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Last Updated: Sep 8, 2007 - 1:21:03 PM |
Latest Research
Collaborative cross attracting diverse genetics experiments
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 29, 2007 -- Mice that are part of the Collaborative Cross project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are helping scientists around the world learn more about possible causes of drug abuse, diabetes, sleep disorders, stress and pain, kidney disease and a number of other conditions that affect millions of people.
Aug 29, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Safe water: simpler method for analyzing radium in water samples cuts testing time
A simpler technique for testing public drinking water samples for the presence of the radioactive element radium can dramatically reduce the amount of time required to conduct the sampling required by federal regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved use of the new testing method.
Aug 28, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Survey finds elevated rates of new asthma among WTC rescue and recovery workers
Findings released today by the Health Department shed new light on the health effects of exposure to dust and debris among workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001. The data, drawn from the World Trade Center Health Registry, show that 3.6% of the 25,000 rescue and recovery workers enrolled in the Registry report developing asthma after working at the site. That rate is 12 times what would be normally expected for the adult population during such a time period. The paper was published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and is available online at www.ehponline.org.
Aug 27, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Field Museum gives Parker/Gentry Award to environmental activist, attorney, author Judith Kimerling
CHICAGO—In recognition of her courageous and unrelenting efforts on behalf of indigenous peoples of Amazonia and Alaska, and their natural resources, Judith Kimerling has won The Field Museum’s prestigious Parker/Gentry Award.
Aug 23, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Frog plus frying pan equals better antibiotic
By creating Teflon versions of natural antibiotics found in frog skin, a research team led by biological chemist E. Neil Marsh has made the potential drugs better at thwarting bacterial defenses, an improvement that could enhance their effectiveness. Marsh will discuss the work Aug. 20 at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
Aug 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
PFOS and PFOA exposure associated with lower birth weight and size
Exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in the womb is statistically associated with lower weight and head circumference at birth, according to an analysis of nearly 300 umbilical cord blood samples led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results are published in the July 31, 2007, online edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Some of the studyÂ’s findings were previously reported at a Society of Toxicology workshop held in February.
Aug 17, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
SRMs track fire retardants in humans and environment
If only the flame retardant chemicals routinely added to consumer products from carpets to cell phones just did their job and nothing more. Health officials, however, are concerned that one class of these chemicals called polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), may be doing more than reducing fire-related injuries and property damage.
Aug 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Negative effects of plastic's additive blocked by nutrient supplements
DURHAM, N.C. – Experiments in animals have provided additional and tantalizing evidence that what a pregnant mother eats can make her offspring more susceptible to disease later in life.
Jul 30, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mouse genome will help identify causes of environmental disease
Research on the DNA of 15 mouse strains commonly used in biomedical studies is expected to help scientists determine the genes related to susceptibility to environmental disease. The body of data is now publicly available in a catalog of genetic variants, which displays the data as a mouse haplotype map, a tool that separates chromosomes in to many small segments, helping researchers find genes and genetic variations in mice that may affect health and disease. The haplotype map appearing online in the July 29th issue of Nature is the first published full descriptive analysis of the “Mouse Genome Resequencing and SNP Discovery Project” conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Jul 29, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
MIT, BU team builds viruses to combat harmful 'biofilms'
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--In one of the first potential applications of synthetic biology, an emerging field that aims to design and build useful biomolecular systems, researchers from MIT and Boston University are engineering viruses to attack and destroy the surface “biofilms” that harbor harmful bacteria in the body and on industrial and medical devices.
Jul 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New $1.16 million study investigates how dietary iron is used by cells
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A four-year study on iron metabolism within cells, an essential process that impacts both iron deficiency and iron toxicity, conditions responsible for a multitude of human diseases, is underway at the University at Buffalo funded by a $1.16 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
Jun 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Smoking
Children of smokers have more than 5 times higher levels of a nicotine toxin
Children who have at least one parent who smokes have 5.5 times higher levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their urine, according to a study by researchers from Warwick Medical School at the the University of Warwick, and the University of Leicester, published online ahead of print in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Jun 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 PM
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Latest Research
Helping chlorine-eating bacteria clean up toxic waste
Cornell researchers hope to learn how certain bacteria that break down pollutants do their job and then to make them more effective in cleaning up toxic wastes.
Jun 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Researchers call for investigation into links between khat use and psychiatric disorders
Researchers investigating the evidence for a potential causal link between khat use and mental illness - in the first ever systematic review of the topic - have called for improved research on the stimulant plant, and its possible association with psychiatric disorders.
Jun 4, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
An 'elegant' idea proves its worth 25 years later
The simple notion of copying the body’s own natural waste disposal chemistry to mop up potentially toxic nitrogen has saved an estimated 80 percent of patients with urea cycle disorders --- most of them children – according to a report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine summarizing a quarter century of experience with the treatment.
May 30, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mercury's link to heart disease begins in blood vessel walls
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Heavy metals and other toxins have been linked to many human diseases, but determining exactly how they damage the body remains a mystery in many cases. New research focusing on a relatively obscure, misunderstood protein suggests mercury's link to heart disease can be traced to activation of this enzyme, which triggers a process leading to plaque buildup in blood vessel walls.
May 30, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Genome of Clostridium botulinum reveals the background to world's deadliest toxin
The genome of the organism that produces the world’s most lethal toxin is revealed today. This toxin is the one real weapon in the genome of Clostridium botulinum and less than 2 kg — the weight of two bags of sugar — is enough to kill every person on the planet. Very small amounts of the same toxin are used in medical treatments, one of which is known as Botox®.
May 25, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Pointing a finger at the source of fecal bacteria
MADISON, WI, MAY 23, 2007 -- Excessive levels of fecal bacteria were to blame for almost 60 percent of Nebraska streams deemed impaired by federal and state environmental laws in 2004. In order to develop effective pollution-control strategies, it is important for researchers to identify the source of the contamination. By using multiple methods, or a “toolbox” approach, to determine the origin of fecal pollution in streams, researchers were able to identify the source of fecal bacteria with greater certainty than if testing with a single method.
May 23, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Engineered protein effective against Staphylococcus aureus toxin
A research team led by the University of Illinois has developed a treatment for exposure to enterotoxin B, a noxious substance produced by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. The team engineered a protein, which was successfully tested in rabbits, that could one day be used to treat humans exposed to the enterotoxin.
May 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Hexavalent chromium in drinking water causes cancer in lab animals
Researchers announced today that there is strong evidence a chemical referred to as hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6, causes cancer in laboratory animals when it is consumed in drinking water. The two-year study conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) shows that animals given hexavalent chromium developed malignant tumors.
May 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Agent protects cells from lethal effects of radiation even if given after exposure
No drugs exist to protect the public from the high levels of radiation that could be released by a dirty bomb or nuclear explosion. Such excessive exposure typically causes death within weeks as the radiation kills blood cells vital to clotting and fighting infection, along with the stem cells needed to replenish their supply. But now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed an agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation, regardless of whether it is given before or after exposure.
May 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Prenatal toxicity linked to immune dysfunctions in later life
A Cornell researcher and his wife have conducted the first comprehensive review of later-life diseases that develop in people who were exposed to environmental toxins or drugs either in the womb or as infants. They have found that most of the diseases have two things in common: They involve an imbalanced immune system and exaggerated inflammatory reactions (at the cellular level).
May 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New treatments have major impact on heart failure rates
Deaths from severe heart attacks following admission to hospital have nearly halved in six years as a result of advances in medical treatment.
May 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Researchers call for national database of epidural complications
Researchers have called for a national database to be set up to identify major complications arising from epidural pain relief after a small number of serious problems were identified during a six-year UK study, according to the April issue of Anaesthesia.
Apr 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
NJIT professor obtains patent to uncover trace elements of airborne pollutants
A breakthrough patent awarded to a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) researcher will enable manufacturers to create a device to uncover miniscule amounts of airborne pollutants. Using computer chip technology, Somenath Mitra, PhD, professor and chair of NJIT's Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, has developed and patented what could eventually become a simple keychain device to detect tiny, though potentially lethal, amounts of airborne carcinogens.
Mar 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Studies force new view on biology of flavonoids
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Flavonoids, a group of compounds found in fruits and vegetables that had been thought to be nutritionally important for their antioxidant activity, actually have little or no value in that role, according to an analysis by scientists in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Mar 5, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
MIT engineer works toward clean water, more
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--An MIT engineer working toward clean drinking water in Nepal describes in a recent issue of the Journal of International Development how people from developed and developing countries can work together to solve key humanitarian problems, ultimately meeting the basic human needs for security, broadly defined.
Mar 5, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Biodesign Institute takes part in $14.4M NIH chemical defense grant
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has been awarded one of six research projects as part of a $14.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) effort to develop improved antidotes for civilian populations vulnerable to chemical agent poisoning by a terrorist attack.
Feb 12, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study reveals molecular basis of botulism toxin's deadly activity
In the study, the scientists reveal the mysterious structural basis of the remarkably strong interaction that botulinum toxins form with nerve cells, a union so robust that a single toxin molecule can completely incapacitate a nerve cell. Because of this action, even in minute quantities these toxins are potentially deadly, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and sometimes respiratory failure.
Dec 14, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
CU study reveals pros and cons of therapy for lead exposure
Lead chelation therapy -- a chemical treatment to remove lead from the body -- can significantly reduce learning and behavioral problems that result from lead exposure, a Cornell study of young rats finds.
Dec 13, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study helps explain why botulinum toxin is so deadly
MADISON - A pilot without a map can locate an airport by first finding a nearby landmark, like a big river, and then searching for the airport.
Dec 13, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Nano design adjustment may help find, clear some water contaminants
Experiments designed to test discrepancies in theoretical computational chemistry have turned up a barely two-angstrom difference that may lead to a new approach to locate and remove dangerous toxins such as perchlorate and nitrates from the environment.
Dec 13, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
AVN944 inhibits IMPDH and induces apoptosis-related biomarkers in patients with hematologic cancers
Germantown, Md., December 11, 2006 -- Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ and NYSE Arca: AVRX), presented a poster detailing the effect of AVN944 on a comprehensive set of genetic and biochemical biomarkers at the American Society of Hematology 48th Annual Meeting. AVN944 demonstrated a statistically meaningful impact on IMPDH and other proteins that are critical to activities in cancer cells, including nucleotide biosynthesis, energy and metabolism, DNA replication, apoptosis and cell cycle control. The data were collected in an ongoing Phase I open-label, repeat dose-escalation study designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of AVN944 in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies and to determine the optimal dose for Phase II efficacy trials. Further data from an interim analysis of the trial is expected to be available shortly.
Dec 11, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Consumers neutral on risks, benefits of nano
HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2006 -- The largest and most comprehensive survey of public perceptions of nanotechnology products finds that U.S. consumers are willing to use specific nano-containing products – even if there are health and safety risks – when the potential benefits are high. The study also finds that U.S. consumers rate nanotechnology as less risky than everyday technologies like herbicides, chemical disinfectants, handguns and food preservatives.
Dec 5, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Dartmouth researchers find that low doses of arsenic have broad impact on hormone activity
Dartmouth Medical School investigators are learning more about how low doses of arsenic, such as the levels found in drinking water in many areas of the United States, affect human physiology. In a paper published online on Dec. 2 in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, the researchers report that three different steroid hormones all show similar responses to arsenic, suggesting a broader effect and a common mechanism of arsenic on how these hormones function.
Dec 4, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
'Nanorust' cleans arsenic from drinking water
HOUSTON, Nov. 9, 2006 -- The discovery of unexpected magnetic interactions between ultrasmall specks of rust is leading scientists at Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) to develop a revolutionary, low-cost technology for cleaning arsenic from drinking water. The technology holds promise for millions of people in India, Bangladesh and other developing countries where thousands of cases of arsenic poisoning each year are linked to poisoned wells.
Nov 9, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Heavy smoking cuts women's chance of pregnancy -- even with donated oocytes
Heavy smoking may reduce female fertility by directly affecting the uterus – making it less receptive and reducing the chances the embryo will implant, according to research published on line (Thursday 9 November) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1].
Nov 8, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Lungs try to repair damaged elastic fibers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Nov. 3, 2006) -- The lungs of patients suffering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attempt to repair damaged elastic fibers, a new finding that contradicts the conventional wisdom on the capabilities of the adult lung.
Nov 3, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mouse DNA to aid biomedical research
Researchers announced today that they have successfully resequenced the DNA of 15 mouse strains most commonly used in biomedical research. More than 8.3 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were discovered among the genomes of the 15 mouse strains and the data are now publicly available. These new data will help researchers better understand complex genetic traits, such as why some individuals are more susceptible to certain diseases, and will serve as a valuable resource in determining how environmental agents influence the development of disease.
Oct 25, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Drug combo improves survival in patients with COPD
A combination of two common medications may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) live longer. New research presented at CHEST 2006, the 72nd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that when used in combination, inhaled salmeterol (SAL) and fluticasone propionate (FP) reduced the risk of dying by up to 17.5 percent in patients with COPD. Currently, FP, an inhaled corticosteroid, and SAL, a long-acting B2-agonist bronchodilator, are used alone and in combination to treat both asthma and COPD.
Oct 23, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Biodegradable 'napkin' could help quickly detect, identify biohazards
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11 - Detecting bacteria, viruses and other dangerous substances could soon be as simple as wiping a napkin or paper towel across a table, according to Cornell University researchers. Once fully developed, the new absorbent wipe, embedded with nanofibers containing antibodies to numerous biohazards, could be used by virtually anyone to rapidly uncover pathogens in meat packing plants, hospitals, cruise ships, airplanes and other commonly contaminated areas, the researchers say.
Sep 11, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New methods for screening nanoparticles
UPTON, NY - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a screening method to examine how newly made nanoparticles -- particles with dimensions on the order of billionths of a meter -- interact with human cells following exposure for various times and doses. This has led to the visualization of how human cells interact with some specific types of carbon nanoparticles. The method is described in a review article on carbon nanoparticle toxicity in a special section of the August 23, 2006, issue of the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter devoted to developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology, now available online.
Aug 21, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New Queen's study offers environmentally friendly solution to oil industry needs
KINGSTON, Ont. -- Queen's University researchers have devised a green chemistry solution to one of the oil industry's biggest problems – in a cost-effective way.
Aug 17, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Chemical in many air fresheners may reduce lung function
New research shows that a chemical compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products, may be harmful to the lungs. Human population studies at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, found that exposure to a volatile organic compound (VOC), called 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB) may cause modest reductions in lung function.
Jul 27, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Queen's-led network looks at FAS aiming to minimize life-long learning problems
By understanding fetal brain injury caused by exposure to methanol and related toxins, an emerging team of researchers is laying the groundwork for potential new therapeutic interventions to protect fetuses at risk for FASD.
Jun 21, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Scientists take 'snapshots' of enzyme action
According to Brookhaven biologists Eswaramoorthy Subramaniam, the lead author, and Subramanyam Swaminathan, who led the research, most non-nutritional, foreign substances such as drugs and industrial chemicals are insoluble in water. The body uses two main groups of enzymes -- flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) and cytochrome P450s -- to convert these compounds to soluble forms that can be easily excreted.
Jun 12, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Tuberculosis drug may cure Parkinson's-like illness
Manganese is used to produce steel alloys and as a coating on welding rods, among other industrial applications. It replaced lead decades ago as a component in unleaded gasoline, increasing the risks of manganese intoxication for the general public, said one of the researchers, Wei Zheng, a professor and University Faculty Scholar in Purdue's School of Health Sciences.
Jun 6, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study evaluates benefits and risks of tamoxifen and raloxifene for reducing risk of breast cancer
Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that has been used to treat both early and advanced breast cancer for more than three decades, according to background information in the article. Raloxifene is a second-generation SERM currently used as a medication for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. But clinical trials have shown it may have a role in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Jun 5, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Lung surfactant: Host defense/surface tension, and linking innate/adaptive immune systems
Recognizing her lifetime achievement as a scientist who practices the wisdom of the body concept put forward by Walter B. Cannon, Wright was honored by The American Physiological Society with its Physiology in Perspective Walter B. Cannon Award for her lifetime achievement in physiology. The prize is supported by the Grass Foundation.
Apr 3, 2006 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Smokers, drinkers and men appear to develop colorectal cancer at earlier ages
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, according to background information in the article. Screening asymptomatic patients is an important strategy for reducing these deaths, because by the time patients experience symptoms, the cancer may have progressed beyond the point where it can be cured. Generally, physicians recommend that patients begin screening at age 50 years, the authors write. However, physicians might recommend that individuals with certain risk factors, including family history, begin screening at earlier ages. Screening methods include flexible sigmoidoscopy, which involves inserting a flexible optical instrument through the rectum into the lower portion of the large intestine, and colonoscopy, which involves inserting a longer flexible optical instrument through the rectum and into the entire colon, is more expensive, has higher complication rates and usually is performed by a gastroenterologist or surgeon rather than a primary care physician.
Mar 27, 2006 - 5:00:00 AM
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