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Aid / Disasters News
7 Billion Humans In 2011 Heralds Global Upheaval Says Harvard Professor The number of human beings on the planet is expected to shoot past the 7 billion mark later this year, 2011, up from 6 billion in 1999. The growth is so rapid, that global population has doubled between 1960 and 2000, and a further increase of 2 to 4.	29 July 2011
Mobile Apps, Facebook, Twitter Help Public Become Part Of Disaster Preparedness And Response, Not 'Mere Bystanders' Social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare may be an important key to improving the public health system's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, according to a New England Journal of Medicine "Perspective" article from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to be published this week.	29 July 2011

Alzheimer's / Dementia News
Evolution Of Human Longevity Led To Both A Large Brain And Brain Shrinkage Brains shrink in humans, potentially causing a number of health problems and mental illnesses as people age, but do they shrink to the same extent in the closest living relatives to humans - the chimpanzees?New research says no, making the extreme amount of brain shrinkage resulting from normal aging in humans unique.	29 July 2011

Anxiety / Stress News

Monitor Identifies Warning Signs Prior To Panic Attacks Panic attacks that seem to strike sufferers out-of-the-blue are not without warning after all, according to new research.A study based on 24-hour monitoring of panic sufferers while they went about their daily activities captured panic attacks as they happened and discovered waves of significant physiological instability for at least 60 minutes before patients' awareness of the panic attacks, said psychologist Alicia E.

29 July 2011

Autism News
Psychologist Links Social Acumen To Spatial Skill People who are socially skilled - who are adept at metaphorically putting themselves in someone else's shoes - are also more proficient when it comes to spatial skills, according to a new study led by a Johns Hopkins University psychologist.	29 July 2011

Biology / Biochemistry News
Intraphilins As New Approach To Intracellular Biologic Drugs Permeon Biologics, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of intracellular protein biologics, hasannounced the discovery of an entirely new class of naturally occurring human supercharged proteins called Intraphilins™.	29 July 2011
Evolution, Disease Process, Understanding Of Basic Functioning Of Human Cells Broadened By 1st Large-Scale Map Of A Plant's Protein Network The eon-spanning clock of evolution - the millions of years that generally pass before organisms acquire new traits - belies a constant ferment in the chambers and channels of cells, as changes in genes and proteins have subtle ripple effects throughout an organism.	29 July 2011
New Protein Structure Model To Inhibit Cancer Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have developed a new structural model of a protein, which makes it possible to develop more effective drugs to target diseases such as cancer, heart disease and influenza.	29 July 2011
New Approaches To Improving Biomarker Discovery An article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS's weekly newsmagazine, describes the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of one of the hottest pursuits in modern biomedical science - the search for "biomarkers" that could greatly improve the diagnosis of disease and efforts to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.	29 July 2011
Taking A Closer Look At Cells Many substances and nutrients are exchanged across the cell membrane. EPFL scientists have developed a method to observe these exchanges, by taking a highly accurate count of the number of proteins found there.	29 July 2011

Bird Flu / Avian Flu News
Oral Interferon May Prevent And Control Avian Influenza Virus Infection Avian influenza virus is a threat to the commercial chicken industry and, with its recent rapid spread across China, has also shown the ability for transmission from chickens to humans and other mammals.	29 July 2011

Blood / Hematology News

System Developed At Wake Forest Baptist Helps Save Blood Through Real-Time Tracking Of Blood Bank Coolers Human blood is a precious resource. Because stored blood has a very limited shelf life, keeping every available unit of it suitable for medical use is a crucial function at hospitals and other health care facilities especially during supply shortages such as those currently being experienced in the Triad, other parts of North Carolina and numerous sections of the country.

29 July 2011

Bones / Orthopedics News
Clues To Self-Injurious Behavior In Rare Disorder In humans, inherited mutations in a gene called HPRT1 lead to very specific self-destructive behavior. Boys with Lesch-Nyhan disease experience uncontrollable urges to bite their fingers, slam their arms into doorways and otherwise harm themselves.	29 July 2011

Breast Cancer News
High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk Women who want to lower their risk of developing breast cancer should seriously consider increasing their intake of dietary fiber. A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who consumed the most fiber had an 11% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who ate the least.	29 July 2011
Breast Cancer - Adjuvant Tamoxifen Improves 15-Year Survival By One Third For women with breast cancer who take adjuvant Tamoxifen daily for 5 years, their risk of dying from the disease drops by one third, compared to their chances without the drug, researchers reported in The Lancet today.	29 July 2011
Study Is The First To Examine How Blood Protein Levels Change As Breast Cancer Develops - Long Before The Disease Is Clinically Detectable Using a "systems biology" approach - which focuses on understanding the complex relationships between biological systems - to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer, researchers for the first time have identified a set of proteins in the blood that change in abundance long before the cancer is clinically detectable.	29 July 2011
The Future Of 3-D Is Breast Cancer Detection; Saves Time, Money A Seattle, Washington based hospital has announced the launch of a new 3-D mammography imaging technology, or better known as tomosynthesis now, is available for patient appointments. This development will make it possible for more precise readings that reduce the need for follow-up appointments by up to 40% saving all parties serious cash.	29 July 2011
Tamoxifen Resistance Explained In Some Breast Cancers Using human breast cancer cells and the protein that causes fireflies to glow, a Johns Hopkins team has shed light on why some breast cancer cells become resistant to the anticancer effects of the drug tamoxifen.	29 July 2011

Cancer / Oncology News
High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk Women who want to lower their risk of developing breast cancer should seriously consider increasing their intake of dietary fiber. A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who consumed the most fiber had an 11% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who ate the least.	29 July 2011
Being Brought Up In Livestock Farm Raises Risk Of Blood Cancers Later On Individuals who were brought up in a livestock farm have a higher risk of developing blood cancers compared to other people, researchers from New Zealand and England reported in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a BMJ publication.	29 July 2011
Breast Cancer - Adjuvant Tamoxifen Improves 15-Year Survival By One Third For women with breast cancer who take adjuvant Tamoxifen daily for 5 years, their risk of dying from the disease drops by one third, compared to their chances without the drug, researchers reported in The Lancet today.	29 July 2011
Evolution, Disease Process, Understanding Of Basic Functioning Of Human Cells Broadened By 1st Large-Scale Map Of A Plant's Protein Network The eon-spanning clock of evolution - the millions of years that generally pass before organisms acquire new traits - belies a constant ferment in the chambers and channels of cells, as changes in genes and proteins have subtle ripple effects throughout an organism.	29 July 2011
Patient Marries 3 Days Before Cancer Surgery To Remove 10-Inch Tumor No cancer surgery is easy, but the two operations David Bieszke underwent at Loyola University Hospital to remove an aggressive, 10-inch tumor were especially challenging.The tumor extended from his navel to his diaphragm.	29 July 2011
Convergence In Head And Neck Cancer --Centers Collaborate To Reveal Unexpected Genetic Mutations Baltimore, MD; Boston and Cambridge MA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Houston, TX . Thurs. July 28, 2011 -- Powerful new technologies that zoom in on the connections between human genes and diseases have illuminated the landscape of cancer, singling out changes in tumor DNA that drive the development of certain types of malignancies such as melanoma or ovarian cancer.	29 July 2011
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Receives $8.2M To Coordinate Major Initiative To Study Link Between Obesity And Cancer The National Cancer Institute has awarded $8.2 million over the next five years to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to extend its role as the coordinating hub of a nationwide research consortium that aims to better understand the link between obesity and cancer.	29 July 2011
New Protein Structure Model To Inhibit Cancer Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have developed a new structural model of a protein, which makes it possible to develop more effective drugs to target diseases such as cancer, heart disease and influenza.	29 July 2011

Cardiovascular / Cardiology News
Reducing The Risk Of Heart Failure And Cardiac Fibrosis With A Heart-Rate-reducing Medication The findings of a Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) study published in the scientific journal Cardiology suggest that ivabradine, a heart rate reduction medication, is also effective in reducing the risk of diastolic heart failure (left ventricular insufficiency) and cardiac fibrosis.	29 July 2011
Mount Sinai Performs First Atrial Fibrillation Cardiac Ablation On The East Coast With Novel Force-Sensing Catheter And Mapping System The Mount Sinai Medical Center has become the first hospital on the east coast to perform a cardiac ablation procedure using the Thermocool Smarttouch Contact Force-Sensing Catheter for the treatment of symptomatic, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), or periodic rapid and irregular heartbeats.	29 July 2011
Taking The Pressure Off Newborns' Lungs Children born with heart defects that pummel their lungs with up to three times the normal blood volume quickly find their lungs in jeopardy as well.Georgia Health Sciences University researchers are working to take the pressure off by augmenting a natural recycling system that enables blood vessels to temporarily handle the extra workload until the heart problem is resolved.	29 July 2011

Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine News
Male Circumcision Lowers Prevalence Of Penile Precancerous Lesions Among African Men A University of North Carolina-led international study shows that among Kenyan men, circumcision is associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated precancerous lesions of the penis.	29 July 2011

Cholesterol News

Risk Factors For Heart Disease Increased By Fructose Consumption A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.

29 July 2011

COPD News
Changes In Lungs Associated With COPD Flare-Ups Revealed By CT Using computed tomography (CT), researchers have identified two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are associated with frequent exacerbations, or episodes when symptoms suddenly worsen.	29 July 2011
Mechanism Underlying COPD Disease Persistence After Smoking Cessation Identified Cigarette smoke exposure fundamentally alters airway tissue from people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at the cellular level, laying the groundwork for airway thickening and even precipitating precancerous changes in cell proliferation that may be self-perpetuating long after cigarette smoke exposure ends, according to Australian researchers.	29 July 2011

Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery News
Patient Marries 3 Days Before Cancer Surgery To Remove 10-Inch Tumor No cancer surgery is easy, but the two operations David Bieszke underwent at Loyola University Hospital to remove an aggressive, 10-inch tumor were especially challenging.The tumor extended from his navel to his diaphragm.	29 July 2011

Dentistry News

Enhanced Dental Care Under Grant To Cedars-Sinai's COACH For Kids Dental problems are the most commonly cited unmet need among children.Cedars-Sinai's COACH for Kids and Their Families®, a mobile medical program, has been selected as one of 20 school-based programs nationwide to receive a grant from the National Assembly on School-based Health Care (NASBHC) to increase oral health services to students in underserved communities.

29 July 2011

Depression News
Veterinary Medicine Students Experience Higher Depression Levels Than Peers Veterinary medicine students are more likely to struggle with depression than human medicine students, undergraduate students and the general population, according to several recent collaborative studies from Kansas State University researchers.	29 July 2011
With Diabetes, Untreated Depression Can Lead To Serious Eye Disease Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are more likely to develop a serious complication known as diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, a five-year study finds.	29 July 2011

Diabetes News
Hit Gym, Resistance Training To Lower Diabetes Type 2 Risk It seems that hitting the gym and resistance training may not only keep you fit and looking smart, but also will lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight are more likely to have insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin.	29 July 2011
Increased Muscle Mass May Lower Risk Of Pre-Diabetes A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower the person's risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.	29 July 2011
With Diabetes, Untreated Depression Can Lead To Serious Eye Disease Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are more likely to develop a serious complication known as diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, a five-year study finds.	29 July 2011
$3 Million Grant To Aid Minorities With Uncontrolled Diabetes Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Health Research and Policy and College of Medicine have received a $3 million federal grant to improve diabetes management in minority patients.	29 July 2011

Endocrinology News
Studies Discover New Estrogen Activity In The Brain Research by University of Massachusetts Amherst neuroscientist Luke Remage-Healey and colleagues has for the first time provided direct evidence that estrogens are produced in the brain's nerve cell terminals on demand, very quickly and precisely where needed.	29 July 2011
Packing On Pounds Riskier For South Asians It's not fair, but it's true. A new study by researchers at McMaster University has found that some ethnic groups are more likely to be adding dangerous fat onto their internal organs like their liver when they gain weight, while others just add it to their waistline.	29 July 2011
Tamoxifen Resistance Explained In Some Breast Cancers Using human breast cancer cells and the protein that causes fireflies to glow, a Johns Hopkins team has shed light on why some breast cancer cells become resistant to the anticancer effects of the drug tamoxifen.	29 July 2011

Epilepsy News

New Light Shed On The Mechanisms Of Childhood Epilepsy By A Gene Discovery In Truffle Dogs A new epilepsy gene, LGI2, has been found in the Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, known for their gift for truffle hunting. The gene discovery made by Professor Hannes Lohi and his research group at the University of Helsinki and the Folkhalsan Research Center offers a new candidate gene for human benign childhood epilepsies characterized by seizure remission.

29 July 2011

Eye Health / Blindness News
With Diabetes, Untreated Depression Can Lead To Serious Eye Disease Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are more likely to develop a serious complication known as diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, a five-year study finds.	29 July 2011

Flu / Cold / SARS News

Potential For A First Universal Flu Therapeutic Following Discovery Of First Antibody To Neutralize Both Group 1 And Group 2 Influenza A Viruses A paper published in the scientific research journal Science, describes a novel, proprietary monoclonal antibody (FI6) discovered in a collaboration between Humabs BioMed SA, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine ("IRB") and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC).

29 July 2011

GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology News

Weight Loss From Gastric Bypass Might Be Partly Due To Dietary Fat Aversion Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common type of bariatric surgery in the United States, is currently considered the most effective therapy for morbid obesity. Patients who undergo this procedure, in which the stomach is reduced to a small pouch and connected to the middle of the small intestine, often lose massive amounts of weight.

29 July 2011

Genetics News
Researchers Encounter Genetic Changes In The Genome Of The Cellular Power Plants Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are truly talented multi-taskers. They can reproduce almost all cell types and thus offer great hope in the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.	29 July 2011
New Light Shed On The Mechanisms Of Childhood Epilepsy By A Gene Discovery In Truffle Dogs A new epilepsy gene, LGI2, has been found in the Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, known for their gift for truffle hunting. The gene discovery made by Professor Hannes Lohi and his research group at the University of Helsinki and the Folkhalsan Research Center offers a new candidate gene for human benign childhood epilepsies characterized by seizure remission.	29 July 2011
Evolution, Disease Process, Understanding Of Basic Functioning Of Human Cells Broadened By 1st Large-Scale Map Of A Plant's Protein Network The eon-spanning clock of evolution - the millions of years that generally pass before organisms acquire new traits - belies a constant ferment in the chambers and channels of cells, as changes in genes and proteins have subtle ripple effects throughout an organism.	29 July 2011
Convergence In Head And Neck Cancer --Centers Collaborate To Reveal Unexpected Genetic Mutations Baltimore, MD; Boston and Cambridge MA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Houston, TX . Thurs. July 28, 2011 -- Powerful new technologies that zoom in on the connections between human genes and diseases have illuminated the landscape of cancer, singling out changes in tumor DNA that drive the development of certain types of malignancies such as melanoma or ovarian cancer.	29 July 2011
Changes In Lungs Associated With COPD Flare-Ups Revealed By CT Using computed tomography (CT), researchers have identified two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are associated with frequent exacerbations, or episodes when symptoms suddenly worsen.	29 July 2011
Clues To Self-Injurious Behavior In Rare Disorder In humans, inherited mutations in a gene called HPRT1 lead to very specific self-destructive behavior. Boys with Lesch-Nyhan disease experience uncontrollable urges to bite their fingers, slam their arms into doorways and otherwise harm themselves.	29 July 2011
Tamoxifen Resistance Explained In Some Breast Cancers Using human breast cancer cells and the protein that causes fireflies to glow, a Johns Hopkins team has shed light on why some breast cancer cells become resistant to the anticancer effects of the drug tamoxifen.	29 July 2011

Gout News
Increase In Obesity And Hypertension Are Likely Contributors To The Increase In Gout Prevalence In US Over Last 2 Decades A new study shows the prevalence of gout in the U.S. has risen over the last twenty years and now affects 8.3 million (4%) Americans. Prevalence of increased uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) also rose, affecting 43.	29 July 2011

Health Insurance / Medical Insurance News
Study Finds Big Gap In Health Care Spending Between Latinos And Whites New research out of UCLA has found that Latinos living in the United States - particularly those who were born outside the country - are far less likely to spend for health care and are more likely to pay out-of-pocket when they do spend than the white population.	29 July 2011

Heart Disease News
Reducing The Risk Of Heart Failure And Cardiac Fibrosis With A Heart-Rate-reducing Medication The findings of a Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) study published in the scientific journal Cardiology suggest that ivabradine, a heart rate reduction medication, is also effective in reducing the risk of diastolic heart failure (left ventricular insufficiency) and cardiac fibrosis.	29 July 2011
Risk Factors For Heart Disease Increased By Fructose Consumption A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.	29 July 2011
Mount Sinai Performs First Atrial Fibrillation Cardiac Ablation On The East Coast With Novel Force-Sensing Catheter And Mapping System The Mount Sinai Medical Center has become the first hospital on the east coast to perform a cardiac ablation procedure using the Thermocool Smarttouch Contact Force-Sensing Catheter for the treatment of symptomatic, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), or periodic rapid and irregular heartbeats.	29 July 2011

Hypertension News
Increase In Obesity And Hypertension Are Likely Contributors To The Increase In Gout Prevalence In US Over Last 2 Decades A new study shows the prevalence of gout in the U.S. has risen over the last twenty years and now affects 8.3 million (4%) Americans. Prevalence of increased uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) also rose, affecting 43.	29 July 2011

Immune System / Vaccines News
Nigeria May Jail Parents Who Refuse Child Polio Vaccinations Officials in Nigeria's northern Kano state say parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against polio may be prosecuted and could face jail time. The government order issued this week comes as the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, has been pressuring Nigeria's northern states to promote vaccination against the highly contagious disease.	29 July 2011
Potential For A First Universal Flu Therapeutic Following Discovery Of First Antibody To Neutralize Both Group 1 And Group 2 Influenza A Viruses A paper published in the scientific research journal Science, describes a novel, proprietary monoclonal antibody (FI6) discovered in a collaboration between Humabs BioMed SA, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine ("IRB") and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC).	29 July 2011
Kardashian, Braxton, Gaga Celebrity Brings Spotlight To Autoimmune Disease Family Ties Hollywood bombshell Kim Kardashian recently shared her diagnosis of the autoimmune disease psoriasis on her E! reality TV series, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." While the media has latched on to Kim's diagnosis, there's a footnote in this news that might hold the bigger story.	29 July 2011

Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News

Nigeria May Jail Parents Who Refuse Child Polio Vaccinations Officials in Nigeria's northern Kano state say parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against polio may be prosecuted and could face jail time. The government order issued this week comes as the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, has been pressuring Nigeria's northern states to promote vaccination against the highly contagious disease.

29 July 2011

IT / Internet / E-mail News
Using Brain Power To Apply Brakes Whilst Driving German researchers have used drivers' brain signals, for the first time, to assist in braking, providing much quicker reaction times and a potential solution to the thousands of car accidents that are caused by human error.	29 July 2011
Mobile Apps, Facebook, Twitter Help Public Become Part Of Disaster Preparedness And Response, Not 'Mere Bystanders' Social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare may be an important key to improving the public health system's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, according to a New England Journal of Medicine "Perspective" article from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to be published this week.	29 July 2011

Litigation / Medical Malpractice News
Landmark Tobacco Decision Says Canada Gov't Not Liable For Billions In a landmark decision, Canada's federal government has been deemed not liable for billions of dollars in damages stemming from lawsuits against tobacco companies, according to the country's Supreme Court.	29 July 2011

Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma News
Being Brought Up In Livestock Farm Raises Risk Of Blood Cancers Later On Individuals who were brought up in a livestock farm have a higher risk of developing blood cancers compared to other people, researchers from New Zealand and England reported in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a BMJ publication.	29 July 2011

Medical Devices / Diagnostics News
New Approaches To Improving Biomarker Discovery An article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS's weekly newsmagazine, describes the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of one of the hottest pursuits in modern biomedical science - the search for "biomarkers" that could greatly improve the diagnosis of disease and efforts to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.	29 July 2011
Monitor Identifies Warning Signs Prior To Panic Attacks Panic attacks that seem to strike sufferers out-of-the-blue are not without warning after all, according to new research.A study based on 24-hour monitoring of panic sufferers while they went about their daily activities captured panic attacks as they happened and discovered waves of significant physiological instability for at least 60 minutes before patients' awareness of the panic attacks, said psychologist Alicia E.	29 July 2011

Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News
Growing Life Expectancy Gap Between Americans And Europeans Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations.	29 July 2011

Men's health News
Male Circumcision Lowers Prevalence Of Penile Precancerous Lesions Among African Men A University of North Carolina-led international study shows that among Kenyan men, circumcision is associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated precancerous lesions of the penis.	29 July 2011

Multiple Sclerosis News
Major International Stem Cell Trials For Multiple Sclerosis Get Funding UK scientists getting ready to work on major international trials to investigate the safety and effectiveness of stem cells in slowing, stopping or reversing brain and spinal cord damage in people with multiple scleroris (MS) have received £1 million in funds from the MS Society and the UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKCSF).	29 July 2011

Neurology / Neuroscience News
Major International Stem Cell Trials For Multiple Sclerosis Get Funding UK scientists getting ready to work on major international trials to investigate the safety and effectiveness of stem cells in slowing, stopping or reversing brain and spinal cord damage in people with multiple scleroris (MS) have received £1 million in funds from the MS Society and the UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKCSF).	29 July 2011
Using Brain Power To Apply Brakes Whilst Driving German researchers have used drivers' brain signals, for the first time, to assist in braking, providing much quicker reaction times and a potential solution to the thousands of car accidents that are caused by human error.	29 July 2011
Development Of Mouse With 'Off Switch' In Key Brain Cell Population May Aid Research Into SIDS, Depression NIH-funded scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation, and mood.	29 July 2011
Increased Muscle Mass May Lower Risk Of Pre-Diabetes A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower the person's risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.	29 July 2011
Studies Discover New Estrogen Activity In The Brain Research by University of Massachusetts Amherst neuroscientist Luke Remage-Healey and colleagues has for the first time provided direct evidence that estrogens are produced in the brain's nerve cell terminals on demand, very quickly and precisely where needed.	29 July 2011
The Brain's Connectome, From Branch To Branch Max Planck scientists develop new analytical tools for the fast and accurate reconstruction of neural networks.The human brain is the most complex of all organs, containing billions of neurons with their corresponding projections, all woven together in a highly complex, three-dimensional web.	29 July 2011
Evolution Of Human Longevity Led To Both A Large Brain And Brain Shrinkage Brains shrink in humans, potentially causing a number of health problems and mental illnesses as people age, but do they shrink to the same extent in the closest living relatives to humans - the chimpanzees?New research says no, making the extreme amount of brain shrinkage resulting from normal aging in humans unique.	29 July 2011
Why Site Of Origin Affects Fate Of Postnatal Neural Stem Cells New research may help to explain why the location of postnatal neural stem cells in the brain determines the type of new neurons that are generated. The research, published by Cell Press in the July 28 issue of the journal Neuron, demonstrates that a signaling pathway which plays a key role in development also actively regulates the fate of neural stem cells in the adult brain.	29 July 2011

Nutrition / Diet News
High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk Women who want to lower their risk of developing breast cancer should seriously consider increasing their intake of dietary fiber. A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who consumed the most fiber had an 11% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who ate the least.	29 July 2011
Man Drops From 350 To 175 Lbs Because He Was Scared Of Diagnosis Will Nevin, 25, feared a frightening diagnosis by doctors so much that he went on a diet and exercise drive and lost 175 lbs in 11 months. He had been starting to have tingling sensations in his feet, which after an internet search made him wonder whether he might be pre-diabetic.	29 July 2011
Risk Factors For Heart Disease Increased By Fructose Consumption A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.	29 July 2011
Weight Loss From Gastric Bypass Might Be Partly Due To Dietary Fat Aversion Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common type of bariatric surgery in the United States, is currently considered the most effective therapy for morbid obesity. Patients who undergo this procedure, in which the stomach is reduced to a small pouch and connected to the middle of the small intestine, often lose massive amounts of weight.	29 July 2011
Tendency For Teens To Eat More Junk As Unhealthy Food Outlets Multiply Got lots of fast food restaurants and other outlets that sell junk food in your neighborhood? Then your teen is more likely to nosh regularly on burgers and fries and wash them down with a soda.	29 July 2011
Home Setting Nurtures Better Food Choices Can a cozy dining table and nice music prompt people to reach for the greens and go light on dessert?So suggests a new study probing why people tend to eat more-nutritious meals at home than away from home.	29 July 2011

Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News
Man Drops From 350 To 175 Lbs Because He Was Scared Of Diagnosis Will Nevin, 25, feared a frightening diagnosis by doctors so much that he went on a diet and exercise drive and lost 175 lbs in 11 months. He had been starting to have tingling sensations in his feet, which after an internet search made him wonder whether he might be pre-diabetic.	29 July 2011
Increase In Obesity And Hypertension Are Likely Contributors To The Increase In Gout Prevalence In US Over Last 2 Decades A new study shows the prevalence of gout in the U.S. has risen over the last twenty years and now affects 8.3 million (4%) Americans. Prevalence of increased uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) also rose, affecting 43.	29 July 2011
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Receives $8.2M To Coordinate Major Initiative To Study Link Between Obesity And Cancer The National Cancer Institute has awarded $8.2 million over the next five years to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to extend its role as the coordinating hub of a nationwide research consortium that aims to better understand the link between obesity and cancer.	29 July 2011
Packing On Pounds Riskier For South Asians It's not fair, but it's true. A new study by researchers at McMaster University has found that some ethnic groups are more likely to be adding dangerous fat onto their internal organs like their liver when they gain weight, while others just add it to their waistline.	29 July 2011
Weight Loss From Gastric Bypass Might Be Partly Due To Dietary Fat Aversion Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common type of bariatric surgery in the United States, is currently considered the most effective therapy for morbid obesity. Patients who undergo this procedure, in which the stomach is reduced to a small pouch and connected to the middle of the small intestine, often lose massive amounts of weight.	29 July 2011
Tendency For Teens To Eat More Junk As Unhealthy Food Outlets Multiply Got lots of fast food restaurants and other outlets that sell junk food in your neighborhood? Then your teen is more likely to nosh regularly on burgers and fries and wash them down with a soda.	29 July 2011

Pediatrics / Children's Health News
New Light Shed On The Mechanisms Of Childhood Epilepsy By A Gene Discovery In Truffle Dogs A new epilepsy gene, LGI2, has been found in the Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, known for their gift for truffle hunting. The gene discovery made by Professor Hannes Lohi and his research group at the University of Helsinki and the Folkhalsan Research Center offers a new candidate gene for human benign childhood epilepsies characterized by seizure remission.	29 July 2011
Development Of Mouse With 'Off Switch' In Key Brain Cell Population May Aid Research Into SIDS, Depression NIH-funded scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation, and mood.	29 July 2011
Tendency For Teens To Eat More Junk As Unhealthy Food Outlets Multiply Got lots of fast food restaurants and other outlets that sell junk food in your neighborhood? Then your teen is more likely to nosh regularly on burgers and fries and wash them down with a soda.	29 July 2011
Enhanced Dental Care Under Grant To Cedars-Sinai's COACH For Kids Dental problems are the most commonly cited unmet need among children.Cedars-Sinai's COACH for Kids and Their Families®, a mobile medical program, has been selected as one of 20 school-based programs nationwide to receive a grant from the National Assembly on School-based Health Care (NASBHC) to increase oral health services to students in underserved communities.	29 July 2011
Taking The Pressure Off Newborns' Lungs Children born with heart defects that pummel their lungs with up to three times the normal blood volume quickly find their lungs in jeopardy as well.Georgia Health Sciences University researchers are working to take the pressure off by augmenting a natural recycling system that enables blood vessels to temporarily handle the extra workload until the heart problem is resolved.	29 July 2011

Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry News
Intraphilins As New Approach To Intracellular Biologic Drugs Permeon Biologics, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of intracellular protein biologics, hasannounced the discovery of an entirely new class of naturally occurring human supercharged proteins called Intraphilins™.	29 July 2011
Environmental Effect Of Pharmaceutical Products Predicted By New Model Most synthetic chemical products used in consumer goods end up unchanged in the environment. Given the risks this could pose for the environment and human health, researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) have developed a new tool to effectively predict what will happen to current and future pharmaceutical products.	29 July 2011

Pregnancy / Obstetrics News
Large Increase In Pregnancy-Related Strokes, CDC Study There has been a large increase in pregnancy-related strokes in the US, due mainly to women having more risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure, say researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who write about their findings in the 28 July online issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.	29 July 2011

Psychology / Psychiatry News
Veterinary Medicine Students Experience Higher Depression Levels Than Peers Veterinary medicine students are more likely to struggle with depression than human medicine students, undergraduate students and the general population, according to several recent collaborative studies from Kansas State University researchers.	29 July 2011
Clues To Self-Injurious Behavior In Rare Disorder In humans, inherited mutations in a gene called HPRT1 lead to very specific self-destructive behavior. Boys with Lesch-Nyhan disease experience uncontrollable urges to bite their fingers, slam their arms into doorways and otherwise harm themselves.	29 July 2011
Home Setting Nurtures Better Food Choices Can a cozy dining table and nice music prompt people to reach for the greens and go light on dessert?So suggests a new study probing why people tend to eat more-nutritious meals at home than away from home.	29 July 2011
Opting Out Or Overlooking Discrimination? Gender Barriers Persist In Workplace For the first time in history, the majority of Americans believe that women's job opportunities are equal to men's. For example, a 2005 Gallup poll indicated that 53 percent of Americans endorse the view that opportunities are equal, despite the fact that women still earn less than men, are underrepresented at the highest levels of many fields, and face other gender barriers such as bias against working mothers and inflexible workplaces.	29 July 2011
Monitor Identifies Warning Signs Prior To Panic Attacks Panic attacks that seem to strike sufferers out-of-the-blue are not without warning after all, according to new research.A study based on 24-hour monitoring of panic sufferers while they went about their daily activities captured panic attacks as they happened and discovered waves of significant physiological instability for at least 60 minutes before patients' awareness of the panic attacks, said psychologist Alicia E.	29 July 2011
Psychologist Links Social Acumen To Spatial Skill People who are socially skilled - who are adept at metaphorically putting themselves in someone else's shoes - are also more proficient when it comes to spatial skills, according to a new study led by a Johns Hopkins University psychologist.	29 July 2011

Public Health News
7 Billion Humans In 2011 Heralds Global Upheaval Says Harvard Professor The number of human beings on the planet is expected to shoot past the 7 billion mark later this year, 2011, up from 6 billion in 1999. The growth is so rapid, that global population has doubled between 1960 and 2000, and a further increase of 2 to 4.	29 July 2011
Growing Life Expectancy Gap Between Americans And Europeans Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations.	29 July 2011
Environmental Effect Of Pharmaceutical Products Predicted By New Model Most synthetic chemical products used in consumer goods end up unchanged in the environment. Given the risks this could pose for the environment and human health, researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) have developed a new tool to effectively predict what will happen to current and future pharmaceutical products.	29 July 2011
Population Growth, Education And Human Well-Being Future trends in global population growth could be significantly affected by improvements in both the quality and quantity of education, particularly female education. Projections of future population trends that do not explicitly include education in their analysis may be flawed, according to research published in the journal Science (July 29 2011).	29 July 2011
Using Brain Power To Apply Brakes Whilst Driving German researchers have used drivers' brain signals, for the first time, to assist in braking, providing much quicker reaction times and a potential solution to the thousands of car accidents that are caused by human error.	29 July 2011
Study Finds Big Gap In Health Care Spending Between Latinos And Whites New research out of UCLA has found that Latinos living in the United States - particularly those who were born outside the country - are far less likely to spend for health care and are more likely to pay out-of-pocket when they do spend than the white population.	29 July 2011
Harmful Haloacetic Acids Found In Urine Of Swimmers And Pool Workers The first scientific measurements in humans show that potentially harmful haloacetic acids (HAAs) appear in the urine of swimmers within 30 minutes after exposure to chlorinated water where HAAs form as a byproduct of that water disinfection method.	29 July 2011
Mobile Apps, Facebook, Twitter Help Public Become Part Of Disaster Preparedness And Response, Not 'Mere Bystanders' Social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare may be an important key to improving the public health system's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, according to a New England Journal of Medicine "Perspective" article from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to be published this week.	29 July 2011

Radiology / Nuclear Medicine News
Changes In Lungs Associated With COPD Flare-Ups Revealed By CT Using computed tomography (CT), researchers have identified two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are associated with frequent exacerbations, or episodes when symptoms suddenly worsen.	29 July 2011

Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals News
Groups Demand FDA To Revaluate Approval System After 35 Years The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to make some changes according to The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) after 35 years of the same, and a report will be released this week that hopes to change the way medical devices are regulated by the agency.	29 July 2011

Respiratory / Asthma News
Development Of Mouse With 'Off Switch' In Key Brain Cell Population May Aid Research Into SIDS, Depression NIH-funded scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation, and mood.	29 July 2011
Taking The Pressure Off Newborns' Lungs Children born with heart defects that pummel their lungs with up to three times the normal blood volume quickly find their lungs in jeopardy as well.Georgia Health Sciences University researchers are working to take the pressure off by augmenting a natural recycling system that enables blood vessels to temporarily handle the extra workload until the heart problem is resolved.	29 July 2011

Seniors / Aging News
Growing Life Expectancy Gap Between Americans And Europeans Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations.	29 July 2011
Evolution Of Human Longevity Led To Both A Large Brain And Brain Shrinkage Brains shrink in humans, potentially causing a number of health problems and mental illnesses as people age, but do they shrink to the same extent in the closest living relatives to humans - the chimpanzees?New research says no, making the extreme amount of brain shrinkage resulting from normal aging in humans unique.	29 July 2011

Sexual Health / STDs News
Male Circumcision Lowers Prevalence Of Penile Precancerous Lesions Among African Men A University of North Carolina-led international study shows that among Kenyan men, circumcision is associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated precancerous lesions of the penis.	29 July 2011

Smoking / Quit Smoking News
Landmark Tobacco Decision Says Canada Gov't Not Liable For Billions In a landmark decision, Canada's federal government has been deemed not liable for billions of dollars in damages stemming from lawsuits against tobacco companies, according to the country's Supreme Court.	29 July 2011
Mechanism Underlying COPD Disease Persistence After Smoking Cessation Identified Cigarette smoke exposure fundamentally alters airway tissue from people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at the cellular level, laying the groundwork for airway thickening and even precipitating precancerous changes in cell proliferation that may be self-perpetuating long after cigarette smoke exposure ends, according to Australian researchers.	29 July 2011

Sports Medicine / Fitness News
Man Drops From 350 To 175 Lbs Because He Was Scared Of Diagnosis Will Nevin, 25, feared a frightening diagnosis by doctors so much that he went on a diet and exercise drive and lost 175 lbs in 11 months. He had been starting to have tingling sensations in his feet, which after an internet search made him wonder whether he might be pre-diabetic.	29 July 2011

Stem Cell Research News
Researchers Encounter Genetic Changes In The Genome Of The Cellular Power Plants Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are truly talented multi-taskers. They can reproduce almost all cell types and thus offer great hope in the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.	29 July 2011
Major International Stem Cell Trials For Multiple Sclerosis Get Funding UK scientists getting ready to work on major international trials to investigate the safety and effectiveness of stem cells in slowing, stopping or reversing brain and spinal cord damage in people with multiple scleroris (MS) have received £1 million in funds from the MS Society and the UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKCSF).	29 July 2011
Researchers At Columbia University Medical Center Hail Court's Decision On Stem Cell Research Commenting on yesterday's ruling in favor of the Obama administration's continued funding of embryonic stem cell research, Lee Goldman, MD, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, and Executive Vice President, Columbia University, said:"We are grateful that the court has correctly rejected this attempt to inject politics into science.	29 July 2011
Why Site Of Origin Affects Fate Of Postnatal Neural Stem Cells New research may help to explain why the location of postnatal neural stem cells in the brain determines the type of new neurons that are generated. The research, published by Cell Press in the July 28 issue of the journal Neuron, demonstrates that a signaling pathway which plays a key role in development also actively regulates the fate of neural stem cells in the adult brain.	29 July 2011

Stroke News
Large Increase In Pregnancy-Related Strokes, CDC Study There has been a large increase in pregnancy-related strokes in the US, due mainly to women having more risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure, say researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who write about their findings in the 28 July online issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.	29 July 2011

Veterans / Ex-Servicemen News
Are Women Veterans Getting The Health Care They Need? The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health will host a media teleconference call to present research from the July/ August Women's Health Issues supplement titled, "Health and Health Care of Women Veterans and Women in the Military: Research Informing Evidence-based Practice and Policy.	29 July 2011
University Of Utah Opens Veterans Support Center This year, the University of Utah (the U.) established a Veterans Support Center to serve as a focal point for student veteran activities and to help them transition into the sometimes unnerving world of civilian life.	29 July 2011

Water - Air Quality / Agriculture News
Being Brought Up In Livestock Farm Raises Risk Of Blood Cancers Later On Individuals who were brought up in a livestock farm have a higher risk of developing blood cancers compared to other people, researchers from New Zealand and England reported in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a BMJ publication.	29 July 2011
Environmental Effect Of Pharmaceutical Products Predicted By New Model Most synthetic chemical products used in consumer goods end up unchanged in the environment. Given the risks this could pose for the environment and human health, researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) have developed a new tool to effectively predict what will happen to current and future pharmaceutical products.	29 July 2011
Harmful Haloacetic Acids Found In Urine Of Swimmers And Pool Workers The first scientific measurements in humans show that potentially harmful haloacetic acids (HAAs) appear in the urine of swimmers within 30 minutes after exposure to chlorinated water where HAAs form as a byproduct of that water disinfection method.	29 July 2011

Women's Health / Gynecology News
Large Increase In Pregnancy-Related Strokes, CDC Study There has been a large increase in pregnancy-related strokes in the US, due mainly to women having more risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure, say researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who write about their findings in the 28 July online issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.	29 July 2011
Opting Out Or Overlooking Discrimination? Gender Barriers Persist In Workplace For the first time in history, the majority of Americans believe that women's job opportunities are equal to men's. For example, a 2005 Gallup poll indicated that 53 percent of Americans endorse the view that opportunities are equal, despite the fact that women still earn less than men, are underrepresented at the highest levels of many fields, and face other gender barriers such as bias against working mothers and inflexible workplaces.	29 July 2011

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