African-Americans might be at greater risk of heart failure than other ethnic groups because of environmental and genetic factors, according to two studies by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Baltimore Sun reports. [click link for full article]

Scientists have discovered how an unusual protein helps a cell bypass damage when making new DNA, thereby averting the cell’s self-destruction.But they also discovered that this protein, an enzyme called Dpo4, often makes errors when copying the genomic DNA sequence that later might cause the cell to become cancerous. [click link for full article]

ValiRx plc (AIM: VAL), the cancer therapeutics company, today announces that its subsidiary company, Cronos Therapeutics Ltd (”Cronos”), has signed an agreement with the University of Surrey’s Postgraduate Medical School to co-develop prostate and bladder cancer diagnostics based on Cronos’ proprietary HyperGenomics technology. [click link for full article]

Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ: IMMR), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced that Immersion Medical has updated its endovascular platform with features that allow it to simulate a wider range of procedures. The new platform, now called the CathLabVR(TM) system, allows surgical simulation immersion.com/medical/surgical_sim. [click link for full article]

Next time you want another beer, you may have a valid medical excuse: Allergies. A recent study of 20 people with allergic rhinitis to pollens given Sapporo brand beer showed…

Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals(ABMP) has pledged $15,000 to help gain medical recognition of massagetherapy as a treatment for low-back pain, which afflicts millions ofAmericans. ABMP is pleased to make a lead grant to the initiative and the fundspledged represent one fourth of those needed to advance a review under theauspices of the National Institutes for Health, Office of MedicalApplications of Research. [click link for full article]

Soldiers exposed to the deafening din of battle have little defense against hearing loss, and are often reluctant to wear protective gear like ear plugs that could make them less able to react to danger. [click link for full article]

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are now studying an investigational treatment that may offer a significant new, minimally-invasive option for those suffering from advanced widespread emphysema. The EASE (Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema) trial focuses on a procedure called airway bypass that involves creating pathways in the lung for trapped air to escape — and in turn, may relieve emphysema symptoms including shortness of breath. [click link for full article]

The Bush administration plans to “strenuously resist” Democratic efforts to expand SCHIP, which will expire on Sept. 30, “ensuring a clash with Congress over the most important health care legislation being considered this year,” the New York Times reports. President Bush has [click link for full article]

Why do young people smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or drugs? What skills do they need to avoid starting these habits? A new study by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College shows that competence skills can reduce adolescent substance use over the long term, even when friends smoke or use alcohol. Previous research has shown that friends’ substance use is one of the most powerful influences that lead adolescents to use themselves. [click link for full article]