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New research could address sleep problems associated with alcohol

New research about how alcohol affects sleep could lead to medications to address a common reason some alcoholics go back to drinking – disturbed sleep when they try to stop.

28 Oct 2004

Genes linked to schizophrenia might function to cause the disease

Animal research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has found how one of the genes linked to schizophrenia might function to cause the disease.

28 Oct 2004

Mail-order prescriptions exposed to excessive heat may become significantly less effective for patients

Mail-order prescriptions exposed to excessive environmental heat, such as temperatures found in mailboxes and car interiors, may become significantly less effective for patients.

28 Oct 2004

Smoking shown to quell painful sensations and heighten positive emotions

Smokers often say that lighting up a cigarette can calm their nerves, satisfy their craving and help them relax.

28 Oct 2004

New direction for spinal cord research

A piece of the puzzle of how nerves find their way across the midline of the brain and spinal cord in a developing embryo has been found by Medical College of Georgia researchers.

28 Oct 2004

Blacks are more likely to be lifetime nonsmokers than whites

Blacks are more likely to be lifetime nonsmokers than whites, but they're less likely to quit smoking once they've started, according to a new study of more than 240,000 Americans.

28 Oct 2004

Umbilical cord blood may hold clue to childhood allergy and asthma

High levels of antibodies to allergens in a baby's umbilical cord blood might be more important in the development of childhood allergies and asthma than exposure to allergens, or lack of them, after birth, suggests research in Thorax.

28 Oct 2004

Red wine consumption may protect men against lung cancer

Red wine may protect against the development of lung cancer in men, suggests research in Thorax, with each daily glass conferring additional benefit. No other type of alcohol seemed to have the same effect, the study found.

28 Oct 2004

Asian children and black children experience higher rates of ruptured appendixes than white children

Asian children and black children experience higher rates of ruptured appendixes than white children, as do uninsured or Medicaid-insured children, compared to children covered by private insurance, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

28 Oct 2004

Brief psychological interventions are effective in relieving traumatic stress symptoms in family members

Family therapy and other psychological treatments may help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress among teenaged survivors of childhood cancer--as well as among their parents.

28 Oct 2004

Study suggests safer immunization approach to Alzheimer's

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have had preliminary success with a method of immunization intended to dissolve the plaques in brain tissue that are associated with Alzheimer's disease.

28 Oct 2004

Gastric acid-suppressive medications may increase risk of developing pneumonia

Individuals who use gastric acid-suppressive medications may be at an elevated risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia, according to an article in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

28 Oct 2004

Toddlers' imitation predicts well-developed conscience

Maybe the old adage, "Do as I say, not as I do" got it wrong. A more accurate version would be, "Do as I do, and you will come to do as I say."

26 Oct 2004

An immune system in a bottle would allow faster and easier production of a flu vaccine

University of Michigan associate professor Nicholas Kotov believes that one day, the cells in those honeycombs can be used to grow spare parts for our bodies, or even an entire artificial immune system in a bottle.

26 Oct 2004

New study of blood substitute for use in trauma cases

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center launched a study Monday on an experimental blood substitute, PolyHeme, that will be given to critically injured and bleeding victims before they arrive at the hospital.

26 Oct 2004

Sugary foods are making up a growing chunk of kids’ daily diets

Obesity researcher Michael I. Goran, professor of preventive medicine in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said sugary foods are making up a growing chunk of kids’ daily diets.

26 Oct 2004

Drug report raises hospital monitoring issues

The impact of increasing amphetamine use challenged the existing organisation of health care services and demonstrated a clear need for the monitoring of emergency department presentations at Queensland’s hospitals.

26 Oct 2004

First study to measure the influence of night-shift work on hormone levels that may affect breast-cancer risk

Three years ago, investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center made headlines nationwide when they published the results of a population-based study that suggested women who work the graveyard shift have an increased risk of breast cancer as opposed to women who work the day shift.

26 Oct 2004

First ever common standards for cardiac resuscitation

New training and practice guidelines are being issued today for healthcare staff responsible for resuscitating patients who have stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped.

26 Oct 2004

British Government report declares NHS accident and emergency, the envy of the world

With 96 per cent of patients being seen and treated quickly in NHS A&E departments, this country's emergency departments are becoming the envy of the world, according to a British Government Report.

26 Oct 2004