A new study showed that ramelteon did not impair middle-of-the-night balance, mobility or memory performance in older adults with insomnia, relative to placebo. This study also demonstrated, as in previous studies, that patients treated with zolpidem did have impaired performances on these measures, as compared to placebo. The results of this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial were presented in a poster at the American Psychiatric Association 2007 Annual Meeting. [click link for full article]

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have announced the discovery of previously unrecognized alterations in a gene called FGFR2 in a subset of endometrial cancers, the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. The mutations in FGFR2 result in uncontrolled cell division, a hallmark of cancer. The findings, reported by TGen and research colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. [click link for full article]

Lawmakers continue to debate whether to reduce federal payments to private insurers that administer the fastest-growing type of Medicare Advantage plans — private fee-for-service plans, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Freking, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/30). The House Ways and Means [click link for full article]

Cultural traditions that do not value women are fueling the spread of HIV in Botswana and Swaziland, according to a Physicians for Human Rights report released on Monday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. [click link for full article]

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday announced a program that will provide women with access to low-cost, oral contraceptives at 10,000 pharmacies nationwide, the AP/Forbes reports. Silva said the plan will give low-income Brazilians “the same right that the wealthy have to plan the number of children they want. [click link for full article]

Each year, the parents of an estimated one in 20,000 newborns are shocked to learn their child has type 1 congenital myotonic dystrophy (CDM1), a progressive and crippling genetic disorder. Although doctors know that babies inherit CDM1 from their mother and prenatal tests are available, many children are not diagnosed until they are born. [click link for full article]

On May 30, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xyzal, an antihistamine, for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria in people age 6 years and older….

The results of numeracy and literacy tests for seven-year-old children can be predicted by measuring the length of their fingers, shows new research.In a study to be published in the British Journal of Psychology, scientists compared the finger lengths of 75 children with their Standardised Assessment Test (SAT) scores. [click link for full article]

Circadian clocks regulate the timing of biological functions in almost all higher organisms. Anyone who has flown through several time zones knows the jet lag that can result when this timing is disrupted.Now, new research by Cornell and Dartmouth researchers explains the biological mechanism behind how circadian clocks sense light through a process that transfers energy from light to chemical reactions in cells. The research is published in the journal Science. [click link for full article]

Patients with stage four cancer are more prone to disturbed sleeping patterns due to factors such as pain, treatment side effects and psychological causes. The study, conducted by Kyriaki Mystakidou, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Athens, Greece, was completed by 102 patients with an average age of 62.8 years and who had stage four cancer. [click link for full article]