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Folic Acid :: Folic Acid Lowers Blood Arsenic Levels in Bangladesh

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic element that is naturally present in some soils and water. Arsenic-contaminated drinking water is currently a significant public health problem in at least 70 countries, including several developing countries and also parts of the United States.

Aging :: Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting on Population Ageing Opens in Macao

Senior officials and representatives from about 25 countries in Asia and the Pacific have gathered in Macao for a high-level meeting which will review progress the region has made in response to the challenges posed by population ageing.

Eye :: Discovery of retinal cell type ends 4-decade search

A research team combining high-energy physicists from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and neuroscientists from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif., has discovered a type of retinal cell that may help monkeys, apes, and humans see motion. The team’s work appears in the October 10 issue of Journal of Neuroscience.

Weight Loss :: Programs show short-term benefits in helping children maintain weight loss

Children who lost weight were able to keep it off more effectively by participating in maintenance treatment programs that emphasized behavioral skills or social facilitation, although the effectiveness lessened over time, according to a study in the Oct. 10 issue of JAMA.

Alcohol :: Medication shows promise as a treatment for alcohol dependence

Alcohol-dependent patients who received the medication topiramate had fewer heavy drinking days, fewer drinks per day and more days of continuous abstinence than those who received placebo, according to a study in the Oct. 10 issue of JAMA.

Prostate Cancer :: Prostate cancer more likely to return in blacks than whites

African-American men are more likely to have their prostate cancer return after treatment, but their disease is no more aggressive when it does recur than that of their white counterparts, according to a study led by Duke Prostate Center researchers.

Health :: Medical identity theft – the importance of protecting your health records

Many consumers take precautions against identity theft, but what about medical identity theft? In addition to financial peril, victims can suffer physical danger if false entries in medical records lead to the wrong treatment.

Prostate Cancer :: Surgery may offer best chance of long-term prostate cancer survival

A study from Switzerland suggests that men who have surgery for prostate cancer appear less likely to die of the disease within 10 years than men who choose other treatment options, especially if they are younger or have cancers with certain tumor cell characteristics, according to a report in the Oct. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Breast Cancer :: Hip size of mothers linked to breast cancer in daughters

In a study of the maternity records of more than 6,000 women, David J.P. Barker, M.D., Ph.D., and Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., of Oregon Health & Science University discovered a strong correlation between the size and shape of a woman’s hips and her daughter’s risk of breast cancer. Wide, round hips, the researchers postulated, represent markers of high sex hormone concentrations in the mother, which increase her daughter’s vulnerability to breast cancer.

Cancer :: David H. Koch gives $100 million to MIT for cancer research

MIT has announced a $100 million gift from Koch Industries executive and MIT alumnus David H. Koch that will usher in new paradigms in highly integrative cancer research. The gift will bring together MIT scientists and engineers under one roof to develop new and powerful ways to detect, diagnose, treat, and manage this often deadly disease.