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New cervical cancer drug could be a bestseller

New data released yesterday says that a new vaccine that promises to protect against cervical cancer could offer wider resistance to the disease than previously thought.

5 May 2005

Britain recalls 35 more products with Para Red dye

Thirty five products contaminated with an illegal red dye Para Red, that has been linked to cancer, were recalled on Thursday by Britain's Food Standards Agency.

5 May 2005

Two more Polio cases reported in Indonesia

Health Officials are still investigating other suspected cases which have been reported in the same area of a West Javanese province.

5 May 2005

Pretty kids get the best deal all round

Disturbing new evidence from researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada, which is hard to believe, suggests that parents take better care of pretty children than they do of ugly ones.

4 May 2005

RADAR may have already saved hundreds of thousands of lives

As many as hundreds of thousands of lives may have saved by a program that identifies serious, sometimes fatal medication reactions.

4 May 2005

New discovery could improve IVF results

Scientists in the U.S. think they may have solved the puzzle of why some embryos fail to implant in their mother's womb, which is one of the main causes of IVF failures.

4 May 2005

Malaria still biggest killer of children in Africa

According to new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), progress has been made in preventing and treating malaria since 2000 and more countries are introducing the latest preventative measures to beat the disease.

4 May 2005

Polio threat originates in Nigeria 2 years after it was banished in most countries

Almost two years after radical Islamic preachers in Nigeria influenced parents against having their children vaccinated against polio for fear it was part of a U.S. plot against Muslims, a Nigerian strain of the virus that causes the crippling disease has occurred as far away as Indonesia.

4 May 2005

Penn researchers demonstrate that a metabolic enzyme works through the tumor-suppressor protein p53 to control cellular replication

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified in normal cells that a common metabolic enzyme, which acts as a rheostat of cellular conditions, also controls cell replication.

4 May 2005

Different consultants mean different lengths of stay in hospitals

Patients may enjoy shorter stays in hospitals depending on which consultant looks after them, according to new research published this week in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

4 May 2005

New GP contract may not improve treatment for heart failure patients

The new contract for GPs may improve identification and diagnosis of chronic heart failure, but there is a danger that it may fall short of ensuring optimal treatment for these patients, says research published this week in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

4 May 2005

WHO’s goal to provide life-long antiretroviral therapy to 3 million people with HIV/AIDS at risk of failing

Lack of financial resources, staff, and commitment from key countries, may hamper WHO’s goal to provide life-long antiretroviral therapy to 3 million people with HIV/AIDS in developing countries by the end of 2005 (3 by 5), states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

4 May 2005

Controlling a person’s weight after they have given up smoking could help maximise the benefits for their lungs

Lung function normally declines with advancing age, and smoking causes premature onset and acceleration of this age-related decline. Stopping smoking is beneficial for lung function but may lead to weight gain. Previous studies have reported the effects of quitting smoking and weight change on lung function, but the total effect has not been reported in a general population study.

4 May 2005

More effort needed to prevent pattern of child abuse developing in families

Children who have been abused are at high risk of recurrence and effective prevention strategies are urgently needed, state the authors of a randomised trial published online today (Thursday May 5, 2005) by The Lancet.

4 May 2005

The humble snail is helping scientists explore ways of treating memory loss in humans

Drug manufacturers are looking at ways to create a "Viagra for the brain", which could alleviate memory loss, one of the distressing symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer's. Work carried out by Dr George Kemenes, Senior Fellow in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Sussex, will hopefully help to show how such drugs could work.

4 May 2005

Nephrogenic Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuresis - a new genetic disease

Two infant boys whose bodies were overloaded with excess fluid have led UCSF pediatricians to the discovery of a new genetic disease. In the process, they have discovered a rare type of mutation where different substitutions in a single amino acid cause two different, opposite genetic disorders.

4 May 2005

Study reveals new approach to Huntington's disease

Scientific theory holds that Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a mutant protein that arises within brain cells and kills them, triggering the genetic neurological disorder. Now a new UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute study reveals the first strong evidence that the mutant protein also elicits toxic interactions from neighboring cells to provoke the fatal brain disorder. The May 5 edition of Neuron reports the findings.

4 May 2005