New strategies may cut screening errors, says US study
January 17, 2010
US scientists have found a way they believe may cut the number of mistakes made by medical staff looking for breast and cervical cancers.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, the researchers say that people in all walks of life looking for rare events often miss them.
No such thing as ’safe’ cocaine, experts warn
January 13, 2010
The image of cocaine as a “safe party drug” is a myth that must be dispelled, say UK experts, as a study shows the drug is linked to 3% of sudden deaths.
The British Heart Foundation said the findings, published in the European Heart Journal, were a reminder that the drug can have devastating effects.
Morphine ‘might spread cancer’
November 23, 2009
Laboratory tests suggest morphine could in fact encourage the spread of cancer, for which it is routinely prescribed to relieve pain from surgery and tumours.
US scientists say the opiate promotes the growth of new blood vessels which deliver tumours oxygen and nutrients.
Speaking at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Boston, they also claim to have found a drug which counters this effect.
US declares swine flu ‘emergency’
October 25, 2009
US President Barack Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency.
The White House said the president signed the proclamation concerning the 2009 H1N1 outbreak on Friday evening.
It increases the ability of treatment facilities to handle a surge in H1N1 patients by easing the implementation of emergency plans.
Science to ’stop age clock at 50′
October 20, 2009
Centenarians with the bodies of 50-year-olds will one day be a realistic possibility, say scientists.
Half of babies now born in the UK will reach 100, thanks to higher living standards, but our bodies are wearing out at the same rate.
To achieve “50 active years after 50″, experts at Leeds University are spending £50m over five years looking at innovative solutions.
Nobel prize for chromosome find
October 5, 2009
This year’s Nobel prize for medicine goes to the three US researchers who discovered how the body protects the chromosomes housing vital genetic code.
Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak jointly share the award.
Their work revealed how the chromosomes can be copied and has helped further our understanding on human ageing, cancer and stem cells.
Cigarette branding ‘misleading’
September 6, 2009
Subtle branding on cigarette packets is misleading smokers into believing some products are less harmful than others, research suggests.
Products branded “smooth”, “silver” or “gold” are generally believed to be healthier and easier to give up, a survey of 1,300 people found.
Mumbai closes schools in flu fear
August 12, 2009
Indian authorities in the city of Mumbai say they will close all schools, colleges and cinemas as they seek to control the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Schools and colleges will remain shut for a week, officials said.
‘No doubt’ sunbeds cause cancer
July 29, 2009
There is no doubt using a sunbed or sunlamp will raise the risk of skin cancer, say international experts.
Previously, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessed sunbeds and sunlamps as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
But it now says their use is definitively “carcinogenic to humans”.
Dairy for children ‘extends life’
July 28, 2009
Children who eat plenty of dairy foods such as milk and cheese can expect to live longer, a study suggests.
Some 4,374 UK children from a 1930s study were traced 65 years later by researchers in Bristol and Queensland.
They found those who had had high dairy and calcium intakes as children had been protected against stroke and other causes of death, journal Heart reports.