If you’re hunting for illegal drugs, you don’t have to leave your computer desk to find them. A simple internet search will turn up dozens of websites that let you order your drug-of-choice for home-delivery.
In fact, if you search for “no prescription codeine” through one of the standard computer-search systems, the odds are almost fifty-fifty that the first site you hit will provide an instant opportunity to buy drugs illegally.
That finding by researchers at the University of
There’s a lot said about a woman’s ticking biological clock, but male biology doesn’t age as gracefully as men might like to think.
By analyzing sperm from men of various ages, scientists from the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have discovered that older men’s sperm is more likely to contain disease-causing genetic mutations that also seem to increase a sperm’s chances of fertilizing an egg.
The findings, which appear in t
Data from a five-year study suggests that limited-field radiation therapy (radiation directed at the tumor site) may be as effective as whole-breast radiation therapy in preventing breast cancer recurrence in women treated with breast-conserving surgery. The study appears in the August 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Whole-breast radiation therapy is part of standard treatment for women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast-conserving surgery. Ho
Parents of deaf toddlers with cochlear implants or hearing aids have a new Internet tool to help them monitor their babies’ progress in early speech development thanks to a Purdue University speech-language pathologist.
David Ertmer, who specializes in early speech and language development in children with hearing losses, created www.VocalDevelopment.com, an interactive Web site for parents, students and professionals. The site provides parents with audio examples of baby jargon, such a
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered for the first time in humans the presence of a toxic protein that they believe to be responsible for the devastating memory loss found in individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
An understanding of this key molecular link in the progression of Alzheimer’s could lead to the development of new therapeutic drugs capable of reversing memory loss in patients who are treated early, in addition to preventing or delaying the d
The European Society of Cardiology (EBAC), in association with the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC), has set up ESCed, http://www.ESCed.org, as a one-stop resource for case studies, guidelines, references and abstracts. ESCed registrants can compare answers and clinical decisions with colleagues across Europe and earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits by following the on-line courses.
Professor Roberto Ferrari, Ferrara, Italy, Chairman of the ESC Education Commi
Study results show smallpox death toll may be lower than expected in the event of an outbreak and one vaccination may be as effective as many
Final results of a smallpox vaccine study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University show America’s preparedness for a smallpox outbreak may be greater than initially thought. The research shows 90 percent of those vaccinated 25 to 75 years ago maintain a substantial level of immunity. In addition, researchers concluded
A small subset of cells that tells the immune system whether to attack may be a future target for therapies to help patients fight tumors and keep transplanted organs, a Medical College of Georgia researcher says.
Dendritic cells roam the body, picking up invaders, such as a virus or cancer, then show their finds to the T-cells and tell them how to respond, says Dr. Andrew L. Mellor, molecular geneticist and immunologist and director of the MCG Immunotherapy Center.
Work published i
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers have discovered a second gene responsible for a rare syndrome that causes the loss of bone from the lower jaw, fingers, toes and collarbone.
The researchers isolated the gene, zinc metalloproteinase (ZMPSTE24), in a patient who had all of the classic characteristics of mandibuloacral dysplasia (MAD) but did not have a mutation in the LMNA gene, previously reported as a cause of the disorder.
In addition to causing MAD, mutations
Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have found that Hirschsprung disease, one of the most common genetic disorders, is caused by a defect that blocks neural stem cells from forming nerves that control the lower intestine.
Hirschsprung disease occurs in one in 5,000 live births and causes a potentially fatal disorder that prevents the proper transport of food through the gut. The new findings suggest that it might one day be possible to correct the disease by transplanting neural ste
Researchers use new synthetic hydro-gel
Carnegie Mellon University’s Jeffrey Hollinger and his research team will receive $1.12 million over the next four years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new therapy for regenerating bone.
Bone, often called the structural steel and reinforced concrete of the human body, supports the body the way a steel framework supports a skyscraper, and it protects its vital organs the way a cast-concrete roof protects
Every year, malaria kills as many as 2.5 million people. Ninety percent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and most are children. While four species of the single-celled organism Plasmodium cause malaria, Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest. Harbored in mosquito saliva, the parasite infects its human host as the mosquito feeds on the victim’s blood. Efforts to control the disease have taken on an increased sense of urgency, as more P. falciparum strains show resistance to anti-malar
Researchers at Ohio State found that endostatin has a dual effect on head and neck cancer cells – the compound prevented the cells from developing new blood vessels and also hindered the mechanism cancer cells use to migrate throughout the body and invade other tissues.
Head and neck cancers originate on the epithelium – the layer of tissue covering the outermost surfaces of the body, including the skin and mucus membranes. Kaposi’s sarcoma tumors arise from the endothelium, the cells that
Babies are more vulnerable to serious head injury during a fall than had been previously thought, according to new research that may also begin to help child abuse investigators distinguish between accidental and intentional injury.
Whitaker investigator Susan Margulies of the University of Pennsylvania found that rotational forces generated by a baby’s head hitting a hard surface can cause widespread, potentially serious brain injury. This can include internal bleeding, which can dama
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the world today. With 4.9 million tobacco-related deaths per year, no other consumer product is as dangerous, or kills as many people, as tobacco. But with the adoption of a new, ground-breaking international treaty, the scene is now set to protect billions of people from the devastating impact of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
May 21st 2003 was a historic day for global public health. At the 56th World Heal
The most important antibiotics in general use today are the b-lactam family of products, but the medical community faces a serious problem with these antibiotics: the increasing development of drug resistance. The resistance is caused by hydrolysis of the b-lactam by a bacterial lactamase enzyme, but fortunately it can often be overcome by the use of a serine b-lactamase inhibitor in combination with the drug. This approach is successfully used already, for example clavulanic acid is used in combinat
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