It's been thought that very preterm babies were not developed enough to benefit from 'comfort strategies but research published today in BMC Pediatrics suggests that even babies born between 28 and 31 weeks could benefit from skin-to-skin cuddling with their mother before and during painful procedures, such as a heel lance.

Celeste Johnston of McGill University, Montreal, Canada and colleagues have already shown that skin-to-skin contact, known as kangaroo mother care (KMC) helps babies born at 32 to 36 weeks to recover from pain.

A much-discussed idea to offset global warming by injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere would have a drastic impact on Earth's protective ozone layer, new research concludes. The study, led by Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), warns that such an approach might delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by decades and cause significant ozone loss over the Arctic.

The study will be published Thursday in Science Express. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, which is NCAR's principal sponsor, as well as by NASA and European funding agencies.

"Our research indicates that trying to artificially cool off the planet could have perilous side effects," Tilmes says. "While climate change is a major threat, more research is required before society attempts global geoengineering solutions."

ZURICH, Switzerland, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- ESBA105 Penetrates all Segments of the Eye via Topical Eye Drops

ESBATech AG, a leading developer of antibody fragment therapeutics, today announced the initiation of Phase I clinical development of the company's lead product development candidate, ESBA105, in ophthalmology. This Phase I study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of ESBA105, when delivered topically via eye drops in healthy volunteers. The study is being conducted as a single and repeated dose escalation study in Switzerland. ESBA105 is a single-chain antibody fragment directed against TNFa. It is being developed initially for ophthalmic indications.

Depending on which variant of a certain gene a woman has, a coffee consumption rate of at least two-three cups a day can either reduce the total risk of developing breast cancer or delay the onset of cancer. This is shown in new research from Lund University and Malmö University in Sweden.

The effect of coffee is related to estrogens, female sex hormones. Certain metabolic products of these hormones are known to be carcinogenic, and various components of coffee can alter the metabolism so that a woman acquires a better configuration of various estrogens. What’s more, coffee contains caffeine, which also hampers the growth of cancer cells.

A quirky psychological phenomenon known as “grapheme-color synaesthesia” describes individuals who experience vivid colors whenever they see, hear, or think of ordinary letters and digits. A hallmark of synaesthesia is that individuals seem to be idiosyncratic in their experiences. That is, most synesthaetes will consistently see the same colors accompanied with specific graphemes, but few of these experiences appear to be shared with other synesthetes. 

MILAN, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Patients With Fatty Liver are at Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

- Prevalence Estimates Vary Widely, and Approach 25% Among Adults

- Risk Factors For Fatty Liver Include Overweight, Type 2 Diabetes, and Sedentary Lifestyle

Data presented at today's sessions of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) further confirm that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its most severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are associated with the metabolic syndrome and pose an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

VANCOUVER, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian-based oil and gas exploration company Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd. (OTCBB: TOPLF) is pleased to announce that it has launched TransOrient.tv, which includes a number of informative video clips taken on a recent geological field trip to its East Coast basin fractured oil-shale project in New Zealand.

To view these short videos please visit: http://www.transorient.tv

Trans-Orient also advises that Mr. Drew Cadenhead, Chief Operating Officer, is scheduled to present to investment representatives, fund managers and private investors attending the Equities Mining and Resource Conference in New York City at 9:40 am, Thursday, April 25th at the Princeton Club of New York.

About Trans-Orient

COLLEGEVILLE, Pennsylvania, April 23 /PRNewswire/ --

- Wyeth Withdraws European Application

SAN DIEGO, April 23 /PRNewswire/ --

- Revenues US$2.6 Billion, EPS US$0.47

- Pro Forma EPS US$0.54, up 8 Percent Year-over-year

- Raises Fiscal 2008 Revenue and Earnings Guidance

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) today announced results for the second fiscal quarter of 2008 ended March 30, 2008.

Total Qualcomm (GAAP) Second Quarter Results

Total Qualcomm results are reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia and CUMMAQUID, Massachusetts, April 23 /PRNewswire/ --

- FDAnews and Industry Directions Launch New Study

FDAnews and Industry Directions Inc., in close association with research analysis partner Cambashi Ltd, today invited medical device manufacturers to respond to a new survey on current industry challenges and practices. The survey asks about company objectives, business processes and practices, information systems and applications, and performance.