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Chemotherapy experts refute ASCO recommendations on use of drug sensitivity and resistance assays

A group of leading chemotherapy experts assembled as the Clinical Oncologists for Individualized Therapy (COFIT) refute the findings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) technology assessment panel regarding the use of chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs).

1 Sep 2004

Lack of sleep may cause behavioral, learning and attention problems

Nine-year-old Fernando Perry-Mendoza may no longer need medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder thanks to the results of a sleep study at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s new Pediatric Sleep Program.

1 Sep 2004

Doctors trialing wireless enabled handheld devices to obtain immediate access to the latest patient information

The use of technology in medicine takes another step forward with a program being road-tested now at Creighton University Medical Center.

1 Sep 2004

Scientists to tackle the most common cause of diarrhoea world-wide with DNA sequencing

Returning holidaymakers may be comforted to know that travellers' diarrhoea could be a thing of the past. Scientists at the University of Birmingham's Medical School are set to sequence the DNA of the bacterium: this will identify causes of illness and point to better cures.

31 Aug 2004

U.S $10 million to build virtual lung

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will lead a $10 million, five-year multi-institutional National Institutes of Health study to devise 3-D imaging and computational models of unsurpassed detail of respiratory systems in humans and other mammals, PNNL announced today.

30 Aug 2004

Early use of aggressive statin therapy may offer some benefit for coronary patients

Statins initiated early after a patient experiences an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event at dosages above the typical starting dose may help reduce subsequent cardiovascular events, but the high dose regimen used may increase the risk for muscle-related complications, according to the results from the Phase Z portion of the A to Z Trial released on the JAMA website today.

30 Aug 2004

Streptococcal bacteria disrupts blood clotting to infect humans

University of Michigan researchers have captured a glimpse of the endless arms race between infectious agents and the human immune system in a bacterium that uses a mimic of a human blood-clotting enzyme to advance its infection.

27 Aug 2004

1722 cases of malaria reported in the UK

New figures released by the Health Protection Agency have shown that there were 1722 cases of malaria reported in the UK in 2003, a decrease of 11% compared to 2002.

26 Aug 2004

Botox may help improve movement in children suffering from cerebral palsy

A product that has made headlines for its use in enhancing beauty for the “not-so-young” may help improve movement in children suffering from cerebral palsy according to a University of Auckland PhD student.

26 Aug 2004

Inevitable that H5N1 avian influenza viruses will be detected in pigs

Considering the widespread nature of the current H5N1 outbreak in Asia and the capability of influenza viruses to jump the species barriers, it is inevitable that H5N1 virus will be detected in some pigs.

26 Aug 2004

Powdered form of anthrax vaccine could eliminate needle injections

Researchers have developed a powdered form of an anthrax vaccine that could potentially be inhaled through the nose and eliminate the need for needle injections.

26 Aug 2004

Mouse stem cells may help restore hearing loss in humans

The work is important because, in humans, inner ear sensory hair cells are a precious commodity. Humans are born with only about sixteen thousand of these sound detectors in each ear, which can be easily damaged by age, certain illnesses, exposure to loud sounds, and some medications. Once damaged, the cells do not easily grow back. And with the cell loss comes so-called irreversible hearing loss.

26 Aug 2004

High-resolution images reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus uses to break into cells

High-resolution images constructed by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus – the most common cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea and vomiting in children worldwide – uses to break into cells.

25 Aug 2004

Australian research giant begins trial of avian influenza vaccine

The trial vaccine utilises Imugene Limited's platform adenoviral vector technology to deliver the necessary genetic material to stimulate the birds' immune responses.

25 Aug 2004

Air researchers measure diesel fumes to search for link to health problems

Now, researchers at Clarkson University are looking at a population located near a major international trucking route to determine whether high levels of diesel emissions released in the air may be linked to increased rates of respiratory illnesses in an adjacent community.

25 Aug 2004

Scientists have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer, a discovery that the researchers believe could spawn new treatments to prevent the cancer's spread and extend survival.

23 Aug 2004

Powerful new cancer-fighting property of Herceptin

For many patients with advanced breast cancer, the cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) has offered new hope when traditional cancer drugs failed to work, shrinking tumors and sending some patients into remission.

23 Aug 2004

Blueberries may lower cholesterol

New research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that blueberries may lower cholesterol as effectively as a commercial drug and have the potential for fewer adverse side effects.

23 Aug 2004

Researchers find how cancers, particularly lymphomas, develop and might be prevented

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have begun unraveling the mystery of how B lymphocytes - key infection-fighting cells in the body - are able to create many different kinds of specialized antibodies through selective gene mutations, while being protected from random mutations that could give rise to cancers.

23 Aug 2004

Exposure to simian virus 40 (SV40) is not associated with cancer in humans

Two upcoming studies by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), provide further evidence that exposure to simian virus 40 (SV40) is not associated with cancer in humans.

23 Aug 2004