Infections could contribute to adult brain tumors

Infections could play a key role in triggering certain types of adult brain cancer, according to results from a new statistical analysis of the disease. more  

Typhoid fever led to the fall of Athens

Scientists have for many years debated the cause of the Plague of Athens. Analysis carried out by Manolis Papagrigorakis and colleagues using DNA collected from teeth from an ancient Greek burial pit points to typhoid fever as the disease responsible for this devastating epidemic. The study appears on the online version of The International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID) published by Elsevier on behalf of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. more

British blackcurrants beat Alzheimer's

Compounds in blackcurrants could prevent Alzheimer's disease and the characteristics of British berries suggest they do it best, writes Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry magazine. more  

Palliative radiation actually a cure for some lung cancer patients

About one in a hundred patients with apparently incurable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survive five or more years after being given relatively small doses of radiation therapy (RT) meant to ease symptoms, according to a new study. more

Stem cell study seeks to prevent heart failure 

University of Rochester Medical Center researchers today announced the launch of a study that will examine whether transplanted stem cells can be safely used to treat damaged heart muscle in patients just after their first heart attack. As part of the fast emerging science of regenerative medicine, labs worldwide are attempting to replace damaged tissue with new cells, much in the same way as salamanders re-grow limbs. more

Pay cuts lead to worker insomnia, but supervisor training helps  

When workers take a pay cut, money is not the only thing that is lost – they may also lose sleep, according to new research. more

Networking computers to help combat disease

Subtropical diseases lay waste to millions of people each year. In the quest to find a cure scientists are using Grid computing, the major driving force for new approaches towards collaborative large-scale science, to discover new drugs and better understand the diseases. more