Tequila! Chemists help assure quality of popular Mexican beverage
...methanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-phenylethanol, allowing them to be chemically distinguished as real, high-quality tequila, the researchers say. Although methanol was present, levels were small and did not reach toxic levels, they add. In addition to these new tests, a screening test using Fourier Transfo...M. D. Anderson: Setting the benchmark in brain tumor treatment
... (E1A) to bind to Rb and stop it from functioning, allowing the virus to replicate, or reproduce. Fueyo took advantage of the mutant Rb protein in cancer cells. He created a virus in which E1A does not function, which allows it to attack only cancer cells that are missing Rb. Since normal brain cells h...Study identifies substances in grapefruit juice that interact dangerously with some drugs
...monly consumed fruit juices, inhibits this enzyme, allowing more of these drugs to enter the body. It was originally assumed that the ingredients responsible for drug interactions were the flavonoids that give grapefruit juice its bitter taste. The new study shows that a group of chemicals called furanocoum...Fast pharmacy access to the morning-after pill could prevent 10% more unwanted pregnancies
...s in the area. "Recent studies have suggested that allowing pharmacies to supply the morning-after pill does not compromise contraceptive practice or sexual behaviour. This is very important because encouraging females to practice safe sex is just as much a priority as preventing unwanted pregnancies. "It i...Holes in heart not a common cause of stroke in general population, study finds
... have suggested that PFOs commonly cause stroke by allowing blood clots to pass through the heart, bypass the lungs and go to the brain. Mayo's study, published in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, contradicts previous PFO studies. Past studies may have overestimated the relationship between PFOs and ...Marijuana-derived drug suppresses bladder pain in animal models
... a liposome, a tiny sac surrounded by fatty acids, allowing for the drug to be introduced directly into the bladders of rat models of varying degrees of bladder inflammation. IP 751 significantly suppressed bladder overactivity in both animal models. Bladder overactivity is the underlying cause of irritation ...New study shows erosive esophagitis healing linked to acid control
... the esophagus and stomach stops closing properly, allowing acid to leak back into the esophagus. About one in three people with frequent, persistent heartburn also experience erosive esophagitis, in which over time stomach acid begins to wear away, or erode, the inner lining of the esophagus. Since the fre...Dartmouth researchers test new technique to examine breast tissue
...le to enhance the information that MRI provides by allowing us to image breast tumors with a completely different mechanism of contrast, namely hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, water, and optical scattering." Pogue is part of an interdisciplinary team, which includes researchers from Dartmouth's Thayer School o...Early treatment favored for multiple sclerosis
...e patient's course is better established, possibly allowing those with less aggressive disease to avoid years of unnecessary treatment," comments Dr. Roach. "But as Frohman and colleagues counter, most people with newly diagnosed MS do progress, and we must consider that treatment could be less effective if s...MIT 'seeing machine' offers hope to blind
... machine from scratch," Goldring said. While still allowing the projection of images, video and more onto a person's retina, the new desktop device costs much less than its predecessor in part because it doesn't include the diagnostic feedback of the SLO. The new seeing machine also replaces the laser of the ...Study finds no link between marijuana use and lung cancer
...s--they hold their breath about four times longer, allowing more time for extra fine particles to deposit in the lung." One possible explanation for the new findings, he said, is that THC, a chemical in marijuana smoke, may encourage aging cells to die earlier and therefore be less likely to undergo cancerous...'Rhythm method' may kill off more embryos than other methods of contraception
..., because it doesn't interfere with conception, so allowing nature to take its course. It is believed that the method works because it prevents conception from occurring. But says Professor Bovens, it may owe much of its success to the fact that embryos conceived on the fringes of the fertile period are less...First trial on life-threatening condition finds two surgical approaches have same results
...sion in the lower abdomen and placing a small bag, allowing stool and pus to drain from the abdomen without removal of any intestine....Two very different surgical procedures produce same results in often fatal intestinal disorder
...ion in the lower abdomen and placing a small drain allowing egress of stool and pus from the abdomen without removing any intestine. The trial led by Moss included 117 premature infants at 15 leading pediatric academic medical centers from the United States and Canada. When a baby developed perforated NEC at ...Combination of three new, high-powered MRI systems at PENN is a first in the US
...of excellence in imaging the brain and potentially allowing us to detect and diagnose disease states earlier. What this means is, with this scanner, for instance in brain tumor imaging -- we may be able to identify what type it is, what its true extent is, and even try to assess the outcomes of certain treatm...Telemedicine solutions to optimise healthcare
...care facilities to hospital neurology departments, allowing patients with head injuries to be accurately diagnosed by a specialist without having to be physically transferred to a hospital. "This resulted in a 79 per cent reduction in the number of people being referred to a specialist facility," says Dario. ...Small naps a big help for young docs on long shifts
...other two weeks they had access to protected time, allowing them to nap. Those on the nap schedule were "strongly encouraged" to forward the care of their patients to a designated "night-float" resident who would cover for them between midnight and 7 a.m. During 119 total months on service, the 38 interns ...New long-distance wireless networking developed at UC Berkeley brings eye care to India
...force. "We're addressing a shortage of doctors by allowing patients to go to a local center first. Once diagnosed locally, if they need to go to the hospital, they will actually go, because they know that they need to, that they'll get treatment, and that often it's free," Brewer said. "The bottom line is th...OHSU researchers discover possible HIV therapy in an animal study
... shown to slow the proliferation of the HIV virus, allowing patients to live longer. This research clearly demonstrated the importance of retroviral drugs in allowing for restoration of T cell population. This was done by observing SIV-positive animals that received ......cipline with a strong interest in transplantation, allowing us to successfully offer combined organ transplants within one institution." The world's first heart transplant was conducted less than forty years ago; complex combined transplants have only been conducted since the 1980's. Multi-organ transplants, ...