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You're never too old to quit smoking

According to US Government officials you're never to old to quit smoking, announcing that Medicare will immediately start covering the cost of counselling for certain beneficiaries who want to quit tobacco.

22 Mar 2005

Pomegranate juice helps keep fatty deposits from collecting on artery walls

A study in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by Italian and American scientists reports that pomegranate juice helped keep fatty deposits from collecting on artery walls in mice, and kept human heart cells healthier. The mice were specially bred to have high cholesterol and on human heart cells in culture.

22 Mar 2005

Tiny scaffolding allows stem cells to become working fat cells

Researchers here have used a new microscopic, three-dimensional scaffolding to coax mouse stem cells to transform themselves into fat cells, and then to function identical to how fat cells naturally do in the body.

22 Mar 2005

Indian production of cheap generic drugs could be banned

To ensure India meets World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on the production of drugs, the Indian Parliament has approved legislation by the parliament's lower house, to ban domestic firms from manufacturing low-cost generic copies of patented drugs.

22 Mar 2005

Smart nanocarrier technology will cancer treatment

A ‘smart’ nanocarrier technology developed by a team of researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) is set to vastly improve the way cancer patients are treated.

22 Mar 2005

Alzheimer's treatment improves with new diagnostic method

Earlier detection and treatment for Alzheimer's Disease are now more practical for larger segments of the population through a more refined use of existing, well-validated neuropsychological tests.

22 Mar 2005

Green alga closes wounds by means of enzymatic activation of a cross-linking protein

A small wound is painful, but is normally not a problem. Like all multicellular organisms, our bodies form new tissue around the damaged cells. Single-celled organisms cannot do this. In order to survive an injury, they have to quickly repair the cell itself. Large single-celled organisms, such as the green alga Caulerpa taxifolia, which can be several meters long, are especially at risk for injuries.

22 Mar 2005

BMA(NI) initial response to Review of Public Administration further consultation

In an initial response to the further consultation document on the Review of Public Administration, BMA(NI) Chairman, Dr Brian Patterson, said: "In our response to the first RPA document we highlighted our belief that the number of Health Boards in Northern Ireland should be reduced and are pleased to see that this has been reflected in this latest document.

22 Mar 2005

Red blood cells lump by mobile phone

Two students of the Gymnasium high school in Spaichingen (Germany) have investigated the influence of using a mobile phone on the red blood cells. With a microscope they made 255 pictures of the blood of 51 testees.

22 Mar 2005

Women who are HIV-positive or are abused are more likely to think about or attempt suicide

The Hopkins study, consistent with previous research, sheds new light on the extent to which being in an abusive relationship compounds suicide risk for HIV-positive women in particular. This latest study is published in the March/April 2005 issue of Women’s Health Issues

22 Mar 2005

Doctors raise concern about heart drug Nesiritide

Doctors raise concern about heart drug. The heart drug Nesiritide (Natrecor) is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of decompensated heart failure, the most common reason for hospitalization for those over 65 years of age.

22 Mar 2005

Fever outbreak in Angola causes concern

More than 90 people have died in Angola from what experts believe to be acute hemorrhagic fever syndrome.

22 Mar 2005

Schiavo case - Judge refuses to allow feeding tube to be reinserted

A request from the parents of Florida woman Terri Schiavo to reinsert her feeding tube has been rejected by a federal judge; this is a blow to attempts by the US Congress and the White House to prolong her life. Bob and Mary Schindler, Schiavo's parents, immediately appealed to the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta as their daughter went for a fourth day without nutrition or hydration.

22 Mar 2005

Mixed results on the effects of epilepsy drugs taken during pregnancy

New studies show mixed results on the effects of epilepsy drugs taken during pregnancy. With a newer drug, lamotrigine, the risk of birth defects was similar to that in women without epilepsy. But long-time epilepsy drug valproic acid, or sodium valproate, does increase the risk of birth defects.

22 Mar 2005

No serious adverse events found with next-generation smallpox vaccine

Interim data from a phase I/II clinical trial of a next-generation vaccine for smallpox suggest that the vaccine may provide immunity and thus far the trial has been without any serious adverse events.

22 Mar 2005

Novel method of testing exhaled breath to detect infection

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University are developing a novel method of testing exhaled breath to detect infection rapidly after potential exposure to a biological warfare agent. They report their findings today at the 2005 ASM Biodefense Research Meeting.

22 Mar 2005

Ultraviolet instant cameras may help change sun protection behaviors

Photographs that reveal hidden skin damage from ultraviolet (UV) exposure from the sun, combined with information on sunless tanning alternatives, was effective in encouraging sun protection behaviors in a small group of college students, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology.

22 Mar 2005

Three risk factors have the greatest impact on patient and graft survival rates for liver transplantation

Three risk factors: donor age; the length of time an organ is cooled between procurement and transplantation; and how urgently the recipient needs the transplant; have the greatest impact on patient and graft survival rates for liver transplantation, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Surgery.

22 Mar 2005

Federal database used to track trends in cochlear implant complications

Changes in the format of a federal database for mandatory reporting of major and minor complications for medical devices, including cochlear implants, could make it a valuable resource, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

22 Mar 2005

Safe, effective, and reliable procedure for straightening of crooked nose

A surgical technique offers improved outcomes for straightening the middle third of the nose, a difficult to manage deformity, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

22 Mar 2005