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Panel in US disputes drug trial allegations

Medical experts have been forced to defend a study conducted in Uganda and called HIVNET 012 that led to the widespread use of a single AIDS drug called nevirapine to protect newborns, after allegations by Dr. Jonathan Fishbein, a National Institutes of Health researcher, that the research was flawed and the conclusions were unfounded.

10 Apr 2005

Eat like the Greeks and live longer

Researchers at the University of Athens Medical School, in a major pan-Europe study, have produced convincing evidence that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fruit and low in saturated fats can help us live longer.

10 Apr 2005

Hemodialysis causes antioxidant loss leading to long-term complications

An article published in Hemodialysis International discusses the role of oxidative stress (OS) in dialysis patients, an imbalance which can result in long-term health problems. Potential therapeutic options to restore balance in patients are also reviewed.

10 Apr 2005

E-health therapies attract national accolades

Leeds University spinout company Media Innovations leading the way in new therapies for eating disorders bulimia and anorexia nervosa. In the last month, the company’s unique CD-Rom packages have won a prestigious award, been short listed for a further award and received a grant from the Medical Research Council to widen the delivery of the packages further.

10 Apr 2005

No link between silicone implants and systemic disease

Silicone breast implants have been scrutinized more than any medical device, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has stated.

10 Apr 2005

UAB reaction to Lancet study on human papilloma virus (HPV)

The prominent British medical journal Lancet published results of a clinical trial on a vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV) The virus is a leading cause of cervical cancer and genital warts.

10 Apr 2005

Test of new HIV drug

A study under way at UAB aims to determine whether the first of a new class of HIV drugs is safe and effective in preventing the virus from entering healthy cells.

10 Apr 2005

Attacks on WHO staff - progress on Marburg epidemic halted

The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended its efforts to contain the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Angola, in the northern province of Uige, after staff in their mobile surveillance vehicles have been attacked.

10 Apr 2005

Novel human kidney protein called renalase that regulates both heart contraction and blood pressure

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven identified a novel human kidney protein called renalase that regulates both heart contraction and blood pressure; it is a strong candidate for easily administered treatment of advanced kidney and cardiovascular disease.

10 Apr 2005

Findings could lead to improved treatments for schizophrenics, amphetamine abusers

An Oregon Health & Science University researcher is among an international team closing in on why many people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are "supersensitive" to the powerful neurotransmitter dopamine.

10 Apr 2005

Cyclosporine inhalation solution (CyIS) significantly improves long-term survival in lung-transplant patients

Data presented for the first time at the 25th Annual Meeting and Scientific Session of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) show that cyclosporine inhalation solution (CyIS) significantly improves long-term survival in lung-transplant patients compared to placebo.

10 Apr 2005

The liver may produce most of the body's good cholesterol

Research in mice suggests that the liver may produce most of the body's "good" cholesterol, an unexpected finding that might one day help scientists develop new treatments to raise levels of this heart-protecting molecule in humans.

10 Apr 2005

Data which showed that nevirapine effectively prevents many infants from contracting HIV from their infected mothers, are sound and reliable

A Ugandan drug trial's findings that the AIDS medication nevirapine is effective and safe in preventing HIV transmission from mother to unborn child during birth were well-supported, according to a new, independent analysis by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

10 Apr 2005

Anti-poverty program substantially increased marriage rates among single mothers who have never been married

An anti-poverty program in Milwaukee, Wisc., substantially increased marriage rates among single mothers who have never been married, according to research by New York University psychology professor Hiro Yoshikawa and Anna Gassman-Pines, a doctoral candidate in psychology.

10 Apr 2005

Three out of every four adults over age 50 use some kind of alternative medicine

This study found that 71 percent of older adults used some form of alternative medicine in 2000. A study done in 2002, found a lower rate -- about 62 percent – among all adults.

10 Apr 2005

First identified gene to link autoimmune diseases with cardiovascular diseases

A common gene variant has been identified as the risk factor behind a number of common diseases by research scientists at Karolinska Institutet and the Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMM), Stockholm, Sweden. Up to a quarter of the population could be affected.

10 Apr 2005

Assessing the function of unknown genes is feasible and can be done with a microarray phenotype

Microarrays provide a method of quantifying the expression and order of genes in a particular genome -- acting as a surrogate measure of cell physiology, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online today in the journal Nature Genetics.

10 Apr 2005

Teens feel most stress before HIV-infected parent dies

A UCLA AIDS Institute study has discovered that teens of HIV-infected parents are at the highest risk for depression and self-destructive behavior before their parent's death, not after. Published in the April issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the findings emphasize the importance of providing support services to HIV-affected families promptly after a parent's diagnosis and through the subsequent illness — not only after the parent's death.

7 Apr 2005

Mothers' poor health revealed in new study

Sleep deprived new mothers are doing it tough, but getting help from early parenting centres improves their mental health, according to a new report.

7 Apr 2005

Vigorous exercise can slow down arthritis

Almost 60 percent of Americans age 65 and older suffer from some form of arthritis, a progressive joint disease which is the leading cause of disability in the United States. For more than 1 in 10 sufferers, arthritis makes simple, everyday tasks, from walking up a flight of stairs to bathing and dressing, extremely difficult and by 2010, the disease is expected to affect almost 40 million Americans over age 65, increasing the ranks of senior citizens with disabilities that limit independent living.

7 Apr 2005