Media coverage of clinical trials does not contain the elements readers require to make informed decisions. A comparison of the coverage received by pharmaceutical and herbal remedy trials, reported in BMC Medicine, has revealed that it is rarely possible for the lay public to assess the credibility of the described research.

Bone growth is controlled in the gut through serotonin, the same naturally present chemical used by the brain to influence mood, appetite and sleep, according to a new discovery from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. Until now, the skeleton was thought to control bone growth, and serotonin was primarily known as a neurotransmitter acting in the brain. This new insight could transform how osteoporosis is treated in the future by giving doctors a way to increase bone mass, not just slow its loss. Findings are reported in the Nov. 26, 2008 issue of Cell.

Enormous cave bears, Ursus spelaeus, that once inhabited a large swathe of Europe, from Spain to the Urals, died out 27,800 years ago, around 13 millennia earlier than was previously believed, scientists have reported.  

Despite over 200 years of scientific study – beginning in 1794 when a young anatomist, J. Rosenmüller, first described bones from the Zoolithenhöhle in Bavaria as belonging to a new extinct species, which he called cave bear – the timing and cause of its extinction remain controversial.

AURORA, Ontario, November 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX, FSE: HBP) has filed a Form 20-F Registration Statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, to register its common shares with the SEC.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 25 /PRNewswire/ --

CAS REGISTRY, the world's most authoritative collection of disclosed chemical substance information, now includes 40 million organic and inorganic substances. CAS Registry Number(R) 1073662-18-6 recently was assigned to an azulenobenzofuran derivative.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081125/CLTU095 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070817/CLF008LOGO )

The 40 millionth substance was identified by a team of CAS scientists, C.H. Oh, J.H. Lee, S.J. Lee, J.I. Kim, and C.S. Hong. The journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition published their findings on November 21, 2008.

I’ve recently touched on the delicate topic of human nature. Now it's the turn of the even more inflammatory subject of race. The occasion is provided by a short commentary in Science (1), reporting on a meeting of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). The reason that meeting was contentious is because of increasingly common research on differences in the genetic susceptibility to diseases among human populations, where “population” is often a thinly veiled synonym for race.

Every type of disease has a specific treatment program. We have drugs to treat symptoms of countless illnesses and maladies, but viral infections continue to elude treatment. While we have vaccines to prevent initial infection of some viruses and other medications to treat problematic symptoms, there is little one can do to prevent a virus from replicating and causing disease. Viral infections can be lethal and without treatment options, we are left with our own natural defenses to fight off viral invaders. This is about to change.

LONDON, November 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey by Luxardo sambuca reveals that northern cities have the most to offer for a top night out. The initiative is one of the first to use social networking sites exclusively for its data capture. Out of 20 cities, Manchester came first and Newcastle followed, based on the number of votes received. Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Nottingham, Plymouth, Wakefield and Wolverhampton (not ranked here) also gained enthusiastic support. Encouraging spontaneity, responses via Facebook and MySpace were sought from 18 to 30 year olds, as they were invited to join the debate and nominate their own city or another. Some 1800 comments were received between April and November 2008.

LONDON, November 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- News in Brief

'Information is the lifeblood of the modern organisation', says Global Business Information Forum Keynote Speaker Stephen Phillips.

DENVER, November 25 /PRNewswire/ --

CQG, Inc. is pleased to announce a new network of hosted direct market access gateways designed to reduce electronic trading latency for its global customer base. The new infrastructure features exchange gateways in Chicago, London, Singapore, and Sydney.

CQG's hosted execution network is designed to take advantage of exchange proximity, providing traders access to local markets with the lowest possible latency while maintaining access to global markets via CQG's fault-tolerant backbone.