When cells divide, control mechanisms ensure that the genetic material, in other words the chromosomes, is correctly distributed to the daughter cells. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now explained the molecular principles of these control processes. The so-called checkpoint kinases, i.e. the enzymes which perform this controlling, are not directly associated only with the chromosomes, as was previously assumed to be the case. [click link for full article]

Fewer adolescents in Utah get vaccinated than their counterparts in other states, and Utah women receive fewer screenings for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer compared with women nationwide, according to findings released Thursday at the State of Our Health program forum, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. [click link for full article]

If someone downloads child pornography onto their computer, is that an indication they’re a pedophile, or might become one in the future?That question is gaining the attention of forensic psychiatrists as never before, thanks to recent legislation making possession of Internet child pornography a federal crime constituting an unlawful transmission of information across state lines. [click link for full article]

APM’s “Marketplace Morning Report” on Thursday as part of its “The Real Agenda” series on issues in the November elections examined the Medicaid program in Missouri, which according to APM, “went from being one of the best states for insuring its citizens to one of the worst. [click link for full article]

A new study has found that babies that are breastfed for longer than six months have significantly better mental health in childhood.The findings are based on data from the ground-breaking Raine Study at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, that has tracked the growth and development of more than 2500 West Australian children over the past 16 years. [click link for full article]

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in a letter to lawmakers on Wednesday said a five-year contract with an Accenture LLP group that administers enrollment for Medicaid, the state’s SCHIP program and other social services “must be ended” because of mismanagement, the [click link for full article]

A new study investigating the effects of chemotherapy on cognitive function in mice has confirmed what many cancer patients receiving treatment have often complained about - a decline in their memory and other cognitive functions, sometimes characterized as “chemobrain”.The study, led by Dr. Gordon Winocur of the Baycrest Research Centre for Aging and the Brain, in collaboration with Drs. [click link for full article]

Each year enormous effort goes into producing influenza vaccines and delivering them to appropriate sections of the population. But a review of the evidence in this week’s BMJ suggests that they may not be as effective as we think.So is this effort justified, asks vaccine expert Tom Jefferson?Public policy worldwide recommends the use of inactivated influenza vaccines (vaccines that contain dead viruses) to prevent seasonal outbreaks. [click link for full article]

FDA’s decision to approve Barr Laboratories’ application for nonprescription sales of its emergency contraceptive Plan B to women ages 18 and older is “welcome news,” but it will not be “enough to overcome our nation’s stalled progress in reducing unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion,” Sharon Camp, president and CEO of the [click link for full article]