Background:In Australia and internationally, there is concern about the growing proportion of women giving birth by caesarean section. There is evidence of increased risk of placenta accreta and percreta in subsequent pregnancies as well as decreased fertility; and significant resource implications. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of continuity of midwifery care have reported reduced caesareans and other interventions in labour, as well as increased maternal satisfaction, with no statistically significant differences in perinatal morbidity or mortality. RCTs conducted in the UK and in Australia have largely measured the effect of teams of care providers (commonly 6-12 midwives) with very few testing caseload (one-to-one) midwifery care.

Background:Genomic islands (GIs) are clusters of genes in prokaryotic genomes of probable horizontal origin. GIs are disproportionately associated with microbial adaptations of medical or environmental interest. Recently, multiple programs for automated detection of GIs have been developed that utilize sequence composition characteristics, such as G+C ratio and dinucleotide bias. To robustly evaluate the accuracy of such methods, we propose that a dataset of GIs be constructed using criteria that are independent of sequence composition-based analysis approaches.Results:We developed a comparative genomics approach (IslandPick) that identifies both very probable islands and non-island regions.

Melasma and its association with different types of nevi in women: A case control studyBackground:Very little is known about possible association of nevi and melasma. The study objective was to determine if there is an association between melasma and existence of different kinds of nevi. Methods:In a case-control study, 120 female melasma patients referred to dermatology clinic of Ardabil and 120 patients referred to other specialty clinics who lacked melasma were enrolled after matching for age. Number of different types of nevi including lentigines and melanocytic nevi were compared between case and control group patients.

Statistics out today from the leading food intolerance expert, YorkTest, show that nine out of the ten of the UK's most intolerable foods are commonly found on our breakfast table - proving it really is the most important meal of the day.

The results of a two-year representative study of osteoarthritis of the knee, published in the internationally renowned journal "Osteoarthritis and Cartilage", confirm the safety and effectiveness of Orthokine therapy, in which anti inflammatory proteins obtained from the patient's own blood are injected into the arthritic joint.

Depression causes patients with advanced cancer to die sooner than they should, say scientists at the University of Liverpool. In a six-month study patients who were found to be depressed had a 7% increased chance of dying and this percentage increased depending on the severity of the depression.

From September this year, parents of children who have been weighed and measured at school could automatically receive their child's results in a bid to get parents to be more aware about healthy lifestyles, and help their children achieve a healthy weight, Health Minister Ivan Lewis announced recently.

Deaf patients are now able to enjoy better access to GP services thanks to a new partnership between SignHealth - the healthcare charity for Deaf people - and EMIS, the UK's leading provider of GP systems.

Boehringer Ingelheim presented new 100 week data at the International AIDS Conference demonstrating Aptivus® (tipranavir) long-term efficacy and safety in treatment-experienced children. Results from this two-year study show that Aptivus® enabled the children to achieve sustained virologic and immunologic responses and was a well-tolerated antiretroviral therapy.

Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc. ("EOS") (NASDAQ: MELA) announced that patient accrual in the MelaFind® pivotal trial was completed last week. MelaFind is a non-invasive, point-of-care instrument designed and developed by EOS to assist in the early diagnosis of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

We have seen the number of babies delivered at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH) Maternity increase from 15,385 in 1998 to more than 23,000 in 2007. This represents an increase of more than 49% in that time period. An audit was conducted to determine which deliveries truly needed to happen at CHBH, leading to the introduction of the Triage Referral Programme in the maternity unit.

When applied as part of a rectal gel, the drug tenofovir may prevent HIV transmission, according to an study performed in macaque monkeys. These results were released on August 4, 2008 in the open access journal PLoS Medicine. In both heterosexuals and homosexuals, rectal intercourse carries a very risk of HIV transmission.

Someday soon, the box of prescription medicine you buy from the drugstore might not contain capsules or pills - instead it may take the form of tiny, credit card-sized inhalers that deliver the medication directly to your lungs.

Using an unusual model organism for the field, C. elegans, scientists could make great strides investigating depression, schizophrenia, and insomnia in humans, according to an article released on August 4, 2008 in the open access journal PLoS Biology. Caenorhabditis elegans is a microscopic worm often used in developmental biology research.

On the day of the opening ceremonies of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, President Felipe Calderon announced his plans to lift a Mexican Ministry of Economy requirement that pharmaceutical companies operating in Mexico must have a manufacturing plant in that country in order to use or sell generic versions of their lifesaving AIDS and other drugs in Mexico.

The registration application for azelastine nasal spray in the new formulation with Extra Strength has been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seeking approval to treat symptoms of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis and Perennial Allergic Rhinitis. The new formulation is patent pending.

An article published early online and in the September issue of Lancet Neurology compares telemedicine with telephone consultations for treatment in remote locations. Dr Brett C.

The U.S. FDA has issued a non-approvable letter to Schering-Plough regarding the U.S. firm's New Drug Application (NDA) for sugammadex sodium. The product (also marketed under the brand Bridion) is a selective relaxant binding agent that reverses the effects of neuromuscular blockade by rocuronium in general anaesthesia.

The estrogen estradiol, in combination with antipsychotic medications, appears to improve treatment for women with schizophrenia, according to an article releasedon August 4, 2008 in Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previously, mental illness has been studied in conjunction with many different hormones, especially estrogen in women.