There has been much recent interest in how nanotechnology will impact the field of medicine. Unfortunately, a number of promising nanostructured systems have turned out to be extremely toxic to humans, thus precluding their use in clinical applications and dashing hopes of an early success for the interdisciplinary field of nanobiotechnology. [click link for full article]

Misfolded and disused proteins are eliminated by a cellular shredder called the proteasome. The cell labels the proteins it wants to dispose with Ubiquitin (Ub) in order to avoid the unwanted degradation of still needed proteins. Malfunctions in the ubiquitin-proteasome system can be fatal for the organism. In particular cancer and immunological disorders but also developmental defects are the consequences. [click link for full article]

Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday during a press conference said that the military mental health system “must and will get fixed,” the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. [click link for full article]

The ATS and European Respiratory Society (ERS) published a new statement on pulmonary function testing in preschool children. The document, which appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, addresses the clinical, technical and epidemiological implications of pulmonary function testing in children aged 2 to 6.”Preschoolers present a number of special challenges,” said Stephanie Davis, M.D. [click link for full article]

Estrogen can limit significantly the accumulation of plaque in the arteries of women in their 50s, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Newson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/20). For the study, JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at [click link for full article]

Itching is a common reason for people to see an allergist. Many of those with itching have a rash, others do not. Some people suffer from itching for many years,…

The International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), has awarded its first short- and mid-term technical assistance grants to public health institutes in five nations. The awards are the result of a $20 million, five-year grant last year from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Emory University, in partnership with Finland’s National Public Health Institute, KTL, to support IANPHI. [click link for full article]

A team of researchers, led by surgeons at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, has found further evidence supporting the ability of a protein to predict how well a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer will do after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The levels of the protein CA 19-9 in the blood can be used to determine the need for further therapy, they say.Adam Berger, M.D. [click link for full article]

It is premature to require middle-school age girls to receive Merck’s human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for the upcoming school year, Doug Lowy — head of the National Cancer Institute’s [click link for full article]

A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower prostate cancer genetic risk A diet rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain fish or fish oil, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils may help lower prostate cancer risk in individuals with a genetic predisposition to cancer. [click link for full article]