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US: You can get paid to catch malaria

How far would you go to help wipe out one of the world's worst scourges?

Seattle-area residents will soon be able to go all the way: allowing themselves to be bitten by malaria-infected mosquitoes to aid in the quest for new vaccines and drugs.

Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) is announcing plans today for a facility where volunteers will be exposed to the deadliest form of the disease, which kills at least a million people a year. Most victims are African children.

But scientists are quick to point out that participating in the clinical trials won't be a life-threatening experience.

Health

Gulf War illness 'chemical link'

There is evidence linking chronic health problems suffered by Gulf War veterans to exposure to pesticides and nerve agents, US research has found.

A third of veterans of the 1991 war experienced fatigue, muscle or joint pain, sleeping problems, rashes and breathing troubles, the research found.

A US Congress-appointed committee on Gulf War illnesses analysed more than 100 studies in the research.

People

Single-gender schools: An idea worth going back to

Pity the poor school officials in Greene County, Ga. When they suggested last month that they wanted to become the first school district in the nation to segregate all public schools according to gender, you would have thought they'd announced their intent to revive racial segregation.

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Study: More Women Can Cut Cancer Relapse Risk

Women who survive breast cancer are often haunted by the fear that it might come back. But new research indicates that many more women than had been thought can do something to protect themselves.

Attention

If both parents have Alzheimer's, your risk soars

Washington - If both your parents have Alzheimer's disease, you probably are more much likely than other people to get it, researchers said on Monday.

Their study focused on 111 families in which both parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia among the elderly, and assessed the risk for developing it among the offspring.

Health

Placebo effect: Faith-based healing

Take a group of patients recovering from serious operations. They need morphine to dull their pain and some need diazepam to calm their nerves. They will get their medication by intravenous drip, but won't always be told when they will get it - it might just be pumped in automatically.

The Italian researchers who conducted this ingenious study five years ago found that not being told they were receiving morphine cut the effect of the pain relief on the patients in half. And only those who were told they were getting tranquillisers became calmer; those who received diazepam without being told got no relief whatsoever.

Health

"Vast Array" of Drugs in Your Drinking Water



Water bubbles
©Marlon Felippe/Wikimedia Commons

Antibiotics. Anticonvulsants. Antidepressants. Anti-inflammatories.

Drink up. Eight glasses a day. Because that's what's in your tap water, according to an Associated Press investigation.

Evil Rays

Growing concern over safety of cellphones for children

PARIS: The MO1 beginner mobile phone is not as cuddly as a teddy bear, but manufacturers of the curvy, crimson and blue cellphone for 6-year-olds promise a similarly warm and fuzzy relationship. They boast about socialization, emotional health and the comforts of "peace of mind."

But the shiny child-size phones are stirring some parental and government unease, particularly at a time when the mobile telephone industry is reaching deeper into saturated markets to tap customers with chubby hands capable of cradling both dolls and phones.

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Colorectal Cancer Gene Identified

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers published a study identifying the hereditary components of colorectal cancer (CRC.) It is the first large linkage study of families with CRC and colon polyps in the country.

Because only five percent of CRC cases are due to known gene defects, this study is designed to identify the remaining CRC-related susceptibility genes. The team built on a previous study which identified a specific region on chromosome 9q that harbors a CRC susceptibility gene. Upon review of a whole genome scan of all chromosome pairs in 194 families, the researchers were able to identify additional CRC gene regions on chromosomes 1p, 15q, and 17p.

Beer

Drinking And Aggression Among University Students Often Depends On The Context

* Aggression and violence among university students often involve alcohol consumption.

* A new study has found that both drinking levels and drinking contexts are important.

* Aggression is more likely when students drink at a fraternity, sorority or campus residence, and when a partner is present.

* Attending parties also increases the risk of aggression, especially for women.