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Why reassurance fails in patients with unexplained symptoms

When patients are unconvinced by reassurance from their doctor that they have nothing to worry about, it may be because their emotional state makes it hard for them to remember all the information the doctor has given them, according to new research in PLoS Medicine.

2 Aug 2006

Progress in battle against anaphylactic shock

Up to 15% of the population has to contend at some time with Anaphylaxis: a suddenly serious allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.

2 Aug 2006

Super blackcurrants with boosted vitamin C

Scientists are working with the company behind the fruit drink Ribena to boost the vitamin C content of blackcurrants in a move that would be a major benefit to UK consumers and farmers.

1 Aug 2006

New therapeutics for cancer

A team of scientists at the University of Liverpool has secured the services of the National Biomanufacturing Centre (NBC) to develop and manufacture antibodies against a novel cancer antigen.

1 Aug 2006

New genetic model for Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden are homing in on mechanisms that may explain one set of causes for Parkinson's disease.

1 Aug 2006

Onchocerciasis treatment reduces prevalence and intensity by 38%

Onchocerciasis, river blindness or craw craw is an endemic disease in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.

1 Aug 2006

Do close surgical margins predict if breast cancer will return?

Cancer cells present after additional surgery for breast cancer may predict whether a woman will see her cancer return.

1 Aug 2006

Gifted kids reject schools' diet - but choose healthy eating

A new survey of over 700 gifted young people by the University of Warwick shows that they consider themselves bright enough to take responsibility for their food choices and don't think that schools should be allowed to dictate their diet.

1 Aug 2006

Big kids are getting too big

The epidemic of obesity in young children has been far worse in the tallest, fastest growing young children, according to new research published in The International Journal of Obesity.

From The University of Manchester 1 Aug 2006

Spatial organisation of the nervous system in primates and worms

Scientists have provided new insights into how the brain is organised - knowledge which could eventually inform diagnosis of and treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's disease and autism.

1 Aug 2006

Domestic violence during pregnancy increases risk of early childhood mortality

Domestic violence towards mothers during pregnancy significantly raises the risk of death for their children during the earliest stages of childhood, according to a study of families in India.

1 Aug 2006

New way to assess pandemic potential of influenza viruses

Study provides first assessment of the risk of an H5N1 pandemic strain emerging from the combining of avian and human influenza viruses.

1 Aug 2006

Chemicals in curry and onions may help prevent colon cancer

A small but informative clinical trial by Johns Hopkins investigators shows that a pill combining chemicals found in turmeric, a spice used in curries, and onions reduces both the size and number of precancerous lesions in the human intestinal tract.

1 Aug 2006

Volatile organic compounds and pulmonary function

New research shows that a chemical compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products, may be harmful to the lungs.

1 Aug 2006

Knee bone marrow lesions may be hereditary

Bone marrow lesions in the knee, a cause of pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, may be hereditary.

1 Aug 2006

Lung disease study hope for premature babies

A Europe-wide trial involving premature babies is investigating whether the risk of chronic lung disease can be halved if they are given nitric oxide gas to breathe shortly after birth.

1 Aug 2006

Construction of proteins with new mechanical properties through recombination of protein fragments

So that we can move, and so that our heart beats, we need proteins with special mechanical properties, "molecular springs", which give our tissues the necessary strength and take care of elasticity and tensibility.

1 Aug 2006

Creating your own pandemic virus is not so easy

A team of scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a new research method that may help identify the types of genetic changes that would be necessary for the avian influenza virus (H5N1) to be more easily transmitted among people.

1 Aug 2006

Couple charged after home-style liposuction results in death

A Brazilian couple in the United States have been charged with drug possession and distribution, illegal possession of a hypodermic needle and unauthorized practice of medicine without a license after a female patient died following liposuction.

1 Aug 2006

Anti-obesity vaccine keeps rats trim

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California in the U.S. have developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in rats even when they over ate.

1 Aug 2006