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Cancer, genetic screenings under scrutiny

Various news outlets covered issues around cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

23 Apr 2012

NEI awards Scripps Research $10.2M grant to develop new treatments for vision disorders

A team led by a scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to develop a new type of treatment for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and other common vision disorders.

23 Apr 2012

Mod5 yeast prion contributes to cell survival under environmental stress

One of the greatest mysterious in cellular biology has been given a new twist thanks to findings reported in Science. Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute show that prions, proteins that transmit heritable information without DNA or RNA, can contribute to drug resistance and cellular adaptation. Their discovery of a yeast prion with these properties demonstrates the active role of the prion conversion in cellular fitness adaptation, providing new insights into the potentially broader function of prions in living organisms.

23 Apr 2012

FDA strengthens and modernizes postmarket drug safety program

A strengthened and modernized postmarket drug safety program has resulted in a substantial improvement in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's oversight of drugs once they reach the American public, according to a new report released today by the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

23 Apr 2012

Moxonidine drug can improve heart function and reduce blood pressure

Heart failure is the most common cause of death throughout the world, typically the result of chronic high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. As a result, research efforts have focused on an array of approaches aimed at preventing and treating high blood pressure. Recently, Japanese researchers examined the utility of an anti-hypertensive drug, moxonidine, which acts on the imidazoline receptors in the cardiovascular center of the brainstem.

23 Apr 2012

Preliminary data hint at how neem extracts may stop replication of HIV virus

Tall, with dark-green pointy leaves, the neem tree of India is known as the "village pharmacy." As a child growing up in metropolitan New Delhi, Sonia Arora recalls on visits to rural areas seeing villagers using neem bark to clean their teeth. Arora's childhood memories have developed into a scientific fascination with natural products and their power to cure illnesses.

23 Apr 2012

Brain freeze may share common mechanism with other types of headaches

'Brain freeze' is a nearly universal experience—almost everyone has felt the near-instantaneous headache brought on by a bite of ice cream or slurp of ice-cold soda on the upper palate. However, scientists are still at a loss to explain this phenomenon. Since migraine sufferers are more likely to experience brain freeze than people who don't have this often-debilitating condition, brain freeze may share a common mechanism with other types of headaches, including those brought on by the trauma of blast-related combat injuries in soldiers.

23 Apr 2012

HBO2 therapy can reduce neuropathic pain

Chronic pain affects about 76 million people in the U.S. and carries an economic burden of nearly $100 billion annually. The most frequently used medications, narcotic and non-narcotic analgesic drugs (e.g., morphine, ibuprofen, etc.), do not provide complete or sustained relief of chronic pain. Scientists are currently seeking alternative solutions for chronic pain management.

23 Apr 2012

Scientists identify link between different strains of malaria parasites

Scientists have identified a link between different strains of malaria parasites that cause severe disease, which could help develop vaccines or drugs against life-threatening cases of the infection.

21 Apr 2012

LCIG improves quality of life, reduces symptoms of Parkinson's

A recent clinical trial conducted at Evergreen Healthcare shows that a new form of a common drug used to treat Parkinson's Disease greatly improves the quality of life for patients and reduces the affects of symptoms such as tremors, slowness, stiffness and difficulty walking.

21 Apr 2012

ACP offers recommendations to ensure Medicare beneficiaries

A dozen recommendations to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to high-quality, coordinated care were provided today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The new policy paper, Reforming Medicare in the Age of Deficit Reduction, was released at Internal Medicine 2012, ACP's annual scientific meeting.

21 Apr 2012

State highlights: Ill. Gov. proposes $1.35B cuts to Medicaid

News outlets report on health care policy issues in California, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Carolina.

21 Apr 2012

Scripps Florida scientist to develop new tests for aging and stress-associated diseases

A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded just over $1 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a range of new tests that could lead to new treatments for a number of stress-associated and degenerative disorders of advancing age.

21 Apr 2012

Study pinpoints mechanism by which spindle checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes

The development of more effective cancer drugs could be a step nearer thanks to the discovery, by scientists at Warwick Medical School, of how an inbuilt 'security check' operates to guarantee cells divide with the correct number of chromosomes.

21 Apr 2012

UNAIDS welcomes new WHO guidelines for HIV testing, counseling, ART for couples

UNAIDS on Thursday "called on all countries to implement new WHO guidelines that encourage couples to go together for HIV testing to ascertain their status" and recommend offering antiretroviral therapy (ART) to people living with HIV who have a partner without HIV, "even when they do not require it for their own health," the U.N. News Centre reports.

21 Apr 2012

FDA draft guidance documents address use of nanotechnology by food and cosmetics industries

Two draft guidance documents that address the use of nanotechnology by the food and cosmetics industries were issued today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

21 Apr 2012

Large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure

Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of years of research by Johns Hopkins scientists. But the researchers stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.

21 Apr 2012

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers examine impact of user experience with topical vaginal gels against HIV

Are women willing to use a vaginal gel to protect themselves against HIV infection? Researchers at The Miriam Hospital say that is the million dollar question when it comes to developing products known as microbicides that can prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

20 Apr 2012

Possibility to render cancer tumours harmless without affecting other cells

New research findings show how it may be possible to render cancer tumours harmless without affecting the other cells and tissues in the body. The findings apply to cancers including breast, lung and bowel cancer. The study was carried out at Lund University in Sweden.

20 Apr 2012