Violence against women: Prevention, protection and empowerment in Haiti Among the many peacekeepers deployed by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti and assigned to protect the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from insecurity, nearly 500 are women. Photo: Hadrien Bonnaud It is a lesser known reality of the earthquake that devastated Haiti […]

Reaping benefits of exercise minus the sweat. Researchers isolate messenger protein linking exercise to health benefits “There has been a feeling in the field that exercise ‘talks to’ various tissues in the body,” said Bruce Spiegelman (right), a professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School. “But the question has been, how?”/ File photo by […]

Call to Action: A Cholera-Free Hispaniola Moving from cholera control to cholera elimination through essential investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure In a press briefing, the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, together with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and […]

Good news for marathoners Underlying heart disease blamed for increased reports of cardiac events “The general consensus — based on intense media coverage of cardiac arrests that happen during these races — has been that the risk was very high. But we found that the risk of cardiac arrest for marathon and half-marathon runners is […]

Evolving URMC Studies Uphold Precision Radiation to Control Cancer The University of Rochester Medical Center has been a leader in the study of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the past decade, and three of the latest research projects show that SBRT is emerging as an important tool for more people with advanced cancer. Alan W. […]

Living to 100 and beyond: the right genes plus a healthy lifestyle What is it that lets some people live to age 100 and beyond? A new study from the ongoing New England Centenarian Study suggests that protective genes may make a big contribution. In what the researchers describe as the first study of its kind, they […]

UN urges Group of 77 nations to champion development agenda Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with representatives of the G77 and China on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban. UN Photo/Mark Garten … Group of 77: coalition’s key role stressed in UN efforts to promote development United Nations, New York, 11 january 2012 […]

Cosmetic chemical hinders brain development in tadpoles A new study finds that low concentrations of the chemical methylisothiazolinone has subtle but measurable negative effects on the neural development of tadpoles. The chemical is found in some cosmetics, although the study does not provide any evidence that cosmetics are unsafe for humans. Interrupted development/Even small concentrations […]

Stem Cell Odyssey Leads from Tusks and Teeth to Gut Stem Cell Research Targets Craniofacial Abnormalities Ophir Klein, MD, PhD Look at the teeth on the lab specimen here. Is this the work of a mad scientist? It’s true that UCSF’s Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, was quite satisfied to have produced mice with incisors that […]

Prostate Cancer Screenings at VA Hospitals Don’t Follow Guidelines for Elderly, Study Says Veterans Affairs hospitals screen elderly men with limited life expectancies for prostate cancer at surprisingly high rates, even though guidelines recommend against such screening, according to a study led by a physician at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC). Louise […]