Research by the Human Pain Research Group at The University of Manchester suggests that people’s responses to placebo or “dummy” pain relief varies according to their way of thinking.40 pain-free volunteers took part in an experiment funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign using an artificial pain stimulus, and were led to expect reduced pain after the application of a cream which was actually a placebo. [click link for full article]

Combining the molecularly targeted therapy Herceptin with chemotherapy in women with early stage breast cancer significantly improves disease-free survival for patients with a specific genetic mutation that results in very aggressive disease, a top UCLA researcher has reported.Dr. [click link for full article]

Results from a prospective clinical study show that the GeneSearch” Breast Lymph Node (BLN) Assay, a gene-based diagnostic test has greater sensitivity than traditional intra-operative methods of detecting the spread of breast cancer to the lymph nodes. In the study sponsored by Veridex, LLC, the GeneSearch” BLN Assay demonstrated overall sensitivity at least 10 percentage points higher than traditional intra-operative tests. [click link for full article]

Almost four in five Australians (78%) support mandatory fitness testing for school children to combat childhood obesity, according to a new public opinion poll by Research Australia.Support for mandatory fitness testing was almost as high amongst households with dependent children under the age of 16 as those without, with 77% of parents supporting such a measure. [click link for full article]

Surveys conducted in southern Sudan, after conflict there ended in 2004, found much higher levels of blindness than anticipated. The results, published in PLoS Medicine, have major implications for the provision of health services in the region.Sudan is the largest country in Africa and one of the poorest in the world. [click link for full article]

An enzyme found at elevated levels in several human cancers has been linked to abnormal tumor growth in fruit flies, a discovery that provides a new model for understanding the link between stem cell biology and cancer, according to researchers at the University of Oregon. [click link for full article]

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a so-called kinase protein, is often abnormally active in cancer. A new class of anticancer drugs inhibiting the activated EGFR kinase have shown to be effective against such cancers, especially lung cancer. In a new study in PLoS Medicine, researchers have catalogued and characterized the mutations in the EGFR gene that occur in glioblastoma, a deadly type of brain tumor. [click link for full article]

A new study suggests that the size of your belly is a better predictor of heart disease than how obese you are overall. The research was led by Carlos Iribarren of the Research Division of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California in Oakland and is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.Body Mass Index (BMI) was once used as a measure to predict heart disease risk. [click link for full article]

Following in the footsteps of the public initiative in New York restaurants, Universal Studios has announced it is introducing healthier side dishes and aims to eliminate artificial trans-fats from its menus. This began on Christmas Eve with certain adult and children’s meals in many of the theme parks. [click link for full article]