Archive for September, 2008

First in Nation: Judges Say Can Charge Employers for Its Health Plan

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
NYT -- In a decision that could set the stage for a test of the supremacy of a longstanding federal labor law, a panel of federal judges found Tuesday that San Francisco had the right to charge employers to help pay for its universal health care plan, the first in the nation.

Gene Could Link Obesity, Colon Cancer, University of Alabama at Birmingham Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
MedPage -- BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 30 -- The risk of colorectal cancer may be reduced by the presence of a genetic variation that also lowers adiponectin hormone secretion by fat cells, researchers found.

Large Doses Of Vitamin C Supplements May Reduce The Effectiveness Of Cancer Drugs, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Researchers Have Warned

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Medical News Today -- Experiments on lab cultured cells and mice suggested that high amounts of vitamin C derivative at the cellular level, as results from taking supplements, may actually reduce the effect of anti-cancer drugs by helping the cancer cells live longer.

Faulty Gene “Is Link To Dyslexia,” Oxford University Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
LONDON (Reuters) - The common genetic variation linked to dyslexia may also help explain why some people without the learning difficulty are not good readers, researchers said on Wednesday.

New $30M California Institute To Focus On AIDS Vaccine; The Scripps Research Institute and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Joint Venture

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new AIDS vaccine research center dedicated to solving one of the stickiest problems holding back development of such a vaccine will open in California, researchers announced on Tuesday.

New Genes Linked To Gout, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
EurekAlert -- Researchers have identified two new genes and confirmed the role of a third gene associated with increased risk of higher levels of uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout, a common, painful form of arthritis. Combined, the three genetic variations were associated with up to a 40-fold increased risk in developing gout. The findings suggest that genetic testing could one day...

Hormone Therapy Doesn’t Raise Heart Risk in Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women who take hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms do not have a higher than usual risk of heart attack, especially if they use a cream or skin patch or take "cyclic" hormone combinations, Danish researchers reported on Tuesday.

Fewer Doses Of Anthrax Vaccine Protect Just As Well, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Giving fewer doses of the anthrax vaccine protects a person just as well from the bacteria that causes the disease, which could extend limited supplies of the shots, researchers said on Tuesday.

Antisocial Behavior Hormone Link; “Fight Or Flight” Hormone Limits Aggression, University of Cambridge Study

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
LONDON (Reuters) - Stress hormone cortisol, involved in our "fight or flight" response, may also limit aggressive antisocial behavior, British researchers said on Wednesday.

Researchers At University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Create First Model For Retina Receptors

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
EurekAlert! -- A team of scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has created the first genetic research model for a microscopic part of the eye that when missing causes blindness. The research appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.