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Results of the largest study to date to identify the best ways to assess and treat elderly patients

No single approach in terms of assessment (universal or targeted assessment to those with the greatest health-care needs) nor the location of treatment (primary care or hospital geriatric department) was found to offer substantial advantages in terms of reduced mortality or quality of life.

5 Nov 2004

Regular smear tests rather than colposcopy is the best way of monitoring low-grade cervical lesions

Results of a US study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that regular smear tests rather than colposcopy is the best way of monitoring low-grade cervical lesions among adolescents and young women.

5 Nov 2004

Atenolol beta-blocker may not be effective in reducing heart attacks

A study published in this weeks issue of THE LANCET suggest that atenolol - one of the most widely prescribed beta-blockers for reducing blood pressure - may not be effective in reducing heart attacks or death from cardiovascular causes.

5 Nov 2004

Vioxx linked with risk of cardiovascular disease

With the support of the National Research Programme (Musculoskeletal Health - Chronic Pain) , researchers at the University of Berne analysed the data in publicly available studies on the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx.

5 Nov 2004

Link between immune protein and longer survival in melanoma patients

Immune responses to prevent or delay the spread of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, are more likely to prolong survival in patients if their immune cells carry a special kind of marker on the surface, according to a team of researchers at the University of Virginia Health System.

5 Nov 2004

Tiny, vibrating paddle oscillator senses the mass of a virus

By using a device only six-millionths of a meter long, researchers at Cornell University have been able to detect the presence of as few as a half-dozen viruses -- and they believe the device is sensitive enough to notice just one.

5 Nov 2004

Turf burns and body shaving responsible for the spread of a bacterial skin infection among football players

Turf burns and cosmetic body shaving were responsible for the spread of a bacterial skin infection among players on a college football team, according to an article in the November 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

5 Nov 2004

Atomic switch capable of discriminating color in a bacterial membrane protein

Researchers using extremely high resolution imaging have found an atomic switch capable of discriminating color in a bacterial membrane protein.

5 Nov 2004

People with terminal conditions should be able to die at home with dignity

Although 65% of people with cancer want to die at home, only about 30% are successful in doing so. A government committed to choice for patients must improve this figure, write palliative care experts from Edinburgh University.

5 Nov 2004

Britain should adopt universal hepatitis B immunisation

The United Kingdom is one of the few developed countries that have not implemented universal immunisation. Because the burden of hepatitis B was low and individual rights were considered paramount, a policy of selective immunisation of high-risk groups, such as health care workers, homosexual men, and drug addicts, has been followed.

5 Nov 2004

Problem gambling is a health issue that needs to be taken seriously

The United Kingdom is just about to undergo one of the most radical changes of gambling legislation in its history. The new gambling bill will provide the British public with increased opportunities and access to gambling like they have never seen before.

5 Nov 2004

Autophagy may even provide a clue to the mythical fountain of youth

The cells of higher organisms have an internal mechanism for chewing up and recycling parts of themselves, particularly in times of stress, like starvation and disease. But nobody is quite sure yet whether this recently discovered process protects cells, or causes damage.

5 Nov 2004

Researchers have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells, where it is important for cell growth and bone development. The findings are in the Nov. 5 edition of the journal Molecular Cell and are online.

5 Nov 2004

Celebrex may one day be used to prevent and even treat breast tumors

The anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex, or celecoxib, reduces tumor mass by encouraging cell death and discouraging both cell proliferation and the sprouting of new blood vessels that feed growing tumors, according to a study reported in the November issue of Molecular Cancer Research.

5 Nov 2004

Study highlights the effectiveness of azithromycin (Zithromax) in reducing infection rates of trachoma

The New England Journal of Medicine published today a study entitled "Mass Treatment with Single-Dose Azithromycin for Trachoma."

4 Nov 2004

VaxGen gets $877.5 million to supply 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine

VaxGen announced today that the U.S. government has awarded the company an $877.5 million contract to supply 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine for civilian defense.

4 Nov 2004

New York redistributes existing flu vaccine supplies

New York State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., has announced the New York State Department of Health has begun distribution of its current supply of flu vaccine to help address the needs of local health departments and children served by a federal vaccination program.

4 Nov 2004

Channeling through plasma to accelerate bright beams for science and medicine

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have produced high quality electron beams in an accelerating structure of only a few millimeters long.

4 Nov 2004

Body's 'internal marijuana': A new target for treatment of schizophrenia, Parkinson's?

“Endocannabinoids” is an impressive word that sounds like the name for a group of tribal warriors or an ancient people. Actually, it is the scientific term for beneficial molecules produced in the brain that act as “a sort of internal marijuana in our system

4 Nov 2004

Vaccine contributions to health highlighted at PAHO meeting

Vaccine programs in the Americas have made major contributions to improving health in the Americas and new vaccines could go even further, said Dr. D.A. Henderson, a global expert who chairs a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) technical group here today.

4 Nov 2004