The nutritional benefits of organic food have been called into question by new research which shows wild garden birds prefer conventional seed to that which has been organically- grown.
A three-year study by Newcastle University has found that wild birds are not swayed by the organic label, but instead prefer the more protein-rich, conventional food that will help them to survive the winter.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an enormous global public health problem. Migration and failure by governments and the public health community to adequately treat and prevent TB among migrants is an important barrier to TB control.
To reduce the incidence, spread and severity of tuberculosis, government policies must ensure that all patients have easy access to diagnosis and treatment, according to a commentary entitled "TB on the Move" in this month's The Lancet.
Despite laws to protect NHS workers who wish to raise concerns about patient care, a BMJ investigation reveals that some NHS trusts still make it hard for staff to speak out.
Patients prescribed antibiotics in primary care may develop a resistance that lasts up to 12 months, according to research published on bmj.com today.
It is widely recognised that resistance to antibiotics is a major threat to public health. However, according to the researchers, this is not seen by most clinicians or patients as a reason to refrain from using them, with many regarding the problem as minimal.
Young infants appear to have a gap in their protection against measles, from around two to three months old until they are vaccinated at 12 months of age, finds new research published on bmj.com today.
This is because the level of antibodies infants get from their mother drops over time, leaving them susceptible until they are vaccinated.
These findings underline the importance of measles vaccination at around 12 months of age and support ongoing research into earlier vaccination.
'Dark matter' and 'dark energy' are something of a debate in physics circles, falling somewhere between mysticism and science. What about biology's secrets 'between the genes'?
A group of University of Toronto scientists have uncovered some of the secrets behind what these molecular biologists term "dark matter" transcripts, they write in PLoS Biology.
Containment measures introduced in Vietnam to prevent the spread of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza did not succeed in halting the virus, but may have bought health services and clinical researchers valuable time, according to research carried out at the Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The study also showed that patients with mild disease responded favourably in terms of viral clearance – and hence reduced transmission of the virus – to oseltamivir, the most commonly-used antiviral drug, when given in the first 3-4 days of illness.
Public health and international development experts at the University of British Columbia are calling for a "social offset" mechanism to set aside a portion of research funding slated for neglected tropical diseases (NTD) to address broader social determinants of disease.
Their comments are published today alongside other perspectives in the Debate section of the online journal PLoS Medicine.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By examining expression of every human gene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) compared to normal kidney cells, researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have discovered gene signatures they say explain much of the biology of this common and difficult-to-treat kidney cancer.
Army scientists have discovered a way to "trick" the bacterium that causes anthrax into shedding its protective covering, making it easier for the body's immune system to mount a defense. The study, which appears in this month's issue of the journal MICROBIOLOGY, could lead to new approaches for treating anthrax infection.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cholesterol crystals, known to be a catalyst for heart attacks and strokes, also cause cells to send out danger signals that can lead to the inflammation and hardening of arteries, according to a Michigan State University cardiologist.
ATS 2010, NEW ORLEANS— Children who undergo brief periods of intense exercise may exhibit lung dysfunction or other symptoms similar to those experienced by asthma patients, even when no history of asthma exists, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California's Irvine and Miller Children's Hospital.
The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2010 International Conference in New Orleans.
DURHAM, N.C. – When the forces of evolution took over an experimental strain of bacteria, it derailed an experiment Duke and NC State researchers thought they were conducting, but led to something much more profound instead.
The researchers used a colony of mice raised in a large plastic bubble, called an isolator, that was completely sterile, lacking even a single bacterium. They introduced a single type of bacteria into the mouse colony, but it mutated quickly into different types, making new bacteria that were hardier inside of the mice than the original bacterium was.
A new study unlocks the previously unknown structural features that underlie the incredible elastic resilience of fibrin, the main protein in blood clots. The research, published by Cell Press in Biophysical Journal on May 18th, provides insight into how the molecular architecture of a fibrin network contributes to its resilience and may help to explain what causes the failure of a clot, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
