A simple diagnostic imaging procedure can help identify patients with lower back pain who would benefit from spinal injections and spare those who would not, according to a study appearing in the February issue of Radiology.

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) shows abnormal activity of cells in the spine, which can help doctors identify problems that may be causing a patient’s symptoms.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders an

A new survey of subway injuries provides a rare glimpse into what happens to people who are hit by oncoming trains. In New York City, where the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reports that 7 million passengers ride the transit system daily, there is no publicly available record of such tragedies. NYU School of Medicine trauma specialists, who conducted the survey at Bellevue Hospital Center, explored who is most at risk for severe subway injuries, why accidents occur, and which preventati

Does IQ explain socioeconomic inequalities in health? Evidence from a population based cohort study in the west of Scotland BMJ Online First

Intelligence may play an important role in health inequalities, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.

Reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health is an important issue and the target of many governments. Understanding the causes of socioeconomic inequalities in health is crucial if effective interventions are to be ident

Patient compliance and cosmetic benefits indicate positive role of this novel non-melanoma skin cancer therapy

New five year clinical trial results have demonstrated the high efficacy and long-term response rates of Metvix® photodynamic therapy (MAL-PDT) in NMSC compared to current standard treatments cryotherapy and surgery. As NMSC is the most common form of skin cancer in Caucasians and, like all skin cancers, has been increasing over recent decades, new methods to effectively t

Research on the marsupial genome promises to reveal unparalleled insights into mammalian evolution

The genetic code of marsupials has now been documented for the first time. An international team led by Kathy Belov from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science published an analysis of the marsupial genome in the open access journal PLoS Biology. The paper details the evolution of an important cluster of immune genes known as the MHC using available genome sequen

Scientists at the University of York have launched a new research project which aims to develop ways of making bones from blood.

Researchers from the University’s Department of Biology are heading the EC-backed project to create bone structures from cord blood stem cells for use in the repair of bone defects and fractures.

The three-year €2.5 million research project involves scientists in the UK and across Europe, as well as academics from the University of York’s Depa

Leeds bioengineers have developed an innovative technique for cartilage repair combining the self-healing powers of the body with stem cell science to help young people avoid debilitating knee problems and give hope to arthritis sufferers.

Current treatments of cartilage defects in the knee are expensive, have lengthy recovery times, and can even cause as much damage as good. “We’re responding to a real need,” said reader in bioengineering Dr Bahaa Seedhom.

“Orthopaedic

What do mad cow disease and stem cell research have in common? Whitehead Institute scientists have found that the same protein that causes neurodegenerative conditions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) is also important for helping certain adult stem cells maintain themselves.

“For years we’ve wondered why evolution has preserved this protein, what positive role it could possibly be playing,” says Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist. Along with White

Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology have found that photosynthetic bacteria living in scalding Yellowstone hot springs have two radically different metabolic identities. As the sun goes down, these cells quit their day job of photosynthesis and unexpectedly begin to fix nitrogen, converting nitrogen gas (N2) into compounds that are useful for cell growth. The study, published January 30 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Scientists have discovered that a wide variety of different cancers actually share something in common – a molecular “signature” made up of tiny bits of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) that target key cancer genes and promote malignant growth.

The finding provides more insight into miRNA as an emerging class of gene regulators and may also pave the way for new approaches in diagnosis and treatment. The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Deadly and damaging toxins that allow anthrax to cause disease and death in mammals have similar toxic effects in fruit flies, according to a study conducted by biologists at the University of California, San Diego.

Their findings, which appear this week in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that fruit flies can be used to study the link between the biochemical activities and physiological effects of anthrax toxins.

The authors of a paper in last week’s Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Section B, who say their 7.9 mm-long fish from a peat swamp in Southeast Asia is the smallest fish and vertebrate known, have failed to make note of work published last fall that describes sexually mature, male anglerfishes measuring 6.2 mm to 7.4 mm in length.

The 6.2 mm specimen is by far the smallest of any vertebrate, beating the recent claim by a full 1.7 mm, according to Ted Pietsch, a Univ

When Sylvia the baboon lost Sierra, her closest grooming partner and daughter, to a lion, she responded in a way that would be considered very human-like: she looked to friends for support. According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, baboons physiologically respond to bereavement in ways similar to humans, with an increase in stress hormones called glucocorticoids. Baboons can lower their glucocorticoid levels through friendly social contact, expanding their social network

A press briefing will take place at the Nobel Forum, Stockholm, at 6.15pm local time on Monday 30th January 2006. If you would like to attend, please contact Katarina Sternudd (Karolkinska Institutet) or Clare Oh (Earth Institute)–see contact details below.

Achieving success in the global fight against the “big three” diseases–HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which together account for 5.6 million deaths a year–may well require a concurrent attack on the world’s most neglected

Tens of thousands of Americans living with emphysema would benefit from a surgical procedure that removes part of the lung, according to national research presented yesterday by a Saint Louis University cardiothoracic surgeon.

The findings confirm earlier study results and offer new hope to select patients, says Keith Naunheim, M.D., director of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and principal investigator of the eight-year long Natio

Patients with diabetes mellitus are less likely to develop vascular complications (such as retinopathy, nephropathy and coronary artery disease) if their blood sugar levels are tightly controlled. Physicians use a simple blood test — glycosylate hemoglobin (HBA 1c ) — to measure control and guide therapy.

In this study, Woodward and colleagues identified over 63 000 patients in eastern Ontario with diabetes, and examined their control over their blood sugar and how often it