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European Union Divide (with possible divorce) Over GM Crops
With the deadline for EU countries who wish to ban genetically GM crops draws near, the division of the EU into pro and anti-GM zones may test the single market beyond its limits. It is hard to see how the inevitable tensions will be resolved. All the more so as the law surrounding the member…
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US Increases Naloxone Access to Combat Opioid Overdose Epidemic
In response to the increase in opioid overdose-related deaths, United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced the agency’s plan to increase access to naloxone in rural communities and expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Burwell announced the plan at a conference including representatives from the 50 states and Washington, DC,…
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RNA In GM Rice Can Now Be Seen In Your Blood And Organs
It’s not earth-shattering news: genetically modified foods carry huge risks for humans. The newest information, however, shows that there are larger risks than ever before seen. These risks affect us on a much deeper level than previously thought. Researchers at the Nanjing University in China have shown that small pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA) of…
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Cell Phone Can Alter Brain Structure And Function
A new clinical study has found that just 15 minutes of cell phone talk time radiation exposure can alter the structure and function of the brain, including brain wave activity that is connected to cognition, mood and behaviour. Thirty-one healthy females took part in the study, published in PLOS ONE; all participants were measured twice. On…
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‘Marketing Based Medicine’ steamrolls ethics and science in proposed Victorian vaccine laws.
What some people are terming ‘Marketing Based Medicine’ has just won a huge victory in the state of Victoria, trampling rough shod over medical ethics and good science. The Labor government plans to exclude children from daycare and kindergarten, who are partially or fully unvaccinated, marking a big departure from the more considered approach of…
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Vaccines – Conflict of Interest
Here’s an interesting discussion about the conflict of interest surrounding supposedly ‘independent’ sources that back the US government’s assertion that vaccines and autism are not related. Front organisations such as Every Child by Two, and Dr. Paul Offit, receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines. They do not disclose how much money they…
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Smart dressings speed healing of chronic wounds
Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology are developing innovative nanofibre meshes that might draw bacteria out of wounds and speed up the healing process. The research is the focus of Swinburne PhD candidate Martina Abrigo, who received the university’s Chancellor’s Research Scholarship to undertake this work. Using a technique called electrospinning – in which…
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Monash research sets new record for generation of fuels from sunlight
Researchers at Monash University have designed a solar fuel generating device that has established a new record in energy efficiency for the production of solar fuels. The new device can produce hydrogen fuel at 22% energy efficiency, breaking the previous record of 18%. Lead researcher Professor Leone Spiccia in the School of Chemistry at Monash…
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3D Drug Printing Becoming Commercialised for Pharmacy Use
The initial burst of enthusiasm that followed a laboratory experiment in the printing of drugs using 3D-technology, was in turn, followed by a hiatus that was due to the problems (needing solutions), of getting the product to market, and registered through the FDA, TGA etc. One of the first companies to emerge with proven functional…
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Sleep disorder expert appointed new ResMed Chair
Sleep disorder expert Professor Peter Cistullihas been appointed the ResMed Chair in Sleep Medicine at the University of Sydney. Professor Cistulli will lead the University’s research, clinical, and educational activities in advancing the field of sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on chronic disease management. The new Chair is funded by ResMed and will work across…