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UV light has "feel-good" effects that may be similar to those of some addictive drugs

Frequent users of tanning beds may be getting more out of the experience than darker skin, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

3 Apr 2006

Nigeria approves misoprostol for use in hospitals and clinics

An old drug will gain a new use in Nigeria when misoprostol will be distributed for prevention and control of post-partum hemorrhage, the life-threatening bleeding after childbirth that commonly occurs in developing countries.

3 Apr 2006

St. Jude develop relatively simple and inexpensive test for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have developed a relatively simple and inexpensive test that identifies children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have responded well enough to their first round of chemotherapy that they might be successfully treated with a much less aggressive follow-up treatment.

3 Apr 2006

HPV vaccines provide hope for major international programmes of primary prevention

Parents of young girls may soon be offered the opportunity to have their daughters immunised against a sexually transmitted virus that is the major cause of cervical cancer, the 4th International Conference on Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Medicine.

3 Apr 2006

Doctors able to predict recurrence of high-risk breast cancers

International researchers have developed a prediction model to assist doctors in determining the chance of recurrence of cancer in high-risk breast cancer patients who have undergone a mastectomy followed by radiation therapy.

3 Apr 2006

Malaria, mosquitoes and man - breaking a deadly cycle

Malaria kills a child every thirty seconds in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to recent estimates. It is a huge problem currently threatening over 40% of the world’s population and still on the increase.

31 Mar 2006

China free of lymphatic filariasis

China is slated to be officially declared free of the debilitating disease lymphatic filariasis, 15 years ahead of the global elimination target of 2020.

31 Mar 2006

Vegetarian diets cause major weight loss without exercise or calorie counting

A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.

31 Mar 2006

Raspberries - a better source of antioxidants

Antioxidants are believed to have substantial health benefits and raspberries in particular are a good source. In fact, raspberries may have 10 times more antioxidants than tomatoes or broccoli. Further, raspberries contain some specific antioxidants that are found almost nowhere else.

31 Mar 2006

Full-scale experiment designed to bring about tooth decay

In 1947-1949 a group of mental patients in Sweden were used as subjects in a full-scale experiment designed to bring about tooth decay. They were fed copious amounts of candy, and many of them had their teeth completely ruined. But, scientifically speaking, the experiment was a huge success.

31 Mar 2006

Amoebe promote persistence of epidemic strains of MRSA

Scientists in the UK have found that a type of amoeba acts as an incubator for MRSA bacteria. As amoebae are often found in healthcare environments this discovery has implications for the infection control strategies adopted by hospitals.

31 Mar 2006

New device could cut chemotherapy deaths

A new method of delivering chemotherapy to cancer patients without incurring side effects such as hair loss and vomiting is being developed.

31 Mar 2006

Serum tumor markers predict extravesical disease in clinical stage T2 bladder cancer

Bladder cancer clinical staging is notoriously poor in patients with muscle invasive disease.

31 Mar 2006

Underutilization of partial nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma in the U.S.

In the past, the gold standard for the treatment of localized renal tumors has been radical nephrectomy. Over time however, experience with nephron sparing surgery and, now, laparoscopic approaches have demonstrated oncologic equipoise and may provide for an improved quality of life for patients as compared to those undergoing radical nephrectomy for localized renal masses.

31 Mar 2006

Just when you thought that glass of wine did you good!

Just when you thought those one or two glasses of wine were of benefit to your health, a new study is now saying that is not necessarily the case.

31 Mar 2006

Power of prayer not proven when it comes to illness

The power of prayer is widely believed in the United States particularly when it comes to sickness.

31 Mar 2006

Scans show smart kids have different brains

Researchers say that children who perform differently in IQ tests show different patterns of brain development.

31 Mar 2006

Expecting enough bird flu vaccine for everyone is a big ask

According to researchers an experimental vaccine produced to offer protection against the H5N1 strain of bird flu presently causing havoc across the world, only appears to work at the very highest doses.

31 Mar 2006

Two released from hospital after drug trial horror

According to staff at Northwick Park Hospital, two of the volunteers being treated there following an extreme reaction during a drug trial, have been released.

31 Mar 2006

Health experts meet in Asia to discuss preventing deadly childhood diseases

The deadly diseases pneumonia and meningitis kill an estimated 1.8 million children under the age of 5 years across the globe every year. Of these, more than 700,000 occur in the countries in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions of the World Health Organization (WHO).

30 Mar 2006