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Antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A and E may increase risk of death

Contradicting claims of disease prevention, an analysis of previous studies indicates that the antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase the risk of death, according to a meta-analysis and review article in the February 28 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

28 Feb 2007

Tangerine tomatoes boost disease-fighting antioxidants in blood

Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more readily use.

28 Feb 2007

MIT researchers develop technique to encourage the survival and growth of adult stem cells

Adult stem cells, found in many tissues in the body, are precursor cells for specific cell types. For example, stem cells found in the bone marrow develop into blood cells, bone cells and other connective tissues, and neural stem cells develop into brain tissue.

28 Feb 2007

Link between growth of blood vessels critical to spread of cancer and copper in our bodies

Growing new blood vessels from existing ones - a process called angiogenesis - is important in growth, development and wound healing. But it also enables the spread of tumors throughout the body, so researchers have been scrambling for ways to stop angiogenesis in the fight against cancer.

28 Feb 2007

Vitamin D deficiency widespread among women during pregnancy

Even regular use of prenatal multivitamin supplements is not adequate to prevent vitamin D insufficiency, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the publication of the American Society for Nutrition.

28 Feb 2007

Differences in outcomes of obese women and men undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty

Obese patients tend to have a higher prevalence of total hip replacements due to a higher incidence of hip osteoarthritis. This is of particular concern in light of the trend in rising rates of obesity in developed countries.

28 Feb 2007

Relationship between appearance and psychological distress in rheumatic diseases

Patients with rheumatic disease can experience physical deformities, especially of the hands and feet in the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or skin rashes and lesions and hand deformity in the case of systemic lupus erthyematosus.

28 Feb 2007

Industry funded studies on breast cancer treatments more likely to have positive results

Industry-funded clinical trials of breast cancer medications report more favorable results than nonindustry supported research, according to a study published in the Feb. 26 online edition of the journal Cancer, the New York Times reports (Bakalar, New York Times, 2/27).

28 Feb 2007

Legislation introduced to help improve heart disease, stroke prevention efforts among women

A group of female lawmakers -- including Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Reps. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) and Lois Capps (D-Calif.) -- earlier this month introduced legislation (S 573, HR 1014) that aims to improve heart disease education among women, bolster gender-specific research and increase women's access to heart disease screening, CQ HealthBeat reports.

28 Feb 2007

FDA intends to withhold $1.2M of $4M allocated to office of women's health

FDA intends to withhold $1.2 million of the $4 million Congress allocated for the agency's Office of Women's Health in fiscal year 2007, and the remaining $2.8 million has already been allocated or spent, according to an unnamed, high-level agency official, the Washington Post reports.

28 Feb 2007

California Appellate Court panel upholds constitutionality of State proposition promoting embryonic stem cell research

A three-judge panel of the California First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco on Monday ruled unanimously that California's Proposition 71 -- approved by voters in 2004 to provide $3 billion for human embryonic stem cell research -- is constitutional, the New York Times reports.

28 Feb 2007

Ice cream to conceive!

Drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream appears to be better for women trying to become pregnant than a diet consisting of low-fat dairy products such as skimmed milk and yoghurt, according to new research published in the journal, Human Reproduction.

28 Feb 2007

U.N. representative ordered to leave Gambia after questioning President's claims of HIV/AIDS cure

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has ordered United Nations representative Fadzai Gwaradzimba to leave the country after she questioned Jammeh's claim that he can cure HIV/AIDS with an herbal remedy, VOA News reports.

28 Feb 2007

Medical workers sentenced to death in Libyan HIV infection case plead not guilty in slander hearing

The five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV on Sunday pleaded not guilty to claims that they slandered a police officer and a doctor by accusing them of torture, Reuters/Independent Online reports.

28 Feb 2007

AHF launches ad campaign against Bristol-Myers Squibb over antiretroviral pricing in Mexico

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation recently launched an advertisement campaign against Bristol-Myers Squibb over the price of the pharmaceutical company's antiretroviral drugs Reyataz and Videx in Mexico, the AP/Forbes reports.

28 Feb 2007

Researchers conducting clinical trials of diaphragm as HIV prevention method

Researchers at the Women's Global Health Imperative program at the University of California-San Francisco's Medical Center are conducting a large-scale clinical trial among 4,500 women in Zimbabwe and South Africa to test the effectiveness of diaphragms in preventing the spread of HIV, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

28 Feb 2007

Benefits of breast-feeding might outweigh risk of vertical HIV transmission in developing countries

A series of studies presented Monday at the 14th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Los Angeles suggest that the benefits of breast-feeding in developing countries might outweigh the risk of vertical HIV transmission, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

28 Feb 2007

Microsoft to acquire Medstory

Microsoft on Monday announced plans to acquire California-based Medstory, a start-up company that has developed a specialized online search engine to provide health and medical information to consumers, the New York Times reports.

28 Feb 2007

Pennsylvania could save on health care by working with physicians

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's (D) proposal to expand health care coverage in the state "goes further" than plans offered by "most politicians," but it does not "target the underlying causes of high cost," including "unnecessary care, financial paperwork, excess prices and fraud," Alan Sager and Deborah Socolar, directors of the Health Reform Program at Boston University's School of Public Health, write in a Harrisburg Patriot-News opinion piece.

28 Feb 2007

Campaign seeks to counter influence of pharma sales reps

The Boston Globe on Monday examined the Independent Drug Service project, a $1 million campaign in Pennsylvania that sends consultants to inform physicians about the effectiveness of different medications based on scientific evidence to "combat the sales pitches" of pharmaceutical companies.

28 Feb 2007

Medical News

Antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A and E may increase risk of death

Tangerine tomatoes boost disease-fighting antioxidants in blood

MIT researchers develop technique to encourage the survival and growth of adult stem cells

Link between growth of blood vessels critical to spread of cancer and copper in our bodies

Vitamin D deficiency widespread among women during pregnancy

Differences in outcomes of obese women and men undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty

Relationship between appearance and psychological distress in rheumatic diseases

Industry funded studies on breast cancer treatments more likely to have positive results

Legislation introduced to help improve heart disease, stroke prevention efforts among women

FDA intends to withhold $1.2M of $4M allocated to office of women's health

California Appellate Court panel upholds constitutionality of State proposition promoting embryonic stem cell research

Ice cream to conceive!

U.N. representative ordered to leave Gambia after questioning President's claims of HIV/AIDS cure

Medical workers sentenced to death in Libyan HIV infection case plead not guilty in slander hearing

AHF launches ad campaign against Bristol-Myers Squibb over antiretroviral pricing in Mexico

Researchers conducting clinical trials of diaphragm as HIV prevention method

Benefits of breast-feeding might outweigh risk of vertical HIV transmission in developing countries

Microsoft to acquire Medstory

Pennsylvania could save on health care by working with physicians

Campaign seeks to counter influence of pharma sales reps

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

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