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List makers take note: 10 technologies that made news in 2009 and warrant watching in 2010

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 -- A first-of-its kind inhalable measles vaccine for developing countries, where the disease remains a scourge. A "nanogenerator" that could recharge iPods and other electronic devices with a shake. And for Fido and Fluffy, a long-awaited once-a-month pill for both ticks and fleas.

Prioritizing low-cost, simple health measures would save 2.5 million child lives a year

New York, Nov. 16, 2009 -- Almost a third of the children under age five who die each year could be saved if governments rebalance health spending to ensure low-cost, simple interventions such as safe water and hygiene, bed nets and basic maternal and newborn care, leading aid agency World Vision said today.

Research highlights need to address hemophilia in developing world

When modern medicine finds a way to treat a medical condition, people often think that the problem is solved. But we also have to find ways to get that treatment into the hands of those who need it.

Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.

Study finds mixed results comparing two surgical strategies for infant heart defect

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure -- yet it may not be the safest surgery long term, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

Babies born with a critically underdeveloped left side of their hearts require three surgeries to correct

Largest gene study of childhood IBD identifies 5 new genes

In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway that helps drive the painful inflammation of the digestive tract that characterizes the disease.

Tiny particles can deliver antioxidant enzyme to injured heart cells

Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart.

Injecting the enzyme-containing particles into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack reduced the number of dying cells and resulted in improved heart function days later.

Brain injured athletes may benefit from hypothermia research

NFL players and other athletes who suffer serious or multiple concussions may benefit from ground-breaking research being conducted by scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. The scientists are developing a surgical technique that involves hypothermia in specific regions of the brain.

Can thinking of a loved one reduce your pain?

"The very thought of you ? the mere idea of you"
-- from the song "The Very Thought of You" by Ray Noble

Can the mere thought of your loved one reduce your pain?

Yes, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists that underscores the importance of social relationships and staying socially connected.

Power to the People!

November 13, 2009 by DuncanAzzopardi

This week I attended a meeting held by the Society for Genomics Policy and Public Health entitled ‘Genetics and Health Promotion’. It was extremely interesting and posed two very significant questions. How do scientists translate genetic research into effective therapeutics and how is this then effectively pitched to public health strategists?

Funny, you don't look related

When Charles Darwin visited the Falkland Islands during the voyage of the Beagle in 1835, he saw a wolf-like species, wrote about it in his diaries and correctly commented that it was being hunted in such large numbers that it would soon become extinct.

Harvard nutrition expert offers family physician group no-cost alternative to funding from Coca-Cola

Leading Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) nutrition and health researcher Walter Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., has written a letter to the President-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) offering an alternative to the organization's decision, announced in October, to accept a six-figure grant from the Coca-Cola Company to develop web content on beverages and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Mechanical ventilation for patients with lung damage don't always work as planned

TORONTO, Ont., November 12, 2009 -- As more Canadians are diagnosed with H1N1 influenza infection, some will be admitted to hospital.



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