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IBM's World Community Grid supports TB eradication project

The University of Nottingham is launching a new study to address tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's most deadly diseases, supported by IBM's World Community Grid -- one of the most powerful and fastest virtual supercomputers on the planet.

25 Mar 2016

Wnt secretion inhibitors may reduce renal fibrosis

Renal fibrosis or the scarring of kidneys, following an injury, reduces their function and can cause kidney disease to progressively worsen.

25 Mar 2016

Lancet experts call for evidence-based approach to drug policy

Fifty years of drug policies aimed at restricting and criminalizing drug use and minor possession have had serious detrimental effects on the health, wellbeing and human rights of drug users and the wider public, according to a major new report by The Lancet and Johns Hopkins University in the US

25 Mar 2016

Incretin-based drugs do not increase risk of heart failure

Incretin-based drugs, a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used combinations of oral anti-diabetic drugs, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Mar 2016

Restrictions to opioid prescription block their use for safe, effective pain relief

Opioids are very effective for treating some types of pain, such as cancer pain and postoperative pain, but not for other kinds of pain like chronic low back pain. An increase in the number of opioid-related deaths among addicts has led to the current movement to restrict opioid prescribing by state and federal authorities.

25 Mar 2016

Common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes

New research by Dr. Sylvie Lesage, scientist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and associate research Professor at University of Montreal, just published in the prestigious international scientific journal Nature Genetics, has discovered that a common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes.

25 Mar 2016

FDA issues draft guidance to support development of approved ADF opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a draft guidance intended to support industry in their development of generic versions of approved opioids with abuse-deterrent formulations (ADF) while ensuring that generic ADF opioids are no less abuse-deterrent than the brand-name drug.

25 Mar 2016

Genetic testing in women with ovarian cancer helps determine prognosis

A study examining mutations in DNA repair genes in women with advanced ovarian cancer found that the disease remained at bay longer in women with the mutations than without, and that women having cancers with these mutations lived longer.

24 Mar 2016

TSRI scientists develop new process to synthesize naturally occurring compound phorbol

In a landmark feat of chemical synthesis, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a 19-step process for making the naturally occurring compound phorbol in the laboratory, in quantities that are useful for pharmaceutical research.

24 Mar 2016

Immediate treatment can benefit cannabis users who experience withdrawal symptoms

Heavy users of cannabis who experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness and cravings when they quit are likely to use again sooner than their peers, a new study finds.

24 Mar 2016

New project aims to prevent complications from drug usage

If a patient is ill and takes drugs for that illness, these drugs often lead to further illnesses and complications. This affects millions of people throughout the world.

24 Mar 2016

MALDI tissue imaging spots early renal lipid changes in acute kidney injury

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have made a microscopic snapshot of the early renal lipid changes in acute kidney injury, using the laser-scanning method called MALDI tissue imaging to localize the changes.

24 Mar 2016

Defective PTCHD1 gene in brain creates symptoms associated with autism and ADHD

Evidence is mounting that a gene called PTCHD1 helps the brain sort between important sights and sounds — and distractions. This gene is active in a brain region that attaches more attention to a conversation with your boss, for instance, than to an air conditioner buzzing in the background.

24 Mar 2016

Researchers develop metastasis-on-a-chip system to advance cancer investigation, drug discovery

Advances in personalized medicine allow doctors to select the most promising drugs for certain types of malignant tumors.

24 Mar 2016

Fatty acid supplement can help reduce early preterm births

Cupid was obviously a full-term baby. It's fitting then that a researcher named Valentine and her colleagues will oversee a new multicenter National Institutes of Health study to determine whether an over the counter fatty acid supplement, called DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid), can assist with reducing early preterm births.

24 Mar 2016

Novel mechanism can suppress blood vessel leakage, reduce tumour spread in mice

Cancer therapy is often hampered by the accumulation of fluids in and around the tumour, which is caused by leakage from the blood vessels in the tumour. Researchers at Uppsala University now show how leakage from blood vessels is regulated.

24 Mar 2016

Women who have survived childhood cancer can become pregnant, shows study

For women who have survived childhood cancer, the impact of modern chemotherapy regimens on the likelihood of becoming pregnant is generally small, and most have a good chance of conceiving, according to one of the largest studies of its kind published in The Lancet Oncology.

24 Mar 2016

New worldwide collaboration aims to speed up effective diagnosis of TB

As World TB day (24 March) marks global efforts to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem by 2035, Oxford University researchers, in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), will lead a new worldwide collaboration called CRyPTIC to speed up diagnosis of the disease.

23 Mar 2016

Anticonvulsant medication gabapentin effectively reduces common complication of PONV

The anticonvulsant medication gabapentin—already a useful part of strategies to control pain after surgery—also effectively reduces the common complication of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), reports a study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

23 Mar 2016

FDA announces required class-wide safety labeling changes for IR opioid pain medications

In a continuing effort to educate prescribers and patients about the potential risks related to opioid use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced required class-wide safety labeling changes for immediate-release (IR) opioid pain medications. Among the changes, the FDA is requiring a new boxed warning about the serious risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death.

23 Mar 2016