Less is more when treating kids with cancer

A reduction in the therapeutic radiation dose used to treat paediatric cancers is likely the cause of a drop in subsequent cancer in children, according to a study appearing in the 28 February issue of JAMA.

How fake drugs end up in our public health system (and how to spot them)

We do not have a strong sense of how many counterfeit drugs are in the public health system and if you are relying on medication to support your health, you want it to work.

Deep brain stimulation offers hope for chronic anorexia

Treatment-resistant anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Deep brain stimulation is giving patients hope.

Platypus venom could hold key to diabetes treatment

Australian researchers have discovered remarkable evolutionary changes to insulin regulation in the platypus and the echidna — which could pave the way for new treatments for type 2 diabetes in humans.

'Mini-guts' offer clues to paediatric GI illness

A miniature model of the gut made from stem cells lifts the lid on how infection-causing enteroviruses enter the intestine.

Malaria vaccine trial shows up to 100% protection

A human trial for a malaria vaccine has achieved up to 100% protection against infection (by the same strain used in the vaccine) for at least 10 weeks after the last dose.

3 companies to receive seed funds to develop medical devices for children

The Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (PPDC) has announced seed grants to three companies developing medical devices for children.

Contaminated machines used in cardiac surgery cause infection in patients

Melbourne researchers have used cutting-edge genomics technology to show a strain of a bacteria can be transmitted to patients from machines commonly used to regulate body temperature during cardiac surgery.

Moderate-to-late premature babies face higher rates of developmental problems

Moderate-to-late premature babies face much higher rates of developmental and behavioural delays than previously thought, an Australian-first longitudinal study by the Royal Women’s Hospital has found.

Minister reconsiders cap changes for children's dentistry, but is it enough?

Vale Basil Hetzel AC — a giant of public health

The Public Health Association of Australia joins with the broader community in farewelling Basil Hetzel AC, an international giant in public health, who died on 4 February.

Gates Foundation $36.9 million international grant to fight typhoid

Typhoid fever, a bacterial infection that causes high fever and other disabling symptoms, remains a serious global problem in the developing world: it kills almost a quarter of a million people annually and infects about 21 million.

'We can. I can' tackle oral cancer

Three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer every day.

Breath test for stomach and oesophageal cancers

A test that measures the levels of five chemicals in the breath has shown promising results for the detection of cancers of the oesophagus and stomach in a large patient trial presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017.

Clue to how cancer cells spread

In a second human case, a Yale-led research team has found that a melanoma cell and a white blood cell can fuse to form a hybrid with the ability to metastasize. The finding provides further insight into how melanoma and other cancers spread from solid tumours with implications for future treatment.