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LBDA director emphasizes need for open national dialog on dementia at ADRD Summit

Angela Taylor, Director of Programs for The Lewy Body Dementia Association recently addressed attendees at the National Institutes of Health's 2016 Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementia Summit on the need for an open national dialog on changing the nomenclature frequently used to describe different forms of dementia.

4 May 2016

High doses of Imodium to self-treat opioid addictions could be extremely dangerous

The over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication Imodium, or its key ingredient loperamide, is increasingly being abused by people attempting to self-treat their opioid addiction, with sometime fatal results.

4 May 2016

Controlling cholesterol metabolism could help reduce pancreatic cancer spread

Researchers have shown how controlling cholesterol metabolism in pancreatic cancer cells reduces metastasis, pointing to a potential new treatment using drugs previously developed for atherosclerosis.

4 May 2016

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

In a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA, Pascal Hammel, M.D., of Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France and colleagues assessed whether chemoradiotherapy improves overall survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer controlled after 4 months of gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy, and assessed the effect of erlotinib on survival. Gemcitabine and erlotinib are drugs used to treat cancer.

4 May 2016

Researchers identify 43 specific genes associated with both autism and cancer

Autism and cancer share more than 40 risk genes, suggesting that common mechanisms underlying the functions of some of these genes could conceivably be leveraged to develop therapies not just for cancer but for autism as well, an extensive assessment by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute and Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

4 May 2016

New investigational inhibitor JQEZ5 can block specific molecular malfunctions driving cancer

In a step forward in the push for targeted treatments that can block the specific molecular malfunctions driving cancer, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have demonstrated how a genetic mutation can drive the most common type of lymphoma as well as melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

3 May 2016

Combination of existing chemotherapy drugs can reduce breast cancer stem cells, improve survival

Two existing chemotherapy drugs appear to be a powerful pair in targeting errant stem cells that are making breast cancer and enabling its spread and recurrence, scientists report.

3 May 2016

Hepatitis B virus screening for Asian American adults can help prevent onset of liver diseases

A community-based hepatitis B virus screening effort led by UC Davis researchers found that targeted outreach to Asian American populations can identify groups at high risk for infection and direct them to appropriate follow-up care to help prevent the onset of liver diseases, including cancer.

3 May 2016

Study opens door for new opportunities in finding antidotes to nerve agent sarin

The nerve agent sarin causes a deadly overstimulation of the nervous system that can be stopped if treated with an antidote within minutes of poisoning. Today, a ground-breaking study has been published in PNAS, which in detail describes how such a drug works. Researchers at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Umea University and in Germany are behind the study.

3 May 2016

High-intensity exercise, group activity reduce depression among older dementia patients

Both a high-intensity functional exercise programme and a non-exercise group activity, conducted among older care facility residents with dementia, reduced high levels of depressive symptoms. However, exercise had no superior effect on depression, according to a dissertation from Umea University.

3 May 2016

Researchers discover new function of genes in Fanconi anemia pathway

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified an important new function of genes in the Fanconi anemia pathway - a finding that could have implications for development of new therapies to treat this disorder and some cancers.

3 May 2016

Study identifies shortfall in uptake of influenza, pneumococcal vaccination among RA patients

Research from The University of Manchester has found a shortfall in the uptake of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations among those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), potentially increasing their infection risk.

3 May 2016

New nanoparticle approach can deliver antiobesity drugs directly to fat tissue

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed nanoparticles that can deliver antiobesity drugs directly to fat tissue. Overweight mice treated with these nanoparticles lost 10 percent of their body weight over 25 days, without showing any negative side effects.

3 May 2016

Scientists discover genetic switches linked to increased lifespan in mammals

Newly discovered genetic switches that increase lifespan and boost fitness in worms are also linked to increased lifespan in mammals, offering hope that drugs to flip these switches could improve human metabolic function and increase longevity.

3 May 2016

FDA’s new education campaign for LGBT young adults aims to prevent, reduce tobacco use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the launch of a historic public education campaign aimed at preventing and reducing tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young adults ages 18-24. Of the more than 2 million LGBT young adults in the U.S., more than 800,000 smoke occasionally. The "This Free Life" campaign is designed to specifically reach the occasional or "social" smokers in the LGBT community to help prevent tobacco-related disease and the loss of tens of thousands LGBT lives to tobacco use each year.

3 May 2016

MII-pH can help doctors confirm diagnosis of GERD in newborns before treatment

Millions of Americans currently use medication for their indigestion and reflux, so it may come as no surprise that parents and doctors also prescribe medicine for newborns with reflux. However, according to a new study, newborns are likely being over treated the majority of the time with interventions - including surgery - that have risks for the infant.

3 May 2016

Key method to test compounds for anti-cancer activity in cells flawed, study reveals

The primary method used to test compounds for anti-cancer activity in cells is flawed, Vanderbilt University researchers report May 2 in Nature Methods. The findings cast doubt on methods used by the entire scientific enterprise and pharmaceutical industry to discover new cancer drugs.

3 May 2016

NEI-funded study analyzes outcomes of anti-VEGF therapy for AMD

In a study of nearly 650 people with the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), half still had vision 20/40 or better, typically good enough to drive or to read standard print, after five years of treatment with anti-VEGF drugs that are injected into the eye. The authors of the study, funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health, say those outcomes would have been unimaginable about 10 years ago, prior to the drugs' availability.

3 May 2016

Vernakalant drug more effective than Ibutilide in treating recent-onset atrial fibrillation

Vernakalant, a new drug for treating recent-onset atrial fibrillation, has proved to be considerably more effective than Ibutilide, an established drug in this indication. It was able to normalize patients' heart rhythm more rapidly and with fewer side-effects ocurring. This was revealed by a study conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Medical University of Vienna/General Hospital that has recently been published in "Europace", a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

2 May 2016

Hsp90 inhibitors could be effective in treating drug-resistant prostate cancers

Men with aggressive prostate cancer that has stopped responding to conventional treatment could potentially benefit from a new class of cancer drug designed to overcome drug resistance, a new study suggests.

2 May 2016

Drugs News and Research

LBDA director emphasizes need for open national dialog on dementia at ADRD Summit

High doses of Imodium to self-treat opioid addictions could be extremely dangerous

Controlling cholesterol metabolism could help reduce pancreatic cancer spread

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

Researchers identify 43 specific genes associated with both autism and cancer

New investigational inhibitor JQEZ5 can block specific molecular malfunctions driving cancer

Combination of existing chemotherapy drugs can reduce breast cancer stem cells, improve survival

Hepatitis B virus screening for Asian American adults can help prevent onset of liver diseases

Study opens door for new opportunities in finding antidotes to nerve agent sarin

High-intensity exercise, group activity reduce depression among older dementia patients

Researchers discover new function of genes in Fanconi anemia pathway

Study identifies shortfall in uptake of influenza, pneumococcal vaccination among RA patients

New nanoparticle approach can deliver antiobesity drugs directly to fat tissue

Scientists discover genetic switches linked to increased lifespan in mammals

FDA’s new education campaign for LGBT young adults aims to prevent, reduce tobacco use

MII-pH can help doctors confirm diagnosis of GERD in newborns before treatment

Key method to test compounds for anti-cancer activity in cells flawed, study reveals

NEI-funded study analyzes outcomes of anti-VEGF therapy for AMD

Vernakalant drug more effective than Ibutilide in treating recent-onset atrial fibrillation

Hsp90 inhibitors could be effective in treating drug-resistant prostate cancers

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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