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International Antiviral Society-USA calls for treatment for all who test HIV-positive

"An international group of scientists on Sunday called for all adults who test positive for HIV to be treated with antiretroviral drugs right away rather than waiting for their immune systems to weaken," Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Jul 2012

Anti-IL-3 monoclonal antibodies to treat early stage Rheumatoid Arthritis in development

SuppreMol GmbH, an autoimmune disease specialist, today announced a licensing agreement with the University Hospital of Regensburg to develop SM401, a humanized anti-IL-3 monoclonal antibody for early diagnosis and treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). SuppreMol will advance preclinical development of SM401 for treatment of RA. Simultaneously, the Company will further validate a highly sensitive human IL-3 diagnostic assay for patient stratification.

24 Jul 2012

Debiopharm initiates Debio 8206 Phase III study on advanced prostate cancer

Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs and companion diagnostics, today announced the treatment of its first patient in a multicentre, open, non-comparative Phase III study to investigate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of two subcutaneous (SC) injections of Debio 8206 (triptorelin pamoate 22.5 mg 6-month formulation) in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

24 Jul 2012

Aspirin use appears to reduce risk of Barrett's esophagus

Aspirin use appears to reduce the risk of Barrett's esophagus (BE), the largest known risk factor for esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

24 Jul 2012

TB combination drug trials progress

A novel approach to discover the first new tuberculosis (TB) combination drug regimen cleared a major hurdle when Phase II clinical trial results found it could kill more than 99 percent of patients’ TB bacteria within two weeks and could be more effective than existing treatments, according to a study published today in the Lancet. These results add to a growing body of evidence that the new regimen could reduce treatment by more than a year for some patients.

24 Jul 2012

Scientists identify mechanisms by which GLP-1 protects against kidney disease, diabetes

Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified biological mechanisms by which glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a gut hormone, protects against kidney disease, and also mechanisms that inhibit its actions in diabetes.

24 Jul 2012

PAMAM G-3 actually prevents activation of the process that leads to thrombosis

A compound that mops up debris of damaged cells from the bloodstream may be the first in a new class of drugs designed to address one of medicine's most difficult challenges -- stopping the formation of blood clots without triggering equally threatening bleeding.

24 Jul 2012

Roundup: Plan for new Md. hospital advances; Outsourcing of prison health care gets scrutiny; Alaska Native medical center seen as model

Maryland officials are preparing to unveil this week a detailed plan for a $600 million regional hospital to replace the ailing Prince George's Hospital Center and establish a new health-care network throughout Prince George's County. The plans are part of a broad effort to improve health care in a county where an estimated 150,000 residents lack health insurance or have insufficient coverage and often rely on hospital emergency rooms for primary care.

24 Jul 2012

Forest Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Tudorza Pressair to treat COPD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tudorza Pressair (aclidinium bromide) for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchospasm (narrowing of the airways in the lung) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

24 Jul 2012

Neural precursor cells suppress aggressive tumors

Neural precursor cells (NPC) in the young brain suppress certain brain tumors such as high-grade gliomas, especially glioblastoma (GBM), which are among the most common and most aggressive tumors.

23 Jul 2012

Synthetic triterpenoids block development of Parkinson's disease

A new and powerful class of antioxidants could one day be a potent treatment for Parkinson's disease, researchers report.

23 Jul 2012

Tiny microneedles to treat macular degeneration

Thanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses - and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.

23 Jul 2012

Implementing multifaceted global effort may help end global HIV/AIDS pandemic

Ending the global HIV/AIDS pandemic may be possible by implementing a multifaceted global effort that expands testing, treatment, and prevention programs, as well as meets the scientific challenges of developing an HIV vaccine and possibly a cure, according to a Viewpoint in the July 25 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.

23 Jul 2012

University of Utah chemist wins 2013 Priestley Medal from ACS

Only months after collecting a National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama, University of Utah organic chemist Peter J. Stang has won the highest honor from the world's largest scientific group: the 2013 Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society.

23 Jul 2012

Recent guidelines that recommend cholesterol tests for children fail to weigh health benefits

Recent guidelines recommending cholesterol tests for children fail to weigh health benefits against potential harms and costs, according to a new commentary authored by three physician-researchers at UCSF.

23 Jul 2012

Study addresses African patients’ attitudes toward HIV antiretroviral therapy

An ongoing clinical study in rural Uganda, begun in 2011, suggests that many people infected with HIV/AIDS would take antiretroviral drugs if they were available to them—even before they developed symptoms from the disease.

23 Jul 2012

Researchers identify several gene mutations responsible for medulloblastoma

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have identified several gene mutations responsible for the most common childhood brain tumor, called medulloblastoma, adding evidence to the theory that the diagnosis is a group of genetically distinct cancers with different prognoses. These and accompanying findings are likely to lead to less-toxic, better-targeted treatment approaches over the next two years, the researchers said.

23 Jul 2012

Hispanics or Asians have higher percentage of HIV infections attributed to heterosexual contact

An examination of the characteristics of persons born outside the United States diagnosed with HIV while living in the U.S. finds that, compared to U.S.-born persons with HIV, they are more likely to be Hispanic or Asian, and to have a higher percentage of HIV infections attributed to heterosexual contact, according to a study appearing in JAMA being published online.

23 Jul 2012

As AIDS conference opens, health panel urges treatment of all HIV infections

An international health panel has recommended for the first time that all HIV patients be treated with antiretroviral drugs, even when the virus's impact on their immune system is shown to be small. The nonprofit International Antiviral Society-USA cited new evidence that untreated infection with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS can also lead to a range of other conditions, including cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

23 Jul 2012

Researchers identify high ARV drug exposure in hair samples of HIV uninfected infants

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Makerere University in Uganda have used hair and blood samples from three-month old infants born to HIV-positive mothers to measure the uninfected babies' exposure—both in the womb and from breast-feeding—to antiretroviral medications their mothers were taking. The results, they said, are surprising.

23 Jul 2012