Based on their surprising discovery that an obesity drug can kill cancer cells, scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have made a new finding about the drug’s effects and are working to design more potent cancer treatments.Published online in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the study is the first to report how the drug orlistat (Xenical® or Alli®) binds and interacts with a protein found in tumor cells. [click link for full article]

Researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Michigan have discovered a gene that protects us against a serious kidney disease. In the current online issue of Nature Genetics they report that mutations in the gene cause nephronopthisis (NPHP) in humans and mice. NPHP is a disease marked by kidney degeneration during childhood that leads to kidney failure requiring organ transplantation. [click link for full article]

Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla recently at Thailand’s 11th annual national seminar on HIV/AIDS said he is concerned about the increasing number of HIV cases in the country, especially among married couples, the Bangkok Post reports. [click link for full article]

Compounds found in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections that so many diabetics currently have to endure. Recent research reveals that pumpkin extract promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-producing beta cells and insulin in the blood, reports Lisa Richards in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. [click link for full article]

Scientists will only make real breakthroughs in children’s medicine if they include children in research programmes as well as adults, according to a leading paediatric expert.Professor John Warner was speaking at the opening of the Paediatric Research Unit, the UK’s first unit solely devoted to paediatric clinical research. The unit is run by researchers from Imperial College London and St Mary’s Hospital, and it is based next to the hospital’s paediatric wards in Paddington. [click link for full article]

Although a number of studies have suggested that regular exercise reduces inflammation — a condition that is predictive of cardiovascular and other diseases, such as diabetes — it is still not clear whether there is a definitive link. And if such a link exists, the nature of the relationship is by no means fully understood. [click link for full article]

According to the latest study on trampoline injuries by Rhode Island Hospital researchers, injuries have more than doubled in the past decade. An earlier Rhode Island Hospital study looking at data from 2001 and 2002 indicated an average of 75,000 children per year were seen in emergency departments across the country. [click link for full article]

Most people will do just about anything to avoid going to the dentist, but those people who have experienced allergic reactions after dental work have even more reason to dread…

“Increasing Generic Drug Use in Medicare Part D: The Role of Government,” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: For the report, Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and William Shrank of [click link for full article]

The July 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association contains articles and research studies you may find of interest. Below is a summary of some of this month’s articles. Children Prefer Large Portions — of Some Foods Given the choice, Canadian fifth-graders prefer larger portions of snacks and fast foods and smaller portions of vegetables than the recommended amounts, according to researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada. [click link for full article]