Scientists Grow Eggs from Five-Year-Old Girls
from The Telegraph
Children and young people who go through cancer are often left infertile by the treatment and are faced with having to use donated eggs and sperm or adopting to have their own family. Scientists, however, have grown eggs from tissue taken from five-year-old girls meaning future childhood cancer sufferers could go on to have children of their own. More

Trail of Odd Anthrax Cells Led FBI to Army Scientist
from The Washington Post
In late October 2001, lab technician Terry Abshire placed a tray of anthrax cells under a microscope and spotted something so peculiar she had to look twice. It was two weeks after the country's worst bioterrorism attack, and Abshire, like others at the Army's Fort Detrick biodefense lab, was caught up in a frenzied search for clues that could help lead to the culprit. More

Scientists Erase Scary Memories in Mice
from the Los Angeles Times
Scientists have succeeded in permanently erasing frightening memories in mice, an early step toward the development of treatments for people haunted by traumas they can't forget. According to a study in the journal Neuron this week, researchers genetically manipulated the brains of mice to overproduce a key enzyme that appeared to selectively wipe memories from the animals' brains. More

Survey: Half of U.S. Doctors Use Placebo Treatments
from The Associated Press
About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won't really help their condition. And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found. That contradicts advice from the American Medical Association, which recommends doctors use treatments with the full knowledge of their patients. More

Purple Tomato with Snapdragon Gene Could Fight Cancer
from USA Today
British researchers have used genes from the snapdragon flower to increase tomatoes' cancer-fighting powers. When the genes were added, the tomatoes ripened to an almost eggplant purple. They contain very high levels of antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins. Cancer-prone mice fed the altered tomatoes lived significantly longer than those that didn't get them. More

A Slew of Staph Infections Tackles the NFL
from Time magazine
The NFL is learning the hard way that a microscopic foe can be much more imposing than a 300-pound lineman, as a sudden slew of staph infections has sacked several players in the game. The recent cases have certainly gotten players' attention. "I'm concerned, and wondering why it's happening," says Chicago Bears rookie running back Matt Forte. "It's not some little infection that goes away in a few days, it's pretty serious." More

AIDS Treatment Should Start Sooner, Study Finds
from USA Today
People who have the AIDS virus should start drug treatments sooner than current guidelines recommend, suggests a large new study that could change the care of hundreds of thousands of Americans. The study found that delaying treatment until a patient's immune system is badly damaged nearly doubles the risk of dying in the next few years compared to patients whose treatment started earlier. More

New Antibiotic Target and Antibiotic Mechanism Identified; Discoveries Hold Promise for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
from Science Daily
A team of Rutgers University scientists led by Richard H. Ebright and Eddy Arnold has identified a new antibiotic target and a new antibiotic mechanism that may enable the development of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents effective against bacterial pathogens resistant to current antibiotics. In particular, the results could lead the way to new treatments for tuberculosis (TB) that involve shorter courses of therapy and are effective against drug-resistant TB. More

Experts Address Glove-Related Latex Allergies
from Infection Control Today Magazine
Gloves are the workhorses of personal protective equipment (PPE), serving as a barrier to protect health care workers (HCWs) from a wide variety of hazardous substances, including viruses and bacteria found in blood and body fluids, as well as chemicals, detergents and sterilants encountered in the health care setting. But gloves are a double-edged sword, sometimes causing skin irritation and triggering allergies in HCWs as well as in patients. More