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Alzheimer disease and the blood brain barrier

Increased production of the amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide can lead to Abeta aggregation and buildup in the brain and rare familial forms of early onset Alzheimer disease (AD).

20 Oct 2005

Link between emotional impairment and poor cognition in children with bipolar disorder

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Pavuluri and her colleagues examined the brain activity of teens while they were performing certain mental tasks. The researchers scanned the brains of 10 unmedicated bipolar patients with normal mood and compared them with 10 healthy subjects of the same age and gender.

20 Oct 2005

Diet rich in fruits and vegetables could be a good defense against prostate cancer

Previous studies have suggested that increased intake of flavonoids which are common in fruits and vegetables may be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to Sanjay Gupta, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Case School of Medicine Department of Urology.

20 Oct 2005

Identification of a factor in human milk that can block HIV-1 transmission

Mother to child transmission of HIV accounts for a large proportion of HIV infections in children, with many infected as a result of breastfeeding, which requires transfer of the virus across mucosal barriers. DC-SIGN, a DC lectin receptor, interacts with HIV and is found at high expression levels in tonsillar tissue.

20 Oct 2005

Retiring early is not linked to longer life

There is a widespread perception that early retirement is associated with longer life expectancy and later retirement is associated with early death. But no consensus has been reached on the effect of early retirement on survival.

20 Oct 2005

NHS needs an independent regulator

The NHS should have an independent regulator like other public utilities in the UK, argues a senior doctor in this week’s British Medical Journal.

20 Oct 2005

U.S. health inequalities cause 84,000 extra deaths every year

Research estimates that health inequalities between white and black Americans cause 84,000 extra deaths every year – equating to a virtual hurricane Katrina every week, says an editorial in this week’s British Medical Journal.

20 Oct 2005

Separate guidelines needed for the treatment of organophosphorus insecticide self-poisoning

Organophosphorus insecticide poisoning is a major global health problem, with hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Most of these are in developing countries but this type of poisoning is also an important type of self-poisoning in the developed countries.

20 Oct 2005

Interventions to improve child survival are not reaching the poorest children

In most low-income countries, coverage rates for child-survival interventions are low, and millions of children die every year from diseases for which there are effective interventions.

20 Oct 2005

26% of HIV-infected individuals reported that they felt discriminated against by physicians

Research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reveals that 26% of HIV-infected individuals reported that they felt discriminated against by physicians and other health care providers. Despite demographic variations, all subgroups reported discrimination of some type.

20 Oct 2005

US Congress has wasted an opportunity to tackle the rising numbers of chronically hungry people in the world

On World Food Day, Oct 16, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered some disquieting news: the number of chronically hungry people is rising again after decades of decline. Almost 6·5 million people have died so far this year from hunger and related diseases, which claim more lives than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

20 Oct 2005

Avian flu and planning for pandemic

Influenza season is almost upon us. While it is impossible to tell whether we are going to experience a usual flu season -- with one in every five people falling ill -- or whether we are facing a more serious problem such as a dangerous new strain capable of causing a global pandemic, information is important.

20 Oct 2005

Breast cancer drug Herceptin a 'stunner'

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) the first trials of the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, tested on women with early stage disease are "simply stunning".

20 Oct 2005

Zambia to try 'herbal remedy' as a treatment for HIV/AIDS

The United Nations paints a grim picture of the health situation in Zambia. One in every six adults in Zambia is living with HIV, life expectancy at birth is below 40 years and 630,000 children in Zambia are AIDS orphans.

20 Oct 2005

IVF gives women false expectations

Experts are warning that women are risking their chances of having children because they are delaying motherhood on the basis of "false expectations" about the success of IVF treatment.

20 Oct 2005

Screening test would give hope to childless couples

According to new research thousands of childless British couples could greatly improve their chances of having a baby if a test that weeds out faulty embryos were carried out.

20 Oct 2005

Award for genetic study that revolutionised thinking on epilepsy

Melbourne researcher, Professor Sam Berkovic, has been awarded the prestigious Zulch Prize from the Max Planck Society in Germany in recognition of his groundbreaking investigations into the genetic foundations of epilepsy.

19 Oct 2005

EU influenza pandemic preparedness

EU preparedness against an influenza pandemic has improved over the last six months, but Member States need to step up their efforts to strengthen their pandemic preparedness, according to Markos Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.

19 Oct 2005

Neurobiologists gain new insights into brain and memory

We often make unwise choices although we should know better. Thunderstorm clouds ominously darken the horizon. We nonetheless go out without an umbrella because we are distracted and forget. But do we?

19 Oct 2005

"Junk" DNA not important to an organism's evolutionary survival

Genetic material derisively called "junk" DNA because it does not contain the instructions for protein-coding genes and appears to have little or no function is actually critically important to an organism's evolutionary survival, according to a study conducted by a biologist at the University of California, San Diego.

19 Oct 2005