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Grapefruit have strong antioxidant properties that can have healing effects on stomach ulcers

Extracts of the popular diet item grapefruit have strong antioxidant properties that can have healing effects on stomach ulcers, according to a new study presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 (DDW).

17 May 2005

Mathematical way to identify babies at risk for epilepsy

Confusion and speech problems are frequent signs of seizures, but babies offer few such clues as to what ails them.

17 May 2005

Doxorubicin-docetaxel combination is associated with an increased risk of severe and life-threatening complications

Researchers in France say a study using two chemotherapy agents to treat breast cancer was halted after two women in the study died.

17 May 2005

Scientists have uncovered a new method the immune system uses to label foreign invaders as targets to be attacked

Researchers showed that the immune system can brand foreign proteins by chemically modifying their structure, and that these modifications increased the chances that cells known as lymphocytes would recognize the trespassers and attack them.

17 May 2005

HIV/AIDS is the biggest killers in every South African province except the Western Cape

A new report by the Medical Research Council in South Africa has quantified the leading causes of death in each province for the first time, and has found that HIV and Aids are the biggest killers in every province except the Western Cape.

17 May 2005

Pills made from the plant kudzu may help binge drinkers lose the urge

Researchers have found that drinkers seemed to lose the urge to binge-drink when they took pills made from the plant kudzu. Experts say the groundbreaking discovery may lead to a way to attack the rising binge-drinking problem which is especially prevalent among young people.

17 May 2005

Postmenopausal women who follow a low-fat diet have 24 percent less chance of a recurrence of breast cancer

The study by Rowan T. Chlebowski and colleagues at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, involved 2,437 women aged 48 to 79 who were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and were treated at several medical centers. All the women had the standard treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy and or tamoxifen therapy.

17 May 2005

Unlucky news for Kylie Minogue

The 36-year-old Australian Pop Diva was diagnosed with breast cancer while visiting her family at home in Melbourne, her management confirmed.

17 May 2005

Sometimes knowledge can be a bad thing

A new study found adults did better remembering pictures of imaginary animals than they did remembering pictures of real cats.

17 May 2005

Women are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of excessive drinking

A brain-scan study in Germany has found evidence that women are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of excessive drinking.

17 May 2005

Vaccine may prevent cigarette addiction

Clinical trials on a new vaccine against smoking has given hope to those trying to quit. The vaccine could also prevent cigarette addiction.

17 May 2005

Hospital managers could face criminal charges if patients catch superbugs

Ms Hewitt has promised a "much stronger" legal framework in the National Health Service (NHS) to help hospitals reduce the rate of antibiotic-resistant MRSA and other hospital acquired infections.

17 May 2005

Lower doses of chemo just as effective in childhood cancers

In the latest research into treating a common childhood cancer, paediatric oncologist Allen Chauvenet, is optimistic that the long-term side effects that survivors experience as they grow into adulthood can be reduced.

17 May 2005

Big pharma gets the desired results from medical journals

“Medical journals are an extension of the marketing arm of pharmaceutical companies,” argues Richard Smith, former editor of the BMJ and now Chief Executive of UnitedHealth Europe, in a provocative essay published in the open access international health journal PLoS Medicine.

17 May 2005

Sensor warns of gastrointestinal problems

Dutch researcher Sebastiaan Herber has developed a sensor which can detect poor blood circulation in the stomach. A high level of carbon dioxide in the stomach is a characteristic of this so-called gastrointestinal ischaemia. By measuring this concentration the sensor can indicate how good or bad the circulation in the stomach wall is.

17 May 2005

New discovery sparks hope of safer dosage of Warfarin

The blood-thinning drug Warfarin tops the list of drug side-effects in Sweden. Patient sensitivity to Warfarin varies, which can lead to over-dosage and in certain cases to death.

17 May 2005

More research needed into access to emergency contraception

Experts at The University of Nottingham have called for more research into whether systems for accessing emergency contraception are meeting the needs of younger women and those from poorer backgrounds.

17 May 2005

New drug combination prevents breast cancer growth pre-surgery

A new type of drug originally developed for lung cancer can reduce the size of breast cancer tumours when taken in combination with other drugs.

17 May 2005

Safety belts in police cars may be life threatening

The hypothesis that the personal equipment or the uniform might affect the function of the seat belt in a collision was put to test. The study points out that an alternative, professional use of vehicles ought to be more generally considered in relation to the crash safety aspects.

17 May 2005

Gefitinib (Iressa) could reduce the size of breast cancer tumours

Giving women with early breast cancer a drug called gefitinib (Iressa) before surgery could reduce the size of their tumours, suggests a randomised trial published online today by The Lancet Oncology.

17 May 2005