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Genetic difference predicts antidepressant response

Researchers have identified subtle genetic variations that predict the efficacy of two widely used antidepressant drugs.

24 Jan 2008

Experimental procedure induces tolerance to mismatched kidney transplants

Four of five patients participating in a trial of an experimental protocol designed to induce immune tolerance to HLA-mismatched kidney transplants have been able to discontinue immunosuppressive drugs.

24 Jan 2008

Engineers use blood's hydrodynamics to manipulate stem, cancer cells

A tiny, implantable device has pulled adult stem cells out of a living rat with a far greater purity than any present technique.

24 Jan 2008

Cigarettes leave deadly path by purging protective genes

A University of Rochester scientist discovered that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that plays a vital role in protecting the body from the effects of premature aging.

24 Jan 2008

$Bisphosphate drug alendronate can help prevent bone fractures in many postmenopausal women$

Bisphosphate drug alendronate can help prevent bone fractures in many postmenopausal women

Giving 10mg per day of the bisphosphate drug alendronate to women after their menopause can help prevent loss of bone mass, reducing their risk of fractures, a Cochrane Review has found.

24 Jan 2008

Unique fungal collection could hold key to future antibiotics

Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London have joined forces with CABI to establish a facility to screen for potential new antibiotics.

23 Jan 2008

UK Doctors failing gender disordered children

Gender disordered children as young as ten are being denied desperately needed hormonal drugs leading to bullying, violence and even suicide according to new research.

From The University of Manchester 23 Jan 2008

Scientists use nanoscale polymer films to control drug delivery

Using nanotechnology, scientists from UCLA and Northwestern University have developed a localized and controlled drug delivery method that is invisible to the immune system, a discovery that could provide newer and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases.

23 Jan 2008

Researchers propose consumers buy yearly 'drug licenses' as new way to pay for prescriptions

Changing the way consumers pay for prescription drugs so that the system more closely resembles paying for cell phones or computer software could increase drug use without altering patients' out-of-pocket spending, health plan costs or drug company profits, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

23 Jan 2008

Gene therapy for pain

Researchers in the Department of Medicine and Department of Neurosciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered that chronic pain can be successfully treated with novel targeted gene therapy.

23 Jan 2008

New compounds for treating tuberculosis and malaria

University of Navarra PhD in chemistry researcher, Esther Vicente, has discovered new compounds active for treating tuberculosis and malaria.

23 Jan 2008

Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce risk of colorectal cancer

The use of regular, long-term aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduces the risk associated with colorectal cancer, according to a study published in Gastroenterology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

23 Jan 2008

New anticancer drugs may block HSP90-IP6K2 protein interaction involved in cell death

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a previously unsuspected mechanism of cell death that may afford a new way to find and develop stronger yet less-harmful anticancer drugs.

23 Jan 2008

Pharmacists believe drive-through windows contribute to delays, errors

Consumers who pick up their prescription medications at a pharmacy drive-through window might be jeopardizing their own safety in the name of convenience.

23 Jan 2008

Johns Hopkins to participate in 1000 Genomes Project

Researchers at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine (IGM) at Johns Hopkins will join other national and international scientists in the 1000 Genomes Project, an ambitious effort that will involve sequencing the genomes of numerous people from around the world to create the most detailed and medically useful picture to date of human genetic variation.

23 Jan 2008

Genetic switches could lower cost of producing drugs, proteins

Bacteria have evolved complex mechanisms called quorum sensing systems that provide for cell-to-cell communication, an adaptation that allows them to wait until their population grows large enough before mounting an attack on a host or competing for nutrients.

23 Jan 2008

Gene variations associated with effectiveness of blood pressure medications

Patients with hypertension and certain gene variations experienced varying results with some blood pressure medications, suggesting matching a patient's genotype with certain hypertension medications could result in more favorable outcomes, according to a study in the January 23 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 Jan 2008

Myostatin inhibitors may make injuries more likely

Block the action of a protein that normally regulates muscle mass, and watch your muscles grow.

23 Jan 2008

Computer model for osteoporosis diagnostics

Osteoporosis, a common age-related disease, is being investigated by a group of biomechanical engineers at Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna).

23 Jan 2008

New understanding of the link between heart disease and belly fat

By now, everyone knows that overweight people have a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and other problems that arise from clogged, hardened arteries. And people who carry their extra weight around their waist - giving them a "beer belly" or an "apple" shape - have the highest risk of all.

22 Jan 2008