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British team and NASA plan to take stem cells into space

The $US1 million project aims to explore ways to protect astronauts from space radiation in preparation for a manned mission to Mars in 2020.

12 Aug 2004

Finnish company discovers over 200 new genes

Finnish company Jurilab has announced the completion of a genome-wide scan in Acute Myocardial Infarction in the East Finland Founder Population.

12 Aug 2004

Harmonious homes make for happier families

Designing houses for self rather than wealth may transform our homes from battlegrounds to sanctuaries, according to Griffith University criminology doctoral student and interior design academic Claire Bennett.

12 Aug 2004

Singapore team to bring power of virtual reality (VR) to the masses

Nanyang Technological University is bringing the power of virtual reality (VR) to the masses by making it more affordable. Once available primarily in laboratories, powerful high-performance VR systems may soon be available in ubiquitous desktop PCs now that a team from NTU has developed a compact and integrated VR system.

12 Aug 2004

Revolutionary evacuation wheelchair

A Northumbria University student has invented a revolutionary evacuation wheelchair that could save lives in emergencies because it has the capability to go down stairs without someone else pushing it.

12 Aug 2004

Investigating how young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder process sound

Mary-Claire Hanlon, a Psychology Honours student at the University of Newcastle under the supervision of Dr Frini Karayanidis and Associate Professor Ulrich Schall, is recruiting participants for the study investigating the role of sound and dopaminergic mechanisms (brain chemicals) in people with ADHD.

12 Aug 2004

Hong Kong seeks details on suspected bird flu cases

The Centre of Health Protection is liaising with Vietnam health authorities on recent reports that several people died of bird flu in that country, Director of Health Dr Lam Ping-yan says.

12 Aug 2004

Nutritionists are attacking Tennessee's obesity problem

Rep. Zach Wamp announced Tuesday the federal earmark for Tennessee on the Move, which is designed to inform and inspire Tennesseans of all ages to take small, simple steps to maintain a healthy weight.

12 Aug 2004

Red wine is much better for you than gin

Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin. They found that drinking red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels in the bloodstream of so-called “anti-inflammatory” substances that are risk factors in the development of heart disease and stroke.

12 Aug 2004

Scopolamine prevents and relieves motion sickness - but possibly with more adverse effects than alternatives

Researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration have analysed all trials of scopolamine for motion sickness. They found 12 trials, mostly done in healthy young men in the navy.

12 Aug 2004

Radical overhaul of layout, design and working practices is needed to prevent back pain associated with kitchen work

A radical overhaul of layout, design and working practices is needed if we are going to prevent back pain associated with kitchen work, said UNISON, the UK’s largest union yesterday.

12 Aug 2004

Special talk by scientist who was instrumental in the eradication of smallpox

A scientist who was instrumental in the eradication of smallpox, Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner, presented a special talk at the University of Wollongong, Australia on August 11 in this, the 25th year since the eradication of smallpox.

12 Aug 2004

Investigation into mTOR protein function is far from over

Discovery of the mTOR protein and the role it plays in cell growth, a process often linked to diseases such as cancer, was part serendipity and part good detective work. And like any good whodunit, the mTOR story wouldn’t be complete without an unexpected twist.

12 Aug 2004

Growing pains in young children are a much bigger problem than first thought

“Growing pains affect a lot of young children (36.9 per cent of children in our study) to the point that they’re seeing a health professional or taking pain medication.

12 Aug 2004

No adverse side-effects have been observed in clinical trial of SARS vaccine

Sinovac Biotech has announced that all 36 subjects of the Phase I human clinical trial for its inactivated SARS vaccine have now been vaccinated with either SARS vaccine or placebo.

11 Aug 2004

First human cases of West Nile virus in Mississippi

The seven human cases occurred in: Covington (1), Harrison (1), Lincoln (1), Leflore (1), Rankin (2) and Simpson (1) counties; these numbers include the five suspected cases reported last week by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

11 Aug 2004

Thyroid expert concerned about recently approved generic levothyroxine preparations

Levothyroxine is taken by more than 13 million Americans to treat an underactive thyroid, thyroid gland enlargement, nodules, or cancer. In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that several generic levothyroxine preparations had the same clinical effect and safety profile as certain branded products.

11 Aug 2004