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Metformin can have protective effects on the heart

The widely used diabetes medicine metformin can have protective effects on the heart, reveals a new study conducted at the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

26 Mar 2012

Positive results from Amgen's AMG 145 Phase 1b study on patients with LDL-C

Amgen announced today positive results from a Phase 1b clinical study of AMG 145, an investigational PCSK9 inhibitor, in patients with high cholesterol who were taking statins. The study demonstrated that multiple doses of AMG 145 significantly reduced serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), also known as "bad" cholesterol, by up to 81 percent versus placebo (maximum reduction) in subjects on low to moderate doses of statins/

26 Mar 2012

New IVIG trial can reduce OCD symptoms in children with PANDAS

Criteria for a broadened syndrome of acute onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been proposed by a National Institutes of Health scientist and her colleagues. The syndrome, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), includes children and teens that suddenly develop on-again/off-again OCD symptoms or abnormal eating behaviors, along with other psychiatric symptoms - without any known cause.

26 Mar 2012

New method for measurement of aggregated beta-amyloid in AD

An international team of researchers have developed a new method for measurement of aggregated beta-amyloid - a protein complex believed to cause major nerve cell damage and dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. The new method might facilitate diagnosis and detection as well as development of drugs directed against aggregated beta-amyloid.

26 Mar 2012

GenVec announces data from respiratory syncytial virus vaccine program

GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC) announced today that data were presented on GenVec's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine program at the "Keystone Symposium on Viral Immunity and Host Gene Influence", which is taking place in Keystone, Colorado from March 21-26, 2012.

26 Mar 2012

Islet Sciences acquires DTI

Islet Sciences, Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of patented technologies in the field of transplantation therapy for patients with diabetes, today announced the closing of the acquisition of DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing new, proprietary drugs for unmet medical needs in diabetes and complications related to diabetes which is now the Company's wholly owned subsidiary.

26 Mar 2012

Researchers pinpoint new mechanism that potently activates T-cells in leprosy

UCLA researchers pinpointed a new mechanism that potently activates T-cells, the group of white blood cells that play a major role in fighting infections.

26 Mar 2012

Heart attack may soon be predicted by a simple blood test

Researchers have found a simple test that could predict whether a patient is about to have a heart attack. They used a blood sample to detect cells that have sloughed off of damaged blood vessel walls to predict a heart attack.

25 Mar 2012

New method to easily identify cause of rare diseases

Sanford Health Children's Research Center researcher, Kyle Roux, PhD, has revealed a new method of research that will allow the cause of disease—particularly rare diseases—to become more easily identified.

23 Mar 2012

Testosterone may play a role in treatment of triple negative breast cancer

Could blocking a testosterone receptor lead to a new way to treat an aggressive form of breast cancer? That's a question researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) are exploring. Preliminary results of a Mayo Clinic - TGen collaborative study shows the testosterone receptor may be a potential target to attack in treating triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

23 Mar 2012

Fraunhofer FIT software rapidly analyzes complex biological processes

At Analytica 2012, Fraunhofer FIT presents software that supports the search for new active pharmaceutical ingredients of cancer drugs. Through a high degree of parallelization, the software can analyze complex biological processes very fast, even with large amounts of data.

23 Mar 2012

Deficiency of Mitofusin 2 protein leads to insulin resistance, glucose intolerance

The study shows that the lack of Mitofusin 2 in mice produces insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, the main causes of diabetes.

23 Mar 2012

Combination of everolimus and exemestane reduces spread of cancer in the bone

Results from a phase III clinical trial evaluating a new treatment for breast cancer in post-menopausal women show that the combination of two cancer drugs, everolimus and exemestane, significantly improves bone strength and reduces the chances of cancer spreading (metastasising) in the bone.

23 Mar 2012

Multiresistant bacteria withstand wastewater treatment processes

Large quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter the environment via municipal - and especially hospital - wastewater streams. Although wastewater treatment plants reduce the total number of bacteria, the most hazardous - multiresistant - strains appear to withstand or even to be promoted by treatment processes. This was demonstrated by Eawag researchers in a study carried out in Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.

23 Mar 2012

Max Planck researchers obtain somatic stem cells from fully differentiated somatic cells

Breaking new ground, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in M-nster, Germany, have succeeded in obtaining somatic stem cells from fully differentiated somatic cells. Stem cell researcher Hans Sch-ler and his team took skin cells from mice and, using a unique combination of growth factors while ensuring appropriate culturing conditions, have managed to induce the cells' differentiation into neuronal somatic stem cells.

23 Mar 2012

UC Riverside to study molecular basis of hormonal regulation of mosquito reproduction

Female mosquitoes require energy for their egg development, which they acquire from vertebrate blood. But by sucking on blood, they become vectors of numerous disease pathogens of human and domestic animals. If the mechanisms that govern their egg production are better understood, novel approaches to controlling the reproduction and population of mosquitoes can be devised.

23 Mar 2012

Immediate skull reconstruction aggravates brain damage in TBI model

Immediate skull reconstruction following trauma that penetrates or creates an indentation in the skull can aggravate brain damage inflicted by the initial injury, a study by a University of South Florida research team reports.

23 Mar 2012

OncoSec to present data from head and neck cancer studies at two upcoming conferences

OncoSec Medical Incorporated., which is developing its advanced-stage OncoSec Medical System (OMS) ElectroOncology therapies to treat solid tumor cancers, today announced that the company has been selected to present data from its Phase III and IV head and neck cancer studies at two upcoming conferences.

23 Mar 2012

Scientists artificially derive brain stem cells from connective tissue of mice

These stem cells can reproduce and be converted into various types of brain cells. To date, only reprogramming in brain cells that were already fully developed or which had only a limited ability to divide was possible. The new reprogramming method presented by the Bonn scientists and submitted for publication in July 2011 now enables derivation of brain stem cells that are still immature and able to undergo practically unlimited division to be extracted from conventional body cells.

23 Mar 2012

Blocking PFKFB4 enzyme could prevent growth of prostate cancer cells

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how blocking a key enzyme, which helps convert glucose into energy, could provide a new way to kill prostate cancer cells, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Discovery.

23 Mar 2012