Heart :: Heart valve from stem cells
British researchers at Harefield hospital have grown part of a human heart from stem cells that works in the same way as human heart valves.
College
Ear :: Addressing the neglect of childhood hearing impairment in developing countries
Although newborn babies in rich countries routinely have their hearing tested, the major global health agencies, such as the World Bank and Unicef, have not prioritized funding for newborn hearing tests in poor countries, writes Dr Bolajoko Olusanya (University of Lagos, Nigeria and University College London, UK) in PLoS Medicine.
Screening :: Should all women in their 40s be routinely screened for breast cancer?
Not necessarily, according to the American College of Physicians. In a new set of guidelines for clinicians of 40-something patients, the group recommends that mammography screening decisions be made on a case-by-case basis.
Poisoning :: Did pack-size laws reduce paracetamol suicides or was fall just a coincidence?
Fatal poisonings involving paracetamol (acetaminophen) fell after a law introduced in the UK restricted the number of tablets that could be sold across the counter. But new research has concluded that this reduction may not have been a result of the change in the law.
Flu :: Rapid response was crucial to containing the 1918 flu pandemic
One of the persistent riddles of the deadly 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic is why it struck different cities with varying severity. Why were some municipalities such as St. Louis spared the fate of the hard-hit cities like Philadelphia when both implemented similar public health measures?
Influenza :: UGA collaborates with Emory to establish major influenza research center
Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Georgia a $7.4 million contract to collaborate with Emory University through its new Regional Center for Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. Emory and UGA will receive a total of $32.8 million over seven years from the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to establish one of six new national influenza centers.
HIV :: Rush researchers participate in worldwide AIDS initiative led by Imperial College London
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have been selected to participate in a collaborative initiative to develop a simple, affordable and rapid test to measure the immune systems of people infected with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. The four-year CD4 Initiative is conducted under the leadership of Imperial College London with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Education :: NJIT receives NSF grant to improve math, science and technology education in Newark High Schools
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) was awarded a five-year, $3-million National Science Foundation grant to impart and infuse computational methods and tools in a math and science context into high school classrooms in Newark.
Bird Flu :: U OF M awarded $22.5 million NIH contract to study avian influenza
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health, today named the University of Minnesota as one of six sites across the country that will establish a Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.
Pain :: 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.