Studies indicate that the number of diagnosed cases of Autism, or autistic spectrum disorder, is increasing with around 0.6% of the population affected. Early infantile autism was first described almost 60 years ago and autism has been the subject of intense research activities ever since, however the origin of the condition is still not understood. This review issue of Philosophical Transactions B, a Royal Society publication, provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on autism and hi

US fertility experts have discovered a potential new role for the wonder drug tamoxifen – helping breast cancer patients to have babies by IVF.

In a study published today (Wednesday 8 January) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1], researchers from New York’s Cornell University report the first IVF pregnancy to result from the use of tamoxifen as an ovarian stimulant.

In a study of 12 breast cancer survivors they found that stimulating the ovaries

A class of drugs known as cholinesterase inhibitors has a significant impact on behavioral problems and the ability to perform everyday tasks in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and UCSF.

The study, an analysis of data from multiple small studies, appears in the January 8, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Known as a meta-analysis, the study applied sophisticated statistical

US fertility experts have discovered a potential new role for the wonder drug tamoxifen – helping breast cancer patients to have babies by IVF.

In a study published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1], researchers from New York’s Cornell University report the first IVF pregnancy to result from the use of tamoxifen as an ovarian stimulant.

In a study of 12 breast cancer survivors they found that stimulating the ovaries with a short, car

Scientists from Johns Hopkins and the University of Wisconsin have discovered that a protein called Sir2, which is found in nearly all living cells, has a new function that might help explain how calorie restriction can increase lifespans for some animals, the scientists say. Their report appeared in the Dec. 20 issue of Science.

A number of laboratories have shown that restricting total calorie intake extends the lifespans of organisms ranging from yeast to laboratory animals. Others have

The biological clock – timekeeper for virtually every activity within living things, from sleep patterns to respiration – is a single protein, Purdue University researchers report.

The husband and wife team of D. James and Dorothy Morré has discovered this protein, which is responsible for setting the length of periods of activity and inactivity within cells. If the protein is altered, an organism’s body will experience “days” of different length – ranging from 22 to 42 hours in

An Australian scientist has made a discovery which is electrifying world fungal biology – a new truffle genus related to the famous Amanita family, or fairy toadstools.

The Amanita family is famed worldwide for the red and white-spotted toadstools beloved of children’s fairy tales, the lethal Death Cap beloved of tabloid media, and a range of delicious edible fungi beloved of gourmets.

The find, by CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products mycologist Dr Neale Bougher, highli

Agents that alter blood levels of beta-amyloid protein in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease represent a potential approach to treating the illness in humans that may be safer than the vaccine method of therapy, researchers report in a new study.

Beta-amyloid protein is a component of the amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer¡’s disease. Beta-amyloid is viewed by many researchers and clinicians as the underlying cause of the degeneration and demen

The department of entomology at Texas A&M University is abuzz with the news the honey bee genome is being sequenced by the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, especially since Texas A&M helped that project take flight.

“This is a huge deal,” said Dr. Spencer Johnston, professor of entomology with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

The honey bee was one of five species recently selected by the National Institutes of Health to have its genome sequenced

Meta-analysis shows medication treatment decreases risk of future substance abuse

An analysis of all available studies that examine the possible impact of stimulant treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on future substance abuse supports the safety of stimulant treatment. Using a statistical technique called meta-analysis, the researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that medication treatment for children with ADHD resulted in an almost two-f

When Viagra was introduced in 1999, the drug’s manufacturer warned of a number of visual side effects, including possible nerve damage to the eyes. But a UC Irvine College of Medicine study rules out some of these risks — even when the drug is taken in high doses.

According to Dr. Tim McCulley, assistant professor of ophthalmology, blood flow in the eye does not seem to be reduced by even high doses of the popular erectile dysfunction drug. Since Viagra lowers blood pressure overall,

Significant reduction in severity and duration of cold symptoms

New research confirms the efficacy of zincum gluconicum nasal gel in reducing the severity and duration of common cold symptoms when treatment is started as late as the second day of illness. The study, which appears in the January issue of QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, was the first trial on the naturally acquired common cold to extend initiation of treatment beyond the first 24 hours of illness.

“

An international collaboration of primatologists has gleaned evidence from decades of observations of orangutans that the apes show behaviors that are culturally based.

The scientists’ findings push back the origins of culturally transmitted behavior to 14 million years ago, when orangutans first evolved from their more primitive primate ancestors. Previous evidence for cultural transmission in chimpanzees suggested an origin of cultural traits 7 million years ago.

The research

A new study has discovered an abundance of microbial life deep beneath the ocean floor in ancient basalt that forms part of the Earth’s crust, in research that once more expands the realm of seemingly hostile or remote environments in which living organisms can apparently thrive.

The research was done off the coast of Oregon near a sea-floor spreading center on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, by scientists from Oregon State University and several other institutions. It will be published Friday

A potential new weapon in the fight against hospital acquired infections has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds.

The scientists studied the effect of negative air ionisers on infections caused by acinetobacter; a pathogen responsible for increasing numbers of sometimes fatal infections amongst hospital patients. Ionisers were placed in the intensive care unit at St James’s University Hospital, which, like similar wards across the UK, has had recurrent probl

INASMET Foundation, a member of the TECNALIA Corporation from the Basque Country, is currently carrying out research on intraocular lenses. In fact, INASMET presented two projects at the 17th European Congress on Biomaterials held in Barcelona. Apart from publishing the results of a comparative study on intraocular lenses, they presented a project, currently under development, on intracorneal lenses.

This project started three years ago in collaboration with the Hospital de Donostia, the De