A combination of two drugs can selectively block pain-sensing neurons in rats without impairing movement or other sensations such as touch, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators. The finding suggests an improved way to treat pain from childbirth and surgical procedures. It may also lead to new treatments to help the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain.
Following the President’s signature of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt praised the bill as an important step forward in ensuring the safety of drugs and medical devices.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed the humane depopulation of birds on the farm in Saskatchewan where highly pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza was detected last week.
Congressional support grows for FDA regulation of tobacco in US. Bill now sponsored by 55 senators, 200 representatives in America. The following is a statement of William V. Corr, Executive Director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:
German researchers have found that heart disease of the left main coronary artery is often an inherited condition that clusters in families. Moreover, they discovered that initially healthy siblings of a person with the condition were 2.5 times more likely to go on to develop some form of heart disease than were siblings of a patient with heart disease that did not relate to the left main coronary artery.
Some 20 to 40 percent of extremely premature infants suffer abnormal lung development leading to bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease that can cause long-term breathing problems. Little is known about how to predict whether a premature infant will develop BPD in the weeks after birth, much less how to prevent or treat it. Now, gene-chip studies of these tiny babies’ umbilical cords provide unexpected, much-needed leads into predicting and treating this debilitating condition.
The long-running civil war in Sri Lanka is causing more mental health problems and social breakdown than the catastrophic 2004 tsunami, according to research published in the online open access publication International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
Eating flavonol-rich foods like apples may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, says a team of international researchers. Quercetin, which is found naturally in apples and onions, has been identified as one of the most beneficial flavonols in preventing and reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer.
The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, joined Dr. Mirta Roses, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today to sign the Declaration of the Health Agenda for the Americas, a comprehensive document outlining the vision for health development in the Americas for the period 2008 – 2017.
A multi-institution team led by USC faculty has received a five-year, $8.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for an ambitious effort to survey the genetic, physical and behavioral profiles of children with autism.