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PSA blood tests for prostate cancer should start earlier in life

A study has found that measuring prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood may be the best way of identifying men with life-threatening prostate cancer.

2 Nov 2006

Study suggests colonoscopy guidelines need to be revised

According to a new study the polyps in the colon which are often a precursor to colon cancer are 73 percent more common in men than in women.

2 Nov 2006

HPV test is a better long-term predictor of cervical cell abnormalities than pap smear

The best initial cervical cancer screening tool for younger women is still the traditional Pap smear. However, a large Danish study has found that for older women (age 40 and older), a test for human papillomavirus (HPV) is a much more effective way to screen for potential cancer.

1 Nov 2006

The lifetime cost of current HIV care in the United States

"The Lifetime Cost of Current HIV Care in the United States," a major study appearing in the November 2006 issue of Medical Care, projects the cost of treatment for HIV-infected adults using current standards of care.

1 Nov 2006

Scientists spot mechanism behind promising new sleep drug

An experimental drug called gaboxadol may soon help millions of bleary-eyed insomniacs get to sleep, and a multi-center team of U.S. scientists believes they've pinpointed just how the drug works.

1 Nov 2006

Westerners may be more promiscuous but monogamy still rules!

According to a new study which collected data from people in 59 countries, westerners are more promiscuous than those in the developing world.

1 Nov 2006

Environment the culprit in women's higher risk of MS

Researchers in the UK are suggesting that there is an environmental link to the rising number of women being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Canada.

1 Nov 2006

Symptoms of schizophrenia eased by music therapy

According to British researchers, some of the symptoms of schizophrenia may be eased with music therapy.

1 Nov 2006

Will Libya take one step forward or two steps back?

A court in Libya has heard the closing remarks for the defence in the case of the six foreign medics accused of deliberating infecting 426 children with HIV at a hospital in Benghazi; 52 have since died of AIDS.

1 Nov 2006

Regular exercise protects against age related macular degeneration

AMD is a condition which causes light sensitive cells at the back of the eye to stop working, resulting in severe vision loss; it affects the central vision, needed for driving and for many other activities.

1 Nov 2006

New evidence says SIDS caused by abnormality in the brainstem

According to a new study by researchers in the U.S. some babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) do so because of an abnormality in the serotonin system in their brains.

1 Nov 2006

Compound in red wine counters effects of a high-calorie diet

The results of an international study suggests that a compound found in red wine gave mice longer and healthier lives and also countered some of the effects of a high-calorie diet.

1 Nov 2006

Tomatoes likely culprit in latest food scare

In yet another food scare in the U.S. an outbreak of salmonella which has sickened at least 172 people in 18 states and caused 11 people to be hospitalized, has yet to be narrowed down to one particular source.

1 Nov 2006

Mini artificial liver grown from stem cells

Scientists in Britain have grown the first artificial liver from stem cells, which is the first step in a process which within 10 years could see livers being grown in a laboratory for human transplants.

1 Nov 2006

Chinese lack of transparency could trigger bird flu pandemic

The transparency of health authorities in China has come under criticism yet again with the news of a new strain of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus which virologists say could be resistant to vaccines.

1 Nov 2006

Potential for first diagnostic DNA test to guide antidepressant treatment

Treatment of depression is difficult for both patients and for psychiatrists. While there are numerous drugs available that work, finding the right one -- or right combination -- is, at times, a matter of trial and error.

31 Oct 2006

Reduction of acrylamide formation in French fries by microwave pre-cooking of potato strips

Microwaving your French fries before you fry them reduces the levels of a cancer-causing substance, reveals findings published today in the SCI's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

31 Oct 2006

Polymer and ceramic biodegradable materials that carry bone growth enhancing substances

Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer with research by two biomedical engineering students who have found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or weakened bones.

31 Oct 2006

Long-term use of topiramate and kidney-stones

Topiramate (Topamax), a drug commonly prescribed to treat seizures and migraine headaches, can increase the propensity of calcium phosphate kidney stones, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

31 Oct 2006

Breast cancer patients may benefit from new accelerated treatment

Women with early-stage breast cancer may benefit from a new, accelerated approach to radiation therapy making their course of treatment shorter, according to a new study released today in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

31 Oct 2006