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World Hemophilia Day 2013

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World hemophilia day is observed on the 17supth/sup of April each year. The theme for this year 2013, is "close the gap" of hemophilia care around the world. The day is celebrated by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) to create awareness, improve treatment of hemophilia and other bleeding disorders and to harness funds and volunteers for the cause. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that occurs because the blood ...

Non-food Plants Could be a Source of Nutrients

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Scientists have found that a plant cell component could be transformed into starch and serves as a source of nutrients. A team of Virginia Tech researchers has succeeded in transforming cellulose into starch, a process that has the potential to provide a previously untapped nutrient source from plants not traditionally thought of as food crops. Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture ...

Scientists Explore Basic Science Behind Acupuncture

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The basic science and mechanisms of action of medical acupuncture has been explored by researchers. Acupuncture is increasingly being validated as an effective treatment for a broad range of medical conditions. In a special issue of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers presents a series of articles by authors from around the world who provide diverse and insightful perspectives on the science and physiologic ...

High Treatment Costs Bleeding Patients, Say Doctors

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India has nearly over 100,000 haemophilia patients with only a few able to afford the high costs, say leading doctors. It's a genetic disorder, which means it is the result of a change in genes that was either inherited (passed from parent to child) or occurred during development in the womb. "There is no facility available for blood fractionation - or the process of separating whole blood into its component parts," R.N. Makroo, Department of Transfusion ...

Child Smokers on Rise, Says Cancer Research UK

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Scientists claim that in recent years there has been a rise in children consuming tobacco - an alarming figure of 50,000 in one year. Cancer Research UK, the country's leading cancer charity, stated that in 2011, around 207,000 children in the age group of 11 to 15 years resorted to smoking as compared to 157,000 kids in 2010. This meant that almost 567 children took up smoking each day. According to a study conducted by The Cancer Research UK, one ...

Stress Increases Mental Alertness

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Stress can push a person to a level of heightened alertness and better performance, claims study. "You always think about stress as a really bad thing, but it's not," said Daniela Kaufer, associate professor of integrative biology at the University of California-Berkeley. "Some amounts of stress are good to push you just to the level of optimal alertness, behavioural and cognitive performance." New research by Kaufer and UC-Berkeley post-doctoral ...

Gene That Mediates Cisplatin Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Identified

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In ovarian cancer, the gene that mediates cisplatin resistance has been discovered by scientists. Mechanisms of resistance typically include reduced platinum uptake and increased platinum export. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Anil Sood and colleagues at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center identified a cellular membrane protein, ATP11B, that mediates cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells. They found that ATP11B expression was correlated ...

Brain Stimulation Blunts Cigarette Craving

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A 15-minute session of high frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the brain region reduced smoking craving in nicotine-dependent individuals, finds study. Nicotine activates the dopamine system and reward-related regions in the brain. Nicotine withdrawal naturally results in decreased activity of these regions, which has been closely associated with craving, relapse, and continued nicotine consumption. One of the critical reward-related ...

Scabies

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Scabies is a skin condition caused due to infestation with a parasite called Sarcoptes scabiei. It causes intensive itching, which worsens at night.

Stage Set for Low Fat, Low Sugar Chocolate Powered with Fruit Juices

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Parents concerned about their kids' waistlines may relax now, 'fat free chocolate' is about to become reality. Scientists have devised a method in which fruit juice replaces half the fat in chocolate. Apple, orange and cranberry juice may be infused into all types of chocolate - dark, milk, and white. This reduces up to 50 per cent of the fat content in chocolate without sacrificing the chocolaty taste. The firm and snappy texture is also ...

Bird Flu Outbreak Wipes 10 Billion Yuan in Business

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China's poultry industry is hit by 10 billion yuan ( (Dollar) 1.62 billion) loss in just one week, say sources. This is only direct losses, and the real impact of the disease will be far more than that, Ma Chuang at the Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine was quoted as saying. Many consumers have been reluctant to eat poultry since the H7N9 avian influenza outbreak started in late March. Some restaurants have stopped ...

Fainting may Run in Families: Study

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Fainting may be genetic and in some cases only one gene may be responsible, finds new study. However, a predisposition to certain triggers, such as emotional distress or the sight of blood, may not be inherited. The study is published in the April 16, 2013, print issue of iNeurology/i (Regd) , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Fainting, also called vasovagal syncope, is a brief loss of consciousness when your body reacts to certain triggers. It affects ...

High Levels of Blood Cholesterol Boost Risk of Heart Disease, Alzheimer's Disease

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A single mechanism that underlines the damaging effect of cholesterol on the brain and blood vessels has been identified by researchers. High levels of blood cholesterol increase the risk of both Alzheimer's disease and heart disease, but it has been unclear exactly how cholesterol damages the brain to promote Alzheimer's disease and blood vessels to promote atherosclerosis.Using insights gained from studying two much rarer disorders, Down Syndrome and Niemann ...

Scientists Identify Key Pathway to Stop Dangerous, Out-of-control Inflammation

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A novel method to developing new drugs to control inflammation without serious side effects has been discovered by scientists. Jian-Dong Li, director of Georgia State's Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection, and his team discovered that blocking a certain pathway involved in the biological process of inflammation will suppress it. Inhibiting a molecule called phosphodiesterase 4B, or PDE4B, suppresses inflammation by affecting a key ...

The Approaching Ice Age

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An eminent scientist has revealed that the world could just be heading for another Ice Age. Incredibly, British Summer Time officially starts Saturday but millions of brassed off Brits pining for warmth will have to endure freezing temperatures and biting winds until May. The misery will continue with daytime temperatures struggling to reach a bracing 5C (41F). The only ray of sunshine, forecasters said, is that it will stay dry. As if ...

Health and Wellness High Among People in Major Australian Cities

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People residing in important Australian cities are healthy and manage their weight well. They are also emotionally healthy, according to a survey that found their country counterparts to be obese and anxious. A survey of 50,000 Australians found that people have cut down on their smoking and are consuming less alcohol. But the number of people who are anxious has gone up by 1.3 million. The wellness index revealed that Western Brisbane is by far the ...

Bird Flu Death Toll Hits 16 in China

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H7N9 bird flu outbreak has claimed two more lives in Shanghai, Chinese state media confirmed on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from bird flu to 16 in China. China has confirmed 77 human cases of H7N9 avian influenza since announcing two weeks ago that it had found the strain in people for the first time. The new strain of the flu had been confined to the eastern city of Shanghai and nearby Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui until Saturday when the first case ...

New Research: Gene Signature can Predict Who Will Survive Chemotherapy

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New research in Biomed Central's open access journal iBMC Medicine/i finds that an eight gene 'signature' can predict length of relapse-free survival after chemotherapy. Researchers from Academia Sinica and the National Taiwan University College of Medicine first identified genes that were involved in cellular invasion, a property of many cancer cells, using the National Cancer Institute's 60 human cancer cell line panel (NCI-60). Comparing the pattern of activation ...

Faulty Information And Not Faulty Brain Circuits Are The Cause For Bad Decisions

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You need to gradually accumulate that support one choice or another when making decisions. A person choosing a college might weigh factors such as course selection, institutional reputation and the quality of future job prospects. But if the wrong choice is made, Princeton University researchers have found that it might be the information rather than the brain's decision-making process that is to blame. The researchers report in the journal iScience/i that ...

Lung Cancer Could Be Treated Using Icy Therapy Spot

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According to the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation, frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors that have spread to the lungs. The results are being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. "Cryoablation has potential as a treatment for cancer that has spread to the lungs from other parts of the body and could prolong the lives of patients who are running out of options," said ...

Lo-tech Subbuteo Obtained By Hi-tech Japan

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In the hope of persuading a nation of video gamers to get offline, fans of Subbuteo from around the world have brought their low-tech table-top sport to high-tech Japan. Frenchman Cedric Garnier, a one-time runner-up in the world championships, led the field at the annual Yokohama Tournament in the city south of Tokyo on Sunday. A small crowd of spectators clapped with appreciation as he flicked his two-centimetre (one inch) plastic players into a ball ...

ECT can Restore Quality of Life for Some Severely Depressed Patients: Researchers

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Researchers say that patients whose severe depression goes into remission for six months following electroconvulsive therapy report a quality of life similar to that of healthy individuals. "If we can get you into remission, you get this big, big improvement in quality of life at six months such that our patients' quality of life is as good as that of the overall general population," said Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Health ...

Pregnant Women Should be Administered Flu Vaccine

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A study has revealed that the flu vaccine is absolutely safe to administer during any trimester. Yet, research has found that only one in four pregnant women is receiving the vaccinations against the flu. Women should know that influenza can cause life-threatening complications, and it is advisable to take the vaccine to protect against such an event. A survey also showed that women were 20 times more likely to avail flu vaccinations if it was recommended ...

Use of Electrical Pulse Treatment to Kill Cancer at Cellular Level

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For challenging cancers, a new, minimally invasive treatment that tears microscopic holes in tumors without harming healthy tissue is a promising treatment. This was suggested by a preliminary study being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. "Irreversible electroporation (or IRE) is a new way to attack cancer, using microsecond electrical pulses to kill cancer at the cellular level without ...

Novel Approach to Study COPD and Treatment Efficacy Identified By BUSM Researchers

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A genetic signature for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from airway cells harvested utilizing a minimally invasive procedure was pinpointed by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). The findings provide a novel way to study COPD and could lead to new treatments and ways to monitor patient's response to those treatments. The study is published online in the iAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine/i. Chronic ...

Mass Water Battle Held By China

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As part of an annual Buddhist-inspired festival, thousands of people armed with plastic water guns and buckets battled on the streets of a southwestern Chinese city, drenching each other. A record of around 100,000 people were expected to take part in the event in Jinghong, a few hours drive from China's border with Myanmar. Official celebrations began at noon, when the city's designated water splashing square erupted into chaos as thousands scooped ...

Gay Marriage Soon To Be Legalized In New Zealand

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Gay rights advocates said that the parliamentary vote will represent a milestone in the struggle for equality as New Zealand is poised to legalise same-sex marriage. A bill that amends the 1955 Marriage Act to describe marriage as "a union of two people regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity" will have its third and final reading in parliament on Wednesday. The proposal is set to pass comfortably after receiving widespread support ...

Cryoneurolysis Safely Short Circuits Neuralgia: Research

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A minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment called cryoneurolysis safely short circuits chronic pain caused by nerve damage, using a tiny ball of ice. This is according to data being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. "Cryoneurolysis could have big implications for the millions of people who suffer from neuralgia, which can be unbearable and is very difficult to treat," said ...

Stroke Deaths Could Be Prevented With The Help Of A Newly Discovered Key Molecule in Heart Cells

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Thanks to their discovery of a key molecule in an unexpected place in heart cells - mitochondria, tiny energy factories that house the controls capable of setting off cells' self-destruct sequence, researchers are one step closer in preventing death related to heart diseases. The study by a team of scientists at Temple University School of Medicine's (TUSM) is the first to identify the molecule, an enzyme known as GRK2 (G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2), in ...

Auction of Sacred Hopi Masks Permitted By French Court

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Despite opponents saying the sale amounted to "sacrilege" a French court allowed an auction in Paris of ceremonial masks originating from Arizona's Hopi tribe to go ahead. A French lawyer for the tribe, Pierre Servan-Schreiber, told AFP the court had refused to halt the sale of around 70 brightly coloured "Kachina" visages and headdresses by auction house Neret-Minet, which was due to start at 1230 GMT. He said he would make a last-ditch request to the ...

Scientists: Making and Use of Stone Tools Helped Shape Human Hands

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Scientists say that the way our hands look today has been shaped by our behaviour over millions of years. Around 1.7 million years ago, our ancestors' tools went from basic rocks banged together to chipped hand axes. And the scientists, judging by a fossil that belongs to the oldest known anatomically modern hand, assumed that the strength and dexterity needed to make and use the latter quickly shaped our hands into what they are today. The ...

High Demand for ATP

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The main energy currency of cells is ATP and one might expect that not only contracting muscle, but also uncontrollably dividing cancer cells would have a high demand for ATP. However, for some reason cancer cells have re-programmed their metabolic engines to produce less ATP. The phenomenon, known as Warburg effect, is typical for cancer cells and the mechanism behind is believed to benefit cancer cells by switching biochemical engines from energy manufacturing ...

Experts Take Action to Save Newborn Babies

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A global conference in Johannesburg heard that more and more newborn babies are dying annually despite greater knowledge about what kills them, and cheap and simple measures to save them. Rights activist Graca Machel, the wife of Nelson Mandela, bemoaned a lack of urgency in finding ways to save the three million babies who die each year in their first four weeks of life. "Up to two-thirds of new born deaths can be prevented," Machel told the first global ...

16-month-old Russian Girl Contracts HIV from Blood Transfusion

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During a blood transfusion, doctors in Russia accidentally infected a 16-month-old girl with HIV, said investigators, opening a criminal probe into the case. The toddler was given blood from an HIV-infected donor at the Number 5 children's hospital in Saint Petersburg, the city's Investigative Committee said in a statement. It opened a criminal investigation into "providing dangerous services to children", an offence carrying a maximum sentence of six ...

In Breast Cancer Patients, Tomosynthesis Improves Detection of Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma

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A new study shows that tomosynthesis (3D mammography) is better able to show infiltrating ductal carcinoma than 2D mammography in women at increased risk of breast cancer. As part of the study, six breast imaging specialists reviewed both 2D and 3D mammography images of 56 cancers diagnosed in patients at intermediate or high risk of breast cancer. "We found that 41% (23/56 cancers) were better seen on tomosynthesis and 4% (2/56) were only seen on ...

Employees Scared to Take Time Off Work in Recession Period

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Today, employees are less likely to ask for benefits or take time off, as they know that many unemployed people want to take their jobs. According to labor experts, the life on the job for New York City employees of all stripes - from minimum-wage workers with no benefits to office workers with six-figure salaries and paid sick days - is changing for the worse. Although the economy regained jobs since the official end of the recession in 2009, the growth ...

Some Memories Last a Lifetime While Others Disappear

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Memories rehearsed during either sleep or waking can have an impact on memory consolidation and on what is remembered later, suggests a new study. The new Northwestern University study shows that when the information that makes up a memory has a high value (associated with, for example, making more money), the memory is more likely to be rehearsed and consolidated during sleep and, thus, be remembered later. Also, through the use of a direct manipulation ...

In Emergency Department Patients, Dual Energy CT Accurately Identifies ACL Tears

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A new study shows that dual energy CT is an effective way to evaluate emergency department patients with possible anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. ACL tears are one of the most frequent ligamentous injuries of the knee; they are not commonly diagnosed in the emergency department because they are not seen on plain x-rays. Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, imaged the knees of 27 patients using dual energy CT -- 16 of the patients had confirmed ...

Social Networking, Texting Linked to Poor Academic Performance

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Among college students, the widespread use of media from texting to chatting on cell phones to posting status updates on Facebook, may be taking an academic toll. This was said by researchers at The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. According to a new study, freshmen women spend nearly half their day, 12 hours, engaged in some form of media use, particularly texting, music, the Internet and social networking. Researchers ...

People With Apple-shaped Bodies Have Higher Kidney Disease Risk: Research

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High blood pressure in the kidneys of people with apple-shaped bodies may be responsible for their increased risk of developing kidney disease later in life, suggests a new study. The findings suggest that these individuals may benefit from treatments that reduce kidney blood pressure. People with "apple-shaped" bodies-when fat is concentrated mostly in the c-are more likely than those with "pear-shaped" bodies to develop kidney disease. The mechanisms ...

Research Reveals Rx Target for Human Papillomavirus and Hepatitis C Virus

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For the first time a team of scientists at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans reveals new discoveries. It is about the inner workings of a master regulator that controls functions as diverse as the ability of nerve cells to "rewire" themselves in response to external stimuli and the mechanism by which certain viruses hijack normal cellular processes to facilitate their replication that can ultimately lead to cancer. The research will be published in the April, ...

Majority of Drug Recalls in US Over Last Ten Years Involved Dietary Supplements

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Over half of major drug recalls in the United States over the past decade involved dietary supplements that contained unapproved ingredients, a new study published in the online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine revealed. According to researchers at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, around 51 percent of Class I recalls over the last nine years adulterated dietary supplements instead of a pharmaceutical product. Majority of those dietary supplements were either body ...

Tamoxifen may Help Reduce Breast Cancer Risk Among High-Risk Patients

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A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that women who have a high risk of developing breast cancer can benefit by using the drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene (Evista). Researchers led by Dr Heidi Nelson from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland analyzed studies which compared the instances of breast cancer among women placebo and tamoxifen. The researchers found that around 23.5 women per 1,000 women developed breast ...

GSK's Breo Gets Positive Review from FDA Panel

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The safety of a new drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance is 'generally consistent' with that of other combination drugs used in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a FDA panel has said. The FDA's pulmonary-allergy advisory committee will be meeting next week to review the drug, known as Breo Ellipta. The drug is being seen as a potential successor to GSK's Advair and has been designed to be taken once every day, which the makers hope ...

High Resting Heart Rate Linked to Early Death Even Among Physically Fit People

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A new study conducted by Danish researchers reveals that a high resting heart rate could be a sign of early death, even among physically fit and healthy people. Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital followed over 3,000 middle aged people over a period of 16 years, from 1985 to 2001. At the end of the study period, the researchers found that around 40 percent of the participants had died. The researchers found that even an increase of ten and 22 ...

Temporary Hearing Loss After Listening to Loud Music is a Defensive Mechanism

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Temporary hearing loss after listening to loud music may be a defensive mechanism of the ear to protect itself, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) reveals. The study was led by Professor Gary Housley at University of New South Wales in collaboration with researchers at New Zealand and the United States. On exposing mice to loud sound, the researchers found that the temporary reduction in hearing was accompanied ...

Syrian Rebels' Photo by AFP Stringer Wins Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography

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An image showing Syrian rebel fighters holed up in a sniper's nest, taking by an Agence France-Presse stringer, has won the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. The photo, taken last October by Javier Manzano in Syria's largest city Aleppo, shows two men gripping assault rifles, one of them stuck out of a hole in the nest, as light beams at different angles through more than a dozen bullet holes in a corrugated tin wall behind them. Otherwise the ...

West Africa's New Slave Trade is Forced-begging

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Slave trade continues to be an issue in Africa, only it has taken on a new form. On a tiny island a 20-minute ferry ride from the Senegalese capital Dakar, holidaymakers congregate around tour guides at the Maison des Esclaves museum to learn of the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade. Yet few realise that in the religious schools dotted among their hotels modern-day slaveholders are abusing and starving thousands of west African children who are forced ...

US Supreme Court to Rule on the Most High Profile Genetics Case in History

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The US Supreme Court judges are currently hearing the most high profile genetics case in history as they have to decide whether or not to allow private firms to patent human genes linked to breast cancer. The court's decision could have broad implications for research, patient health and the pharmaceutical industry, with nearly 20 percent of the approximately 24,000 human genes currently under patent, some linked to cancer and Alzheimer's disease. At ...

Fortis Hospital Offers to Fly Baby With Swollen Head to Delhi for Tests

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After widespread media spotlight on the plight of an 18-month girl whose head has swollen to more than double its normal size, a top private hospital in New Delhi has contacted the girl's parents, offering to fly them to the capital for tests. Roona Begum, who suffers from hydrocephalus, a rare but treatable disorder that causes fluid to build up on the brain, was discovered last week living with her parents who are too poor to pay for treatment. Her ...

Researchers Discover Three Regions in Human Genome That Influence Obesity in People of African Ancestry

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Three new regions of the human genome that play a part in obesity have been identified by researchers who are taking part in the largest genetic search for 'obesity genes' in people of African ancestry. University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences Department of Epidemiology and Population Health researcher Kira Taylor, PhD, and her team today (April 14, 2013), published their findings in iNature Genetics/i. The study ...

New Mutations Associated With Majority of Brain Tumor Subtype Identified

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Mutations responsible for more than half of a subtype of lethal childhood brain tumor have been identified by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project. Researchers also found evidence the tumors are susceptible to drugs already in development. The study focused on a family of brain tumors known as low-grade gliomas (LGGs). These slow-growing cancers are found in about 700 children annually in the ...

Report Says Poor Women in India Exploited by Foreign Couples Looking for Surrogates

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A new report has warned that poor women in India are being exploited as the number of foreign couples looking for surrogates is on the rise in a country where the surrogacy industry is completely unregulated. For many couples, the only hope to create a child of their own is to fertilize an egg in a test-tube and implant it in a surrogate. Indian clinics do that for a fraction of the usual cost. The procedure in which doctors implant an embryo ...

MDCT Better Than Two Dimensional Echocardiography in Measuring Valve Implant Size for Transcatheter Aortic Valve

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A new study has found that rather than two dimensional echocardiography, MDCT can help measure the annular size more accurately in patients with aortic stenosis who are candidates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The study included 69 patients who underwent an MDCT scan as well as transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography before having a TAVI, said Dr. Vineeta Sethi, lead author of the study. TAVI is done to treat patients with severe ...

Researchers Manage to Grow Bones from Extra Fat

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A team of Israeli researchers has managed to find a way to convert extra fat into new bones which can then be used to replace missing or damaged bone structure. With the new findings, Bonus Biogroup based in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, will help millions of people all over the world suffering from bone diseases such as osteoporosis, bone infection and also accidents that cause irreparable damage to the bones, reported Xinhua. By making the cells ...

Debilitating Effects of Negative Stereotypes can be Avoided Through Feeling Powerful

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Researchers at Indiana University Bloomington suggest that feeling powerful could help a person avoid the debilitating effects of negative stereotypes. IU social psychologist Katie Van Loo said that if women are made to feel powerful, then they maybe protected from the consequences of stereotype threat. In new work, Van Loo and Robert Rydell, social psychologists in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, ...