International experts will (Wednesday 8 September) consider the evidence for a link between the rise in childhood leukaemia and increased light at night at an international scientific conference in London.
The incidence of childhood leukaemia increased dramatically in the twentieth century. The increase has mainly affected the under five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent during the second half of the century alone.
Although the causes of leuka
New research being presented at a conference opening in London today (Monday 6 September) shows that harmful environmental agents can cross the placenta to reach the developing foetus.
The incidence of childhood leukaemia in Britain has increased dramatically during the last century. This increase has mainly affected the under five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent in the second half of the century alone.
The causes of leukaemia in children a
Honey could be the new antibiotic, according to scientific research from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) presented Monday, 06 September 2004 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting at Trinity College Dublin.
By studying the way bacteria protect themselves from attack by forming slimy clumps, scientists have discovered that honey may be an effective new weapon in breaking up the microbes’ defences. The researchers from the School of Applied Sciences a
A “planned-care method” of providing primary care for children with asthma can significantly reduce symptoms and need for emergency medications, according to a study published in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Much of the asthma care in the United States is based on visiting the doctor when a child is having asthma symptoms. The method, devised by Kevin Weiss, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Center for Healthcare Studies at
Doctors across the United States are mostly in favor of a recommendation to vaccinate healthy infants and toddlers against the flu, but they are concerned about costs, parental vaccine fears, and how to let families know about the flu vaccine recommendations, according to a University of Rochester survey.
The 2003-2004 flu season, with its highly publicized deaths of several children and reports of vaccine shortages, drew the issue of flu shots for children into the national spotlig
Treating patients with a drug called aprotinin reduces the risk of stroke by 47 percent in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
The study, a large-scale analysis evaluating data from 35 CABG studies, determined that use of aprotinin reduced the need for a blood transfusion by 39 percent. Blood transfusions during CABG surgery have been associated with an increased risk
Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are frequently misdiagnosed or remain undiagnosed, and may therefore be missing out on appropriate treatment, according to the results of a primary care study presented today at the annual European Respiratory Society (ERS) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.1
COPD is a progressive respiratory disease that causes significant deterioration of lung function and chronic breathlessness that can lead to severe disability.2 Limited air
Virologists from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) in Belgium report that chloroquine, a widely used antimalarial drug, exhibits antiviral activity against the SARS coronavirus. Chloroquine is an inexpensive and safe drug available worldwide.
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a respiratory illness which was first recognized in the winter of 2002 in China. By the end of June, 2003, the disease had affected over 8096 persons in 30 countries across five continent
Combating viruses is often a frustrating business. Find a way to destroy them — and before you know it, they’ve found a way to defend themselves and neutralize the anti-viral treatment.
How, exactly, do the viruses do it? In an article published as the cover story in a recent issue of the journal Proteins, a Hebrew University of Jerusalem researcher, Prof. Isaiah (Shy) T. Arkin, has revealed just how influenza-causing viruses adapt to nullify the effectiveness of the anti-viral drug
Prof. Nadia Rosenthal, Head of EMBL-Monterotondo (near Rome, Italy), and international collaborators have been awarded a US$6 million grant for cardiovascular research. The scientists will investigate the ability of heart muscle to repair itself – after being damaged by a heart attack, for example – and to regain function.
Prof. Rosenthal has previously shown that when a muscle is injured, stem cells can help the tissue rebuild. This team of researchers will build on her findings an
Study has implications for prevention of brain damage after exposure
Later this fall, emergency-medicine physicians enter into what they call the “CO season” – a time when faulty furnaces and other mechanical mishaps lead to a spike in cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO poisoning is the leading cause of injury and death by poisoning worldwide, with about 40,000 people treated in the U.S. annually. Brain damage occurs – days to weeks later – in half of the patients with a ser
Ever since Darwin’s day, scientists have been trying to understand how interactions among living creatures—competition and predation, for example—drive evolution.
Recent work by paleontologists Tomasz Baumiller of the University of Michigan and Forest Gahn of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History offers new insights into the process. A report on their research appears in today’s issue of Science.
Biologists long have speculated that preda
Why do patients opt for complementary and alternative therapies when they are ill? Is the relationship and communication between a patient and a practitioner as important in the treatment as the complementary treatments prescribed?
The answers to these questions are the focus of a new research study at one of the country’s foremost complementary medicine research centres, thanks to Department of Health (DoH) funding of £330,000. Dr Sarah Brien, a Senior Research Fellow at the
A high percentage of the population could be endangering their health by taking herbal medicines without checking with a health professional first according to Peter Houghton, Professor in Pharmacognosy, King’s College London. Speaking today (6 September) at the BA Festival of Science, Prof Houghton warned of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional medicines.
There is widespread belief that all herbs are safe because they are ‘natural’. However, some plant materia
Researchers hope to reduce the incidence of large birth weights
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Temple University School of Medicine will analyze whether the frequent monitoring and adjustment critical to the management of diabetes during pregnancy can be better accomplished virtually. The ultimate goal is to reduce large birth weights, which can pave the way to later problems such as obesity and diabetes. Gestational diabetes, which typically occurs toward the end o
Treatment to lower systolic high blood pressure in older persons is associated with substantial reduction of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, Yale researchers report in the September 1 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Yale team critically reviewed medical literature on systolic blood pressure (SBP) in older persons between 1966 and 2004. They found strong clinical evidence to support the treatment of persons with systolic blood pressure of at least 160 mm Hg.
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