Research News and Research

RSS

Disinfectants can promote growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Using disinfectants could cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics as well as the disinfectant itself, according to research published in the January issue of Microbiology.

28 Dec 2009

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine identify a critical component, Jarid2

Like a child awaiting the arrival of Christmas, embryonic stem cells exist in a state of permanent anticipation. They must balance the ability to quickly become more specialized cell types with the cellular chaos that could occur should they act too early (stop shaking those presents, kids!).

28 Dec 2009

Family Research Council president comments on passage of the health care reform bill

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made the following comments: "Today's Christmas Eve vote may signal the end of the debate in the Senate, but it's far from the end of the debate at large. Since Senator Reid's bad bill is substantially different from the House's bad bill, the lower chamber will have to vote on the plan again. The Senate bill's massive funding for elective abortions and the construction of abortion facilities are among the most radical differences.

28 Dec 2009

Study shows vitamin C can facilitate the generation of embryonic stem cells from adult cells

Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on December 24th by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.

28 Dec 2009

APA commends the U.S. Senate for its historic passage of legislation

The American Psychological Association commends the U.S. Senate for its historic passage of legislation that holds the promise of more comprehensive coverage for Americans with health insurance and provides new options for those without.

28 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Food shortages in Eritrea; Kenya HIV testing; aid in Malawi, Nepal; U.S. agriculture appointment

BBC examines Eritrea's decision to pass on international food aid in an effort to produce enough food for its population. According to Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's ambassador to the EU, "foreign food aid demonises the local people and makes them lazy." The government's strategy for addressing food shortages, includes distributing food from some areas in the country that had a bumper harvest, he said.

28 Dec 2009

Test tube experiments show slight changes in protein chemistry can eliminate Huntington's disease in mice

In Huntington's disease, a mutated protein in the body becomes toxic to brain cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that a small region adjacent to the mutated segment plays a major role in the toxicity. Two new studies supported by the National Institutes of Health show that very slight changes to this region can eliminate signs of Huntington's disease in mice.

28 Dec 2009

Discovery of beta cell defending enzyme raises hope for new treatments against diabetes

Cells in your body are constantly churning out poisonous forms of oxygen (oxidants) and mopping them up with a countervailing force of proteins and chemicals (anti-oxidants).

28 Dec 2009

GOP assails 'widely hated legislation'

"Republicans were withering in their criticism of what they deemed a budget-busting government takeover," NPR reports. "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky blasted the bill, saying it 'fails to lower costs.'" He said Republicans would continue to battle the legislation.

28 Dec 2009

American Medical News examines PEPFAR five-year strategy

American Medical News examines the future of PEPFAR, as outlined in a five-year strategy released Dec. 1. "The plan's five-year strategy report calls for strengthening other countries' abilities to lead [a] response to the AIDS epidemic and other health issues, and expanding prevention, care and treatment,"

27 Dec 2009

Opinion: Food aid; HIV vaccine, microbicide research; Global Tobacco Surveillance

In a Washington Post letter to the editor, Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, and Rafi Ahmed, science committee chairman of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, challenge a recent Washington Post editorial that questioned the scientific progress being made in the search for an HIV vaccine and microbicide. "The search for a safe and effective method to prevent HIV infection and AIDS is a long journey in which we should expect both success and failure," the authors write, before highlighting the lessons learned from the recent microbicide gel study and AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand.

27 Dec 2009

PhRMA applauds Senate for passing health care reform

"We applaud the Senate for taking an important and historic step toward expanding high-quality, affordable health care coverage and services to tens of millions of Americans, many of whom are struggling today financially. While considerable work remains to be done in reconciling differences between the Senate and House bills, we remain convinced that comprehensive health care reform, if done in a smart way, will benefit patients, our economy and the future of our nation.

27 Dec 2009

AMA supports passage of Senate health care reform bill

"Today, the Senate took an historic vote to improve our nation's health care system by expanding coverage to millions of Americans and strengthening the private insurance market to better serve the patients who rely on it.

27 Dec 2009

UNICEF chief to step down after term ends in 2010

UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman will not seek a second term as head of the agency after her term expires in a few months, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced "with great regret" on Wednesday, Xinhua reports. In a statement, Ban said that Veneman "fulfilled her mandate with immense dedication, and I have been impressed by her extraordinary energy and determination to improve children's health, education and well-being around the world" (12/23).

27 Dec 2009

Steroids not superior to laser treatments for DME

Researchers led by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute have found that injecting a corticosteroid, triamcinolone, directly into the eye may slow the progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that frequently leads to blindness.

27 Dec 2009

Both Democrats and Republicans plan blitz to shape public perceptions

The Wall Street Journal reports: "Both parties are gearing up for a big push next year to shape public perceptions of the health legislation, after the Senate's passage of its bill Thursday makes final approval increasingly likely." Democrats hope to change the tide of criticism over the legislation as it moves forward, presumably amplified with "images of a historic floor vote, a White House signing ceremony and President Barack Obama's State of the Union address."

27 Dec 2009

Discovery of protein transport promotes new research on spinal defects

Spinal cord disorders like spina bifida arise during early development when future spinal cord cells growing in a flat layer fail to roll up into a tube. In the Dec. 6 issue of Nature Cell Biology, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine team with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley to report a never-before known link between protein transport and mouse spinal cord development, a discovery that opens new doors for research on all spinal defects.

27 Dec 2009