Researchers have discovered that an ingredient present in chocolate could help stop persistent coughs.
According to research published online in FASEB Journal the team have discovered that theobromine, a derivative found in cocoa, is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs when compared with codeine, currently considered the best cough medicine.
Professor Peter Barnes, from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital, and one of the paper’s autho
Bonn research center caesar is presenting current medical technology projects at the “Medica 2004” in Düsseldorf (Hall 13, Stand C12) from November 24 – 27, 2004. Scientists support surgeons with innovative computer and laser technology in the planning and performance of operations. At the trade fair they are demonstrating a laser system enabling ultra-fine cuts of just 0.2 mm through bone and cartilage. Researchers are also presenting medical applications for the Rapid Prototyping technology est
A team of Danish researchers have discovered that by blocking a specific enzyme, it is possible to check the spread of cancer in the body. This finding may be the first step towards preventing deaths due to cancer spreading to other parts of the body. The discovery may also help reduce the amount of chemotherapy used.
The discovery, which was recently published in the prestigious International Journal of Cancer, was made by a research team from the Finsen Laboratory at Copenhagen
Wie alte Kulturen Schmerzen behandelten
Im antiken Mittelmeerraum war es bei der Behandlung von schmerzenden Gliedern verbreitet, diese in Bottiche zu tauchen, die von elektrischen Fischen wimmelten. Die Torpedorochen versetzten den griechischen oder römischen Patienten Stromschläge und linderten dadurch deren Leiden. In medizinischen Schriften dieser Zeit werden die Tiere auch zur Behandlung chronischer Kopfschmerzen empfohlen. Dieser Therapieansatz hielt sich verblüffenderweis
A recently published dissertation from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that testosterone has both a physiological and a psychological impact on women’s sexuality.
In her dissertation, gynecologist Angelique Flöter Rådestad has studied the effects of combined testosterone and estrogen on sexuality, well-being, and the consistency of bones and the body in women who have had their uterus and ovaries removed.
Several previous studies have shown that hormones like e
UK scientists have designed a knowledge management system which could enable medical practitioners to make speedy, informed decisions about breast cancer patients. The project pulls together information which was previously held in separate locations and it has the potential to revolutionise patient diagnosis and management.
The MIAKT project (Medical Imaging with Advanced Knowledge Technologies), aims to facilitate medical practitioners in diagnosing and treating breast cancer.
The Institute of Food Science & Technology, through its Public Affairs and Technical & Legislative Committees has authorised the following Information Statement, dated November 2004, prepared by its Professional Food Microbiology Group, and replacing the version dated 14 September 1996.
Summary
Foodborne illness caused by verocytotoxin-producing E.coli (VTEC) – sometimes referred to as enterohaemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) – was first recognised in the early 1980s. Although the
Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.
The disorder, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or PML, affects hundreds of Americans with suppressed immune systems, including kidney transplant recipients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and an estimated 4 percent of people with AIDS.
PML is cau
An effective navigation system would improve the mobility of millions of blind people all over the world. A new “eye” developed by scientists in Japan will allow blind people to cross busy roads in total safety for the first time.
The “electronic eye”, which would be mounted on a pair of glasses, will be capable of detecting the existence and location of a pedestrian crossing, and at the same time measure the width of the road to the nearest step and detect the colour of the traf
A recent study, published in the journal Pain Practice, identified situations in which injections of local anesthetic would be the best treatment for pain and reduce unnecessary risk and procedural costs.
While the use of sympathetic blocks (injections) is controversial, in this study, 20 patients suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) were given injections to examine the method’s contribution “as prospective predictors of outcome.”
The patients, who exhib
Evidence of exposure to a monkey virus possibly related to cancer has been found in the blood of North American zoo workers, according to a study in the December 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. The virus, a polyomavirus known as simian virus 40 (SV40), has long been a subject of public health concern, in part because it has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals, and some investigators have reported SV40 DNA in human tumors.
The authors, E
Vitamin E may help some diabetics
Despite recent reports that show use of high-dose vitamin E supplements is associated with a higher overall risk of dying, at least one group stands to benefit greatly from the same vitamin. About 40 percent of diabetic patients can reduce their risk of heart attacks and of dying from heart disease by taking vitamin E supplements, according to a Technion-Israel Institute of Technology study published in the November 2004 Diabetes Care.
New research suggests that higher levels of abdominal fat put people at just as much risk for future disability as overall body fat. The results were reported today by Denise Houston, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity in Las Vegas, Nev.
Houston and colleagues found that middle-age adults who had the highest levels of abdominal fat reported having the most difficulty perfor
Not all congestion-producing, ear-popping, runny-nosed, headachy chronic rhinosinusitis infections are the same, researchers have found.
Rather, this problem that afflicts some 30 million Americans annually has four severity classifications that could help guide treatment today and help find better treatments in the future, says the lead author on the study published in the November issue of The Laryngoscope. “The way we have been reporting on chronic sinusitis is we lump it all t
During the holidays most people worry about putting on a couple of pounds, but in addition they should be concerned about what they’re doing to their hearts. Every year during the holidays, emergency rooms like those at UCSD Medical Center see patients with symptoms of palpitations and light-headedness. Further evaluation usually confirms the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm, often atrial fibrillation, says Ajit Raisinghani, M.D., Director of the UCSD Non-Invasive Cardiac Lab. This condi
A UK scientist has discovered the route and type of transport taken by peanut proteins through the gut to the immune system. This route favours an immune response, which helps explain why peanuts are one of the most allergenic foods.
Dr Claudio Nicoletti from the Institute of Food Research, said: “Food allergy is an immune system over-reaction to a food protein. The cause of this over-reaction has remained a mystery. Our aim was to identify the route that proteins from digested pean
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