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Paliperidone palmitate shows positive results for treatment of schizophrenia

Paliperidone palmitate, an investigational long-acting therapy (LAT) demonstrated statistically significant symptom control compared with placebo according to the results of a 13-week study.

14 Dec 2008

Parkinson's disease can also affect changes in thought, behavior and judgment

Parkinson's disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide. While the disease is recognized for its profound effects on movement, up to 40 percent of Parkinson's disease patients also develop changes in thought, behavior and judgment.

14 Dec 2008

Zometa (zoledronic acid) shown to enhance chemotherapy in reducing breast tumor size

New data released demonstrates that the addition of Zometa (zoledronic acid) injection to standard chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery reduces the size of breast tumors more effectively than chemotherapy alone in women with early-stage disease.

14 Dec 2008

Carbon nanotube sensors for cancer drugs

MIT engineers have developed carbon nanotubes into sensors for cancer drugs and other DNA-damaging agents inside living cells.

14 Dec 2008

Postmenopausal patients being considered for tamoxifen therapy should be tested for CYP2D6 gene deficiency

Findings from a new study have prompted Mayo Clinic researchers to recommend CYP2D6 gene testing for postmenopausal women about to begin tamoxifen therapy.

14 Dec 2008

Discovery of seven new sites in the human genome found to influence obesity

In one of the largest studies of its kind, a multinational team led by scientists from deCODE genetics has reported the discovery of common variations at seven new sites in the human genome found to influence obesity.

14 Dec 2008

Promising clinical trial for Progeria "premature aging" disease

One of the fastest translations of a basic research discovery into a promising clinical trial for an "untreatable" and fatal disorder will be discussed publicly for the first time by the key players in this remarkable research story, on Sunday, Dec. 14, at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)'s annual meeting in San Francisco.

14 Dec 2008

Femara shows reduced risk of death versus tamoxifen after breast cancer surgery

Femara showed reduced risk of death by 13% (P=0.08) versus tamoxifen, despite inclusion of patients who had switched over from tamoxifen to Femara during the study period, following the study's unblinding.

14 Dec 2008

FDA approves Lusedra (fospropofol disodium) injection for monitored anesthesia care sedation

Eisai Corporation of North America today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lusedra (fospropofol disodium) Injection, an intravenous sedative-hypnotic agent for monitored anesthesia care (MAC) sedation in adult patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

14 Dec 2008

Exciting cancer discovery

Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumours at distant sites.

14 Dec 2008

Potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo - will help premature babies

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have identified a potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo which may help to improve the outcome for very premature babies.

14 Dec 2008

Overactive brain enzyme may play role in preventing weight gain and obesity

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that overactivity of a brain enzyme may play a role in preventing weight gain and obesity.

14 Dec 2008

Numbing drugs can have profound and long-term negative effects

A large proteomics study on the brains of newborn mice provides more evidence that numbing drugs often used in obstetric or pediatric medicine can have profound and long-term negative effects, even after minimal exposure.

12 Dec 2008

Stressed-out mice reveal role of epigenetics in behavior

Research conducted by a team in Switzerland suggests that a family of genes involved in regulating the expression of other genes in the brain is responsible for helping us deal with external inputs such as stress.

12 Dec 2008

New cause of atrial fibrillation found

A new study shows that atrial fibrillation--the most common form of sustained heart arrhythmia--can be caused in an unexpected way.

12 Dec 2008

Aromatase inhibitors most effective in preventing breast cancer from coming back

Two separate meta-analyses of clinical trials from around the world that tested tamoxifen against aromatase inhibitor drugs in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer have each reached the same conclusion: aromatase inhibitors are more effective in preventing breast cancer from coming back.

12 Dec 2008