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$75 million boost to Canada's health care system

In an effort to improve and strengthen their health care system Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh today announced a $75 million federal initiative that is expected to assist more than 2,000 internationally educated health care professionals to put their skills to work in Canada.

25 Apr 2005

Marburg outbreak appears to be under control at last

Medical teams attempting to control the worst outbreak ever recorded of the deadly Marburg virus in Angola are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as cooperation from stricken communities improves, the U.N. health agency said.

25 Apr 2005

Antibody for West Nile virus shows promise

Researchers have developed an antibody that can cure mice of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, a disease for which no specific treatment exists, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced.

25 Apr 2005

Gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease shows promise

In the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease researchers have produced preliminary evidence that gene therapy may slow the decline in mental functioning associated with Alzheimer's disease.

25 Apr 2005

Despite knowledge, very few follow a healthy lifestyle

New research has shown that despite access to advice on healthy lifestyles and government campaigns to encourage people to adopt a healthier way of life, very few Americans are applying that knowledge to themselves.

25 Apr 2005

Birdflu outbreak in Korea contained

Drastic action which has included the culling of nearly 220,000 infected chickens, the vaccination of others and strict biosecurity measures, has successfully contained the recent outbreak of bird flu in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

25 Apr 2005

Virginity pledges don't reduce teen sexual activity

Adolescents who take public virginity pledges are no less likely to engage in various forms of sexual activity than adolescents who do not take these pledges, a recent study of teen behavior found.

25 Apr 2005

New statin study shows arrested progression of atherosclerosis

The first study to use cutting edge magnetic resonance imaging to examine the effect of a statin - rosuvastatin (Crestor) - on the fatty plaques in arteries, was presented yesterday at the 75th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress. ORION revealed that rosuvastatin has a beneficial effect on the size and composition of fatty plaques in arteries (specifically the carotid artery in the neck). Fatty plaques that are vulnerable to sudden rupture can cause heart attacks and strokes without warning.

25 Apr 2005

New drug combo helps prevent strokes

A British research team at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London, have found that the addition of the anti-clotting drug Plavix to daily doses of aspirin helps prevent the risk of later strokes better than using aspirin alone.

25 Apr 2005

H7 strain of the bird flu outbreak in North Korea contained

The recent outbreak of avian influenza in North Korea (DPRK) has been successfully contained, FAO said today, urging the country to continue surveillance on the affected farms and elsewhere to ensure that no residual infection remains.

25 Apr 2005

Substantially more effective therapy than current treatments for Alzheimer's disease

PET scans and cognitive tests have suggested that Alzheimer's disease patients with genetically modified tissue inserted directly into their brains show a reduction in the rate of cognitive decline and increased metabolic activity in the brain, according to a study published in the April 24, 2005 online issue of the journal Nature Medicine by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

25 Apr 2005

Elderly lung cancer patients tolerate combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy with no higher risk of death than younger patients

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., with half of those diagnosed at age 70 years or older. About 20 percent of patients with lung cancer will have small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In the past, SCLC progressed rapidly despite initial chemotherapy sensitivity and few patients survive three years.

25 Apr 2005

Molecular models advance the fight against malaria

Research from Dartmouth Medical School, demonstrating how malaria parasites form mutations that make them stubbornly resistant to drug therapy, may hold the key to a new treatments for a disease that afflicts more than half a billion people worldwide.

25 Apr 2005

Reduction in oxygen levels greater problem as modern aeroplanes cruise to higher altitudes

More than half of air travellers find that their oxygen saturation drops to a level at which many hospital patients would be prescribed extra oxygen, according to a paper in the May issue of Anaesthesia.

25 Apr 2005

Increased risk associated with combining carotid artery, coronary artery surgeries

Among patients undergoing evaluation for coronary artery bypass surgery, stroke neurologists are frequently consulted when the patient also has severe carotid artery stenosis (blockage of an artery that supplies blood to the brain).

25 Apr 2005

Significant fall in serious violence in England and Wales

There has been a significant fall in serious violence in England (13%) and Wales (20%) over the last five years, according to a major study into trends in serious violence by Cardiff University.

25 Apr 2005

Simple actions could wipe out heart risks for Asian diabetics

New research, to be revealed on Tuesday 26th of April at the launch of the University of Warwick Medical School's new Clinical Sciences Research Institute at the University Hospital campus at Walsgrave in Coventry, has shown that very simple interventions to target the health care of UK Asian diabetics can almost wipe out the 40% higher risks of heart disease linked to diabetes in that community.

25 Apr 2005

Important new finding about the brain and its stem cells

A family's bravery and generosity in the face of their son's death three years ago has enabled researchers to make an important new finding about the brain and its stem cells.

25 Apr 2005

Study sheds light on why normal prion proteins may experience age-related mutations in inherited diseases

A new study sheds light on why normal prion proteins may experience age-related mutations in inherited diseases. Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine studied a previously discovered mutation in the prion protein in members of an extended family in Indiana who inherited the prion disease Gerstmann-Straussler-Sheinker (GSS).

25 Apr 2005

Few US adults report having a healthy lifestyle

Despite clear evidence of the health benefits, few U.S. adults conform to four common healthy behaviors that together characterize a healthy lifestyle, according to the April 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Apr 2005