science wire

BERKELEY — It's easy to assume retiring baby boomers will benefit from Social Security and Medicare at the expense of younger generations, as analysts estimate that these government-run programs will pay out more than they collect in payroll taxes by 2017.

A study on the genome of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has brought scientists closer to identifying and avoiding the adverse DNA changes that naturally occur when these cells are multiplied in laboratory.

Basel, April 13, 2010 - Data presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting add to the accumulating evidence of the positive benefit/risk profile of Gilenia, a potential first-in-class, once-daily oral therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Novartis investigational multiple sclerosis therapy Gilenia * (FTY720) shown to reduce relapse rates regardless of treatment history New extension data show Gilenia effect sustained over two years; also highlights potential benefits of switching from interferon beta-1a Basel, April 13, 2010 - Data presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting add to the accumulating evidence of the positive benefit/risk profile of Gilenia, a potential first-in-class, once-daily oral therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Lockheed Martin Corp. announced today a pledge of $4 million to benefit the UCLA Health System's Operation Mend program, which provides reconstructive surgeries and other health care needs to U.S. military personnel wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/12/2010) —A $3 million gift received by the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine will be used to expand research and teaching in veterinary o

Liverpool, UK - 12 April 2010: Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that dangerous strains of Salmonella are beginning to emerge in people infected with HIV in Africa.

In a world first, xenon gas has been successfully delivered to a newborn baby in a bid to prevent brain injury following a lack of oxygen at birth. This pioneering technique was developed by Professor Marianne Thoresen of the University of Bristol and carried out at St Michael's Hospital, part of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

When it comes to treating incurable diseases, hopes are high for stem cells because they can develop into a multitude of specialized cells. But despite rapidly accumulating and promising results - stem cells are for instance implicated in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes- the nature, function and differentiation capacity of stem cells are still poorly understood.

A little more than a month later, Zadeh got her chance.

April 09, 2010 — Miami — Surgeons from the Department of Otolaryngology at UHealth ? University of Miami Health System have performed the first removal of throat cancer in South Florida using a surgical robot.

UCLA researchers who have been targeted by anti-animal research extremists were joined Thursday, April 8, by roughly 200 supporters, from UCLA colleagues and students to USC scientists and even a few family dogs. The "Stand up for Science" rally and march on UCLA's campus was organized by Pro-Test for Science, a grassroots organization of faculty, staff and students modeled after a group formed by Oxford University students in England.

Melanie Hood and Hani Malone grabbed their envelopes and retreated to a corner in the back of crowded Bard Hall lounge at Columbia University Medical Center .

The event is organized by Pro-Test for Science, a grassroots organization of faculty, staff and students modeled after a group formed by Oxford University students in England.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—After enduring one of its worst years ever in 2009, Michigan's economy will flounder this year before showing some improvement in 2011, say University of Michigan economists.

Professor Kavita Vedhara, lead author on the study which was conducted from the University of Bristol, said: ?At the moment, doctors are asked to warn men about the difficulties of interpreting the results of a PSA test. The test misses some cases and produces false alarms. In this study, 330 men aged 50 to 69 were surveyed throughout the test for prostate cancer as a part of a Cancer Research UK -funded study.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will discuss global challenges with students at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave.

The fly-on-the-wall documentary - called Vet School - highlights the range of cases seen at the University's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, will visit the campus to express his gratitude to UCLA's Operation Haiti team and other medical personnel who volunteered for relief efforts in Haiti in the wake of the Jan.

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA has been awarded $14.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to establish a center dedicated to interdisciplin

Do you ever get the impression that new medical discoveries are constantly being announced, but never seem to make it to the clinic? The truth is that cutting-edge research is constantly moving from lab-bench to bedside, especially at the Jewish General Hospital.

The Pseudoscience mini lecture series offers an excellent opportunity to gain a better understanding of the scientific reality behind a number of key and popular issues and discussions in today's society. Leading scientists will be offering short, accessible, and perhaps even controversial (from a political perspective) seminars in everyday language.

Liverpool, UK - 6 April 2010: Humanitarian, Terry Waite and paralympian, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson will take part in the University of Liverpool¿s 2010 public lecture series to mark the city's Year of Health and Wellbeing.

Over the space of a year, Dr Juliet Foster analysed 96 different drug advertisements carried in the British Medical Journal and the British Journal of Psychiatry. She discovered stark differences in the way that psychiatric and non-psychiatric drugs are advertised to health professionals.

April 02, 2010 — Miami — As an important new step in an effort to uphold the highest ethical standards as an institution, the Miller School of Medicine has launched a public Web site deta

Jay Yim, 21, had worked on improving his fitness since age 15. In preparation for this year's Los Angeles Marathon on March 21, the University of Southern California pre-med student had been training with a marathon club and regularly did 10-mile runs on his own.

While today many medical-imaging needs are being met with traditional vacuum tube-based technology, large segments of the X-ray-imaging market are poorly served, and there is widespread demand for both performance improvements and cost reductions.

PA 76/10 Medication and behavioural interventions help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) better maintain attention and self control by normalising activity in the same brain systems, according to researchers at The University of Nottingham.

The European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH), an initiative of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry - a joint venture of the University of Exeter and the University of Plym

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 31, 2010—A Los Alamos National Laboratory toxicologist and a multidisciplinary team of researchers have documented potential cellular damage from "fullerenes"—soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. The team also noted that this particular type of damage might hold hope for treatment of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, or even cancer.

UCL Occupational Health Service is supporting Mental Health Action Week 2010, running 4?11 April. Each spring the Mental Health Foundation uses Mental Health Action Week to raise awareness of mental health issues across the country.

Story: Quebecers will be paying a new "health contribution" and 9.5% in provincial sales tax by 2012 under the budget Finance Minister Raymond Bachand brought down yesterday, as the province struggles to contain a projected $4.5-billion deficit.

After a Jan.

A LANL toxicologist and a team of researchers have documented potential cellular damage from "fullerenes"-soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. Los Alamos researchers find a case where size really does matter LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 31, 2010—A Los Alamos National Laboratory toxicologist and a multidisciplinary team of researchers have documented potential cellular damage from "fullerenes”—soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms.

Professor Stafford Lightman and his team in the Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology are interested in how stress impacts upon human health throughout the lifespan ?

Nearly 11 million homeowners who bought at the peak of the real estate market before the economic downturn, or who took cash out of their homes through readily available refinancing, are now feeling the pain of owing more than their properties are worth.

An awareness-raising coffee morning at Addenbrooke's Hospital reunited mothers and babies who had taken part in the Cambridge Baby Growth study, which is supported by the Mothercare Group Foundation.

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 29, 2010—Brad Feld, a renowned early-stage investor and entrepreneur, will attend a meeting of the Open Coffee Club networking event from 10 a.m. to noon April 1 at Los Alamos Research Park, 4200 West Jemez Road. The event is a first of its kind in Los Alamos and is open to anyone interested in startup companies in New Mexico.

Medication errors are cut by seven-fold when doctors use an electronic system to write prescriptions, compared with scrawling prescriptions by hand, reports a new study by physician-scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), published online recently in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Affordable antibiotic halves the HIV death rate on treatment, DART trial shows New analysis from the Developing Antiretroviral Therapy in Africa (DART) trial.

But the number of children in China who die before reaching the age of five has dropped by 70 per cent since 1990 - from 6.5 per cent of live births to 1.9 per cent. The team predicts that complications caused by premature birth will soon become the leading cause of childhood death in China as increased access to hospital treatment cuts the number of deaths from pneumonia.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), an emerging psychological treatment which focuses on targeting negative thinking and behaviour, is the subject of new research at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter into ways to prevent relapse of depression without prescription drugs.

Chris Griffiths, Professor of Dermatology at The University of Manchester, is hoping to raise £80,000 for the British Skin Foundation when he takes part in the Virgin London Marathon.

Good textbooks are more important for high attainment in maths than factors such as setting or expensive IT equipment, according to a new study by King's academics into international comparisons of maths attainment in schools.