Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered. Prior research suggested an association between SNPs in a gene that encodes aspects of the brain’s gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence. A study of responses to the aromas of [...]

A molecular test designed to easily diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and detect a drug-resistant form of the bacterium that causes TB can provide much more specific, sensitive and rapid results than currently available TB diagnostics, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a test involving 1,730 patients with suspected drug-sensitive [...]

Counterfeiting of drugs is a huge industry with an annual turnover of more than SEK 500 billion. In Africa the situation is extremely serious. Half of the malaria medication sold there could be ineffective or even harmful. Researchers from Lund and the UK have now developed a technique that could resolve the situation. In two [...]

A cell devotes a significant amount of effort to maintaining the stability of its genome, preventing the sorts of chromosomal rearrangements characteristic of many cancers. Assays that measure the rate of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) are needed in order to understand the individual genes and the different pathways that suppress genomic instability. In the September [...]

When it comes to the mechanics of the human immune system, we are all more alike than previously thought, according to a new study by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This finding has significant implications for developing new ways to detect, diagnose and treat cancer and diseases of the immune system, according to [...]

Insomnia and other sleep disorders are very common, yet are not generally well understood by doctors and other health care professionals. Now the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) has released up-to-the-minute guidelines in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE, to guide psychiatrists and physicians caring for those with sleep problems. BAP members, representative clinicians [...]

The aluminium content of a range of the most popular brands of infant formulas remains high, and particularly so for a product designed for preterm infants and a soya-based product designed for infants with cow’s milk intolerances and allergies, researchers have found. A study by a team at Keele University in Staffordshire, led by Dr [...]

Cigarette smoke shuts off a key enzyme in airways that regulates the body’s response to inflammation, according to findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online today at Science Express. The UAB researchers say smoke inhibits the enzyme, called Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase (LTA4H), causing it to fail in its job of shutting down [...]

US researchers found that short sleep and insomnia was linked to a four times higher risk of early death in men; they urged public health policy makers to emphasize earlier diagnosis and treament of chronic insomnia. You can read how researchers from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, came to these [...]

The American Lung Association is offering a free-of-charge, online caregiving coordination service called “My Fighting for Air Community” to support individuals affected by acute and chronic lung diseases. As an organization dedicated to public health, the American Lung Association will offer this online service through Lotsa Helping Hands to support the more than 37 million [...]

People who take a commonly used class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates for more than five years may be doubling their risk of developing cancer of the gullet or esophagus, a British study found on Friday. Researchers who conducted the work said the results were worrying, but should not prompt doctors or patients to immediately [...]

Orexigen Therapeutics Inc (OREX.O) said it sold the North American marketing rights for its experimental weight-loss drug, Contrave, to Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T) in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion, sending its shares up 23 percent. The deal, which has an upfront payment of $50 million, comes two weeks [...]

Consumers who buy organic fruits and vegetables because they think they’re tastier, more nutritious and better for the environment are getting at least some of what they’re paying for, according to a study published online Wednesday. The finding is based on a detailed comparison of organic and conventional strawberries from 13 pairs of neighboring farms [...]

Doctors have been advising us for years to “use it or lose it”: that is, to stay as intellectually active as possible into our waning years in order to avoid dementia. But the latest research shows that brain training comes at a price. In a study of 1,157 men and women age 65 or older, [...]

A consumer group has found that just over half of California health care workers received flu shots during the 2008-2009 flu season. Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, says that state public health department data shows an overall vaccination rate of just over 52 percent for workers from nearly 250 hospitals and hospital groups. [...]