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Leaky blood vessels may cause sepsis rather than a symptom: Research

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have put forward a new theory as to what causes sepsis, an often fatal condition that occurs when infection spreads throughout the body.

24 Jun 2011

Stresses can change gene expression without DNA sequence change

None of us are strangers to stress of various kinds. It turns out the effects of all those stresses can change the fate of future generation, influencing our very DNA without any change to the underlying sequence of As, Gs, Ts and Cs. Now, researchers reporting in the June 24th issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication, have new evidence that helps to explain just how these epigenetic changes really happen.

24 Jun 2011

Automated screening system helps identify cases of unexpected drug diversions

Electronic data from automated drug dispensing carts can help to identify drug diversion by anesthesia care providers, according to a report in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

24 Jun 2011

Evolutionary-management strategies to limit spread of drug-resistant diseases

In the war between drugs and drug-resistant diseases, is the current strategy for medicating patients giving many drug-resistant diseases a big competitive advantage?, asks a research paper that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

24 Jun 2011

Small 'antifreeze' molecules more effective in protecting proteins than larger ones

Scientists have made an important step forward in their understanding of cryoprotectants - compounds that act as natural 'antifreeze' to protect drugs, food and tissues stored at sub-zero temperatures.

24 Jun 2011

Groups join forces to research new diarrheal therapies

The Center for World Health and Medicine, the University of Missouri-St. Louis Medicinal Chemistry Group, and the Institute for One World Health have joined forces "to develop safe and effective anti-diarrhea drugs …

24 Jun 2011

Study traces precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells

The ultimate source of some cancers is embryonic cells. Research published in the June 24th Cell, a Cell Press publication, traces the precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells found in all adults.

24 Jun 2011

Growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene slows growth of childhood brain tumors

Johns Hopkins researchers have found a likely explanation for the slow growth of the most common childhood brain tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma. Using tests on a new cell-based model of the tumor, they concluded that the initial process of tumor formation switches on a growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene, in a process similar to that seen in skin moles.

24 Jun 2011

Research offers avenue for creating Alzheimer's and HIV therapeutics

A new advance by UCLA biochemists has brought scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

24 Jun 2011

$Inhaled corticosteroids linked to increased risk of fractures in patients with COPD$

Inhaled corticosteroids linked to increased risk of fractures in patients with COPD

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids to improve breathing for more than six months have a 27 percent increased risk of bone fractures, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.

24 Jun 2011

Lithium can prevent aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss linked with Parkinson's

Lithium profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in a mouse model of the condition.

24 Jun 2011

Ketogenic diet reduces seizures in mice through adenosine A1 receptors

Some individuals with epilepsy fail to respond to treatment with conventional drugs but benefit from consuming a ketogenic diet - a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet similar to the more commonly known Atkins diet.

24 Jun 2011

Anticholinergic drugs might increase risk of cognitive impairment, death in older people

A side effect of many commonly used drugs appears to increase the risks of both cognitive impairment and death in older people, according to new research led by the University of East Anglia.

24 Jun 2011

GeoVax opens third clinical trial site for testing HIV/AIDS vaccine

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, announced today the opening of a third site for testing the therapeutic potential of its HIV/AIDS vaccine.

24 Jun 2011

State roundup: N.Y. and union reach deal on benefits

The state's largest public-employee union, acknowledging the pressures on government workers around the nation, agreed on Wednesday to major wage and benefits concessions in a pact to avoid sweeping layoffs. The five-year agreement ... includes a three-year wage freeze, the first furloughs ever for state workers and an increase in the amount employees must pay toward their health insurance.

24 Jun 2011

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation for Accentia's Revimmune to treat two autoimmune diseases

Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Revimmune, the Company's proprietary system-of-care based on high-dose administration of Cytoxan, for the treatment of two autoimmune disease indications, systemic sclerosis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

24 Jun 2011

WA alcohol regulations sparks debate

According to the liquor industry tightening alcohol regulations by toughening availability of alcohol in Western Australia will only serve to push addicts and binge drinkers onto other drugs.

23 Jun 2011

U.S. Supreme Court ruling on generic drugs

According to the new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, people harmed by generic drugs may find it harder to get restitution. The court ruled on Thursday that generic drug makers cannot be sued for failing to warn consumers of their products' side effects if they copy the exact warnings on the drugs' brand-name equivalents.

23 Jun 2011

Elderly alcohol and drug abuse support

A report has advised that the British government alter the recommended amount of alcohol older people should consume. The government should cut the recommended drinking limits for older people, according to doctors, in a move likely to affect many looking to find a care home.

23 Jun 2011

Some drug mixtures may be fatal for elderly: study

British scientists warn that well known brands of hay fever tablets, painkillers and sleeping pills pose a previously unknown threat to elderly people’s health when taken together. Many are available over the counter at pharmacies as well as being prescribed by GPs, nurses and chemists they said.

23 Jun 2011