Children's health
13 Nov 2007
Significant Shift in Reason for Tonsillectomies over Last 35 Years
A new Mayo Clinic study indicates tonsillectomies are increasingly being performed to treat airway obstructions evidenced by snoring and sleep disorders as opposed to tonsil infections. “This research shows that obstructive airway problems causing sleep-disordered breathing are now the primary reason children and young adults are having their tonsils and…
Blood
13 Nov 2007
New Anti-cancer Drug now Subsidised by the Government
A government committee has recently announced its addition of Velcade (bortezomib) to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Velcade is a novel drug used to treat an aggressive blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Until recently this drug was at prices far beyond what the average Australian could afford. Now the public…
Blood
13 Nov 2007
New Hope for Patients with Myeloma as Velcade is Added to the PBS
An expensive drug for the treatment of advanced and progressive stages of multiple myeloma has become available on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from November 1st 2007. This is fantastic news for sufferers of this rare and debilitating haematological cancer, whom normally face a poor prognosis without treatment. Multiple myeloma…
Cancer
13 Nov 2007
Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting
The 34th COSA ASM promises a series of stimulating and exciting presentations from international and national experts covering the many disciplines of oncology research and clinical practice. The conference is held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on November 14-16, 2007. On Day 1, Wednesday November 14 Gene discovery could improve…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
China’s One-Child Policy Could Backfire on Its Elderly
China’s efforts to control population growth in the present may cause problems for the county’s senior citizens in the future. This prediction comes from a Saint Louis University School of Medicine researcher who spent a year in China studying its geriatric policies and practices. Joseph H. Flaherty, M.D., associate professor…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
Insect Genes Provide Clues to Help Beat the Heat
New findings from insect studies at Queen’s and U of T may help to protect our brains from extremely high fevers that sometimes trigger seizures, particularly in infants and small children. While the seizures themselves are generally harmless, a prolonged fever resulting from infection or heatstroke of over 108 degrees…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
Proteins Involved in New Neurodegenerative Syndrome Identified
The interplay of two proteins that bind to messenger RNA, a molecule that mediates translation of the information encoded in genes into proteins, triggers the appearance of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FTAX), a late-life disorder associated with the gene that causes fragile X syndrome in children, said researchers from Baylor…
Bone
30 Oct 2007
The Connection between Genes and Height
It became clear nearly a century ago that many genes likely influence how tall a person grows, though little progress, if any, has followed in defining the myriad genes. Now an international research team brings light to this age-old question by pinpointing a genetic variant associated with human height –…
Children's health
30 Oct 2007
Research Shows New Risks from Seeing Movie Smoking
Exposure to smoking in movies is not only likely to influence adolescents to start smoking, but it also appears to be closely associated with adolescents’ risk of becoming established smokers, according to a new study by researchers at Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Established smokers are defined as…
