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Molecular mechanism that desensitizes us to cold, discovered

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have discovered how the membrane protein that allows us to sense cold works and how this protein becomes desensitized so that one no longer feels the cold.

27 Apr 2005

$Giving elderly people regular supplements of vitamin D and calcium to prevent secondary bone fractures is ineffective$

Giving elderly people regular supplements of vitamin D and calcium to prevent secondary bone fractures is ineffective

Elderly people who have osteoporosis have a high risk of bone fractures and those who previously had a fracture are at an increased risk of having another. Vitamin D and calcium, alone or in combination, are often recommended for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures.

27 Apr 2005

Substituting nurses for doctors results in high quality care, few savings

Many primary care responsibilities can be safely transferred from doctors to appropriately trained nurses, says a new review of evidence. Yet there is little proof that such a shift reduces physician workload or health-care costs.

27 Apr 2005

Children do well with shorter fast before surgery

Children facing surgery can be made more comfortable with little risk by allowing them to have certain liquids up to two hours before the operation, a new review of recent studies has found.

27 Apr 2005

Breastfeeding causes nearly 40 percent of all pediatric HIV infections

Breastfeeding causes nearly 40 percent of all pediatric HIV infections, yet also prevents millions of child deaths every year by protecting infants from diarrhea and other infections. Finding ways to make breastfeeding safer for infants of HIV-infected mothers has been an urgent research priority.

27 Apr 2005

Common chest X-ray in the elderly can reveal osteoporosis

According to Canadian researchers undetected osteoporosis in the elderly might be discovered if chest X-rays that are done for other reasons were examined for fractures of the vertebrae.

27 Apr 2005

Risk scores identify young people with hardened arteries

Armed with more knowledge about what cardiovascular disease looks like in people ages 15 to 34, co-authors from the University of Texas Health Science Center, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and institutions in Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Louisiana will report...

27 Apr 2005

Trust the Tories on MRSA - you must be joking

Hospital cleaners, nurses and health workers today attacked claims by Michael Howard that the Tories could be trusted to Clean up our hospitals as outrageous.

27 Apr 2005

America's largest retail pharmacy is moving all over the counter single ingredient pseudoephedrine products behind the counter

Pseudoephedrine is the key precursor ingredient that can be converted into the illegal drug methamphetamine. After careful review of numerous state legislative proposals and law enforcement bulletins, CVS made the decision to move these products behind the counter in all of its 5,400 stores across 36 states over the next sixty days.

27 Apr 2005

Millions of employed Americans uninsured and unable to get Medical Care

A new study analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that a significant number of working Americans in every state do not have health care coverage, with more than 20 million working adults not having coverage. In eight states, at least one in five working adults is uninsured.

27 Apr 2005

Scientists add an important piece to the intricate puzzle of type-1 diabetes

For some time, scientists have known that a regenerative or repair process -- involving the development of specialized structures called tubular complexes -- is switched on during physical and chemical trauma to the pancreas (the gland that manufactures and secretes crucial insulin in the body).

27 Apr 2005

International coalition works to develop a cocktail of drugs to combat Malaria

As Africa marks its own Malaria Day in recognition of the fact that it bears 90% of the deadly disease’s burden, an international research coalition is working to develop a cocktail of drugs that overcomes increasing resistance to conventional treatment exhibited by the elusive parasite.

27 Apr 2005

Sydney Research Institute raises concerns about sleepy doctors

Professor Ron Grunstein, Head of the Sleep and Circadian Research Group and Dr Naomi Rogers, chronobiologist both of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, have questioned the ability of doctors in Australia's hospitals to do their job properly given the long hours many are expected to work.

27 Apr 2005

Antibiotics do not prevent heart attacks

Clinicians and researchers have found that more than three quarters of heart attack patients have been infected with chlamydia pneumoniae - a bacteria found in arteries of heart attack patients - and multiple studies have found this can double the risk of developing subsequent heart attacks.

27 Apr 2005

Binge drinking among middle schoolers tied to parental involvement

Binge drinking in middle school sets the stage for binge drinking in high school, yet parents can have a profound impact in stopping the destructive behavior.

27 Apr 2005

Early drinking leads to alcohol problems and risky sex

Urban adolescents who start drinking by 7th grade are more likely to report alcohol problems in mid-adolescence. They are also more likely to engage in risky sexual practices, according to a study of more than 1,000 black and Hispanic youth who reside in economic distressed neighborhoods.

27 Apr 2005

Pathological gambling accompanies myriad of psychological disorders for some veterans

American Indian and Hispanic veterans are much more likely than the general population to be pathological gamblers, and their addiction is likely accompanied by several psychological disorders, according to a study of 1,221 such veterans in the southwest and north central United States.

27 Apr 2005

Trauma a frequent experience on American Indian reservations

American Indians living on reservations are at high risk for being exposed to such trauma as witnessing a loved one's death or being the victim of a physical attack, according to research comparing trauma on two American Indian reservations to that in the general U.S. population.

27 Apr 2005

Runners must hydrate properly

Seeking to clarify complex issues involving hydration for athletes, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) today reiterated its statements on hyponatremia and dehydration for athletes during endurance events.

27 Apr 2005

Callous IVF cuts will crush the dreams of hopeful women and families - Australian Medical Association

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that the Government's speculated Budget cut to IVF treatment is a callous attack on the dreams of hopeful women and families, which further diminishes the Government's health credentials.

27 Apr 2005