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Despite past disasters U.S. still not ready to cope biological attacks and flu pandemics

According to a newly released report the U.S. remains unprepared to deal with disasters such as biological attacks and flu pandemics.

27 Dec 2007

Brain abnormalities found underlying borderline personality disorder

Using new approaches, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder -- shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition.

20 Dec 2007

Researchers prevent muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis

Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis - a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder - can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the disease, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found.

20 Dec 2007

More warnings about anti smoking drug Champix

The European drugs regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is calling for warnings to be placed on the the anti smoking drug Champix (varenicline).

20 Dec 2007

Tweaking a gene may fix Fragile X syndrome

According to new research clues to Fragile X syndrome may be connected to one single human gene.

20 Dec 2007

The blood-brain barrier: A misunderstood key to finding life-saving cures to brain disease

An international team of scientists that includes a Saint Louis University researcher suggest several strategies to propel research for treatments of brain diseases that include multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, obesity and stroke in the January issue of the Lancet Neurology.

20 Dec 2007

Hardening of the arteries - mutant gene identified as culprit

A genetic mutation expands lesions in the aorta and promotes coronary atherosclerosis, more commonly known as hardening of the arteries, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine in Cell Metabolism.

20 Dec 2007

FDA Critical Path Initiative addresses differences between women's and men's health outcomes

Advanced medical technology and analysis methods now being promoted through the Food and Drug Administration's Critical Path Initiative to facilitate the development of drugs, biologics and devices can help address differences between women and men in the detection and treatment of disease, according to a paper published in the Winter 2007 issue of Drug Discovery Today: Technologies.

20 Dec 2007

Massage relieves pain after surgery and complements the use of drugs

Researchers in the U.S. have found that pain after surgery was eased by massage and they suggest it may complement the use of drugs.

19 Dec 2007

Teachers play critical role in adolescent health promotion efforts

Teachers are among the most important influences in the lives of school-aged children, yet relatively little emphasis has been placed on examining the potential role general academic teachers may play in facilitating adolescent health promotion efforts, according to a study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and published in the Journal of School Health.

18 Dec 2007

Poultry workers at greater risk of carrying antibiotic-resistant E. coli

Poultry workers in the United States are 32 times more likely to carry E. coli bacteria resistant to the commonly used antibiotic, gentamicin, than others outside the poultry industry, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

18 Dec 2007

Pain treatment in the field: Good for soldiers' comfort and better for rebuilding troop strength

Noncombat-related acute and recurrent chronic pain are the leading causes of soldier attrition in modern war, with the return-to-duty rate as low as 2 percent when these soldiers are treated outside the theaters of operation.

18 Dec 2007

Rifapentine is back for tuberculosis

It has no current market, not even a prescription price. Its makers stopped commercial production years ago, because demand was so low.

18 Dec 2007

New drug that cuts risk of cardiovascular disease shows promise

The first clinical trial of a new kind of drug to cut the risk of cardiovascular disease has been found safe and effective at dropping levels of "bad" low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by as much as 40 percent.

18 Dec 2007

Effectiveness and risks of six bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

Many medications reduce the risk of bone fractures in people with osteoporosis, but the most commonly used drugs - bisphosphonates - have not been proven more effective than alternatives, according to a new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Dec 2007

Eli Lilly and BioMS Medical announce licensing and development agreement

Eli Lilly and Company and BioMS Medical Corp. have announced that the two companies have entered into a licensing and development agreement granting Lilly exclusive worldwide rights to BioMS Medical's lead multiple sclerosis (MS) compound, MBP8298.

18 Dec 2007

Hospitalizations for children with HIV drop by nearly two thirds

The number of infants under age 2 with HIV who were hospitalized fell by 64 percent between 1998 and 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

18 Dec 2007

Discovery reveals how fat is stored in cells

In discovering the genes responsible for storing fat in cells, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have answered one of biology's most fundamental questions.

18 Dec 2007

Combining medications often best strategy to battle rheumatoid arthritis

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, combining one well-known, lower cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness, according to a new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Dec 2007

Omega-3 fatty acids for depression - new trial

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences are seeking participants for a clinical trial examining whether two polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids are effective treatments for depression.

18 Dec 2007