving lives and limbs of soldiers and civilians.

2 May 2008

The future of cosmetic medicine

With Botox available at the mall and laser-hair removal offered at the neighborhood nail salon how can patients make sure they are getting safe and effective procedures? The future of Cosmetic Medicine will be discussed by leading experts at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) being held at the San Diego Convention Center May 2-6, 2008.

2 May 2008

$Skin resurfacing with a fractional laser$