Being Human

SAN DIEGO - Researchers from the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found a new drug that restricts the growth of neuroblastoma, a childhood brain cancer. The pre-clinical study was presented today in the plenary session at the 22nd annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

GALVESTON, Texas -- University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered that a form of vitamin B1 could become a new and effective treatment for one of the world's leading causes of blindness.

Teenagers who have a strong relationship with their parents may start drinking at a later age -- which may, in turn, lessen their risk of developing alcohol problems, a new study suggests.

The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, underscore the important role parents play in the risk of problem drinking.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- An important genetic study conducted through Mayo Clinic has identified vital new information concerning alcoholism in subjects with European ancestry, according to a recent issue of Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The 64-slice CT scanner delivers the most efficient radiation dose to pregnant patients with possible pulmonary emboli (PE) providing less risk to the fetus, according to a study performed at SUNY Stony Brook University Medical Center in Stony Brook, NY.

Unnecessary advanced imaging (CT, MRI and nuclear medicine) can be significantly reduced by providing a simple intervention of education to ordering physicians of the risks, benefits and alternatives of various imaging modalities, according to a study performed at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, NY.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) gives physicians a safe and accurate tool for the diagnosis of appendicitis in pregnant patients without the increased risks of radiation to the patient and fetus, according to a study performed at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, VA.

MR enterography is an effective tool to evaluate and guide treatment of patients with Crohn's Disease (a common form of inflammatory bowel disease that typically affects young people) without exposing them to radiation, according to a study performed at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine/Brown University in Providence, RI.

Radiologists are now able to look at parts of the brain using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that are rarely visible with any other imaging method, according to a study performed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A concrete material developed at the University of Michigan can heal itself when it cracks. No human intervention is necessary---just water and carbon dioxide.

During these trying financial times, the cost of healthcare and how much we are willing to pay for it is at the top of our economic concerns. The financial value of pain has a wide ranging influence, affecting drug prices and injury compensation. But what about on an individual level -- is it possible to place a value on our health, to prevent pain and suffering?

Most young students do not enjoy homework. However, after being told that good grades will help them get into college and lead to a better life, most students eventually buckle down and start studying. But what if college is not an option?

Researchers at North Carolina State University have used a mathematical model that allows them to get a clearer picture of the galaxy's youngest supernova remnant by correcting for the distortions caused by cosmic dust.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that patients with high cholesterol receive better care when physicians use a variety of tools to learn and apply a clinical practice guideline for treating the condition.

University of British Columbia researchers have discovered a "molecular key" that could help increase the success of blood stem cell transplants, a procedure currently used to treat diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and aplastic anemia.

With all the recent news about sustainable biofuel projects – including huge investments by some of our petroleum giants into non-food ethanol – it was interesting to note last month’s unique side-step by a Japanese brewery and a South American oil company. No, they won’t make beer you can either drink or pour in your gas tank. But Sapporo Breweries Ltd.

Graduation rates for low-achieving minority students and girls have fallen nearly 20 percentage points since California implemented a law requiring high school students to pass exit exams in order

The globalization of health care and the growth of "transplant tourism" (traveling abroad to purchase donor organs and undergo organ transplantation) have outpaced the implementation of internationally accepted ethical standards for procurement of organs for transplantation. A new article appearing in Clinical Transplantation finds that both U.S.

Syracuse, N.Y.--April 22, 2009--The increase in single-parent families was a dramatic social change of the 20th century.

April 21, 2009 - (BRONX, NY) - Recurrent and metastatic endometrial and ovarian cancers can be notoriously difficult to treat: They have spread to other organs and typically have developed resistan