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Higher volume may not guarantee higher quality angioplasty and stenting

"Practice makes perfect" seems logical, but how much practice remains uncertain, and current health care quality guidelines may be set too high. It may be time to reexamine the standard recommending hospitals perform at least 400 angioplasty and stent procedures per year, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Britain's youth complacent about HIV/AIDS

New data from surveys across the UK reveal a decline in 12-15 year olds’ knowledge about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Figures from 1995-2001, (see tables), using a sample of 142,281 young people, show a declining trend of youngsters who think that HIV can be passed on by:

19 May 2004

Comparison study shows low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet loses more weight than low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet

People who followed a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet lost more weight than people on a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet during a six-month comparison study at Duke University Medical Center. However, the researchers caution that people with medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure should not start the diet without close medical supervision.

19 May 2004

Parents overestimate their children's use of bicycle helmets and seatbelts

Parents think their children use bicycle helmets and seatbelts more often than children say they use them, according to a new study by a University of Michigan Health System pediatric surgeon.

19 May 2004

Inexpensive, simple urine test that could identify impending kidney failure

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed the basis of an inexpensive, simple urine test that identifies impending kidney failure or rejection following transplant surgery. Their work, presented this week in a special invited lecture to the American Transplant Congress in Boston, Mass., is based on proteins found in urine, and could lead to a urine test kit that may allow many patients to skip painful biopsies.

19 May 2004

Scientists may have figured out how to use stem cells to regenerate lost or injured tissue

In experiments with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have restored the insect's sperm-making stem cells by triggering cells on the way to becoming sperm to reverse course. The unexpected findings are described in the May 13 issue of Science.

19 May 2004

WHO experts and the Chinese authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of the recent SARS outbreak

The investigation has centred primarily on the National Institute of Virology in Beijing where experiments using live and inactivated SARS coronavirus have been carried out. Two researchers at the Institute developed SARS in late March and mid-April. The outbreak was reported on April 22 and the Institute was closed a day later.

19 May 2004

Canadian Statement to the World Health Assembly focuses on AIDS

The WHO's leadership is particularly important in the fight to combat HIV/AIDS. Last week, Canada bolstered its financial commitment to this effort with contributions of $100 million for WHO's '3 by 5 initiative', and $70 million to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Canada and Canadians are proud to take these actions against HIV/AIDS.

19 May 2004

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

The protein, torsinA, is defective in patients with DYT1 dystonia, an inherited condition that causes uncontrollable movements in the limbs and torso. Learning what torsinA does could be an important step toward developing a treatment for the disorder.

19 May 2004

Drug combo effective for advanced breast cancer

A pair of studies at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center that takes laboratory science to the patients' bedside found that combining the molecularly targeted therapy Herceptin with a specific chemotherapy combination resulted in significant tumor response rates and longer relapse-free periods in women with an aggressive form of advanced breast cancer.

19 May 2004

Pharmacist convicted of distribution of pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine

A pharmacist who owned and operated the San Jacinto Pharmacy in San Jacinto has been convicted of distribution of pseudoephedrine with the knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine.

19 May 2004

Launch of Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service

The University of Glasgow has linked up with venture capital company Fifty-Six Ltd. to launch Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service. The company is based within customised laboratory facilities at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow and is equipped with the latest automated fluorescent DNA laser scanning machinery.

19 May 2004

Royal Society warns bureaucracy is hampering British scientists

University scientists will remain overloaded with administrative work despite proposed changes to the method of assessing the quality of research they carry out, according to a report published today (19 May 2004) by the Royal Society.

19 May 2004

Genome Quebec Innovation Centre has announced the signing of a service agreement with GenoMed

The McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre has announced the signing of a service agreement with GenoMed, a US company located in St. Louis, Missouri that specializes in using genomics to practice better medicine.

19 May 2004

National Cancer Institute (NCI) purchases Starbridge Hypercomputer® to accelerate genome data research

Starbridge Systems announced today that the National Cancer Institute's Advanced Biomedical Computing Center (ABCC) in Frederick, MD, recently purchased a Starbridge Hypercomputer®, the first high-end reconfigurable computer acquired for bioscience research.

19 May 2004

New book highlights pros and cons of medical use of cannabis

A new book which brings together the relevant science regarding the beneficial effects of cannabis for identified medical conditions and explains many harmful side effects has been launched at Australia's Southern Cross University today.

19 May 2004

Multimillion-dollar electron microscope unveils shapes of viruses and proteins

With a multimillion-dollar electron microscope and computer programs that can pick out the shapes of structures only six atoms wide, Dr. Wah Chiu and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston are attempting to explain the intricate structures of viruses and proteins.

19 May 2004

Centre for Life opens with the UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines

The UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines, developed separately by researchers at King’s College London and the Centre for Life in Newcastle, are to be deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank. The deposit coincides with the official opening of the Bank by Health Minister, Lord Warner, today (Wednesday 19 May 2004).

19 May 2004

Variability in weight and drug content of split tablet may put patients at risk of receiving wrong dosage

Back and neck pain sufferers who divide the most frequently prescribed muscle relaxant may be getting anywhere from half to one-and-a-half times the amount of medicine they believe they are taking, suggests a new study examining the practice of tablet splitting.

19 May 2004

Fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics different from those found in adults

Potentially life-threatening non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics, often different from those found in adults, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine study led by Jeffrey Schwimmer, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics.

19 May 2004

Medical News

Higher volume may not guarantee higher quality angioplasty and stenting

Britain's youth complacent about HIV/AIDS

Comparison study shows low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet loses more weight than low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet

Parents overestimate their children's use of bicycle helmets and seatbelts

Inexpensive, simple urine test that could identify impending kidney failure

Scientists may have figured out how to use stem cells to regenerate lost or injured tissue

WHO experts and the Chinese authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of the recent SARS outbreak

Canadian Statement to the World Health Assembly focuses on AIDS

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

Drug combo effective for advanced breast cancer

Pharmacist convicted of distribution of pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine

Launch of Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service

Royal Society warns bureaucracy is hampering British scientists

Genome Quebec Innovation Centre has announced the signing of a service agreement with GenoMed

National Cancer Institute (NCI) purchases Starbridge Hypercomputer® to accelerate genome data research

New book highlights pros and cons of medical use of cannabis

Multimillion-dollar electron microscope unveils shapes of viruses and proteins

Centre for Life opens with the UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines

Variability in weight and drug content of split tablet may put patients at risk of receiving wrong dosage

Fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics different from those found in adults

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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