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GFAP protein levels can help identify HIE in newborns

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that increased blood levels of a protein specific to central nervous system cells that are vital to the brain's structure can help physicians identify newborns with brain injuries due to lack of oxygen.

14 Oct 2011

Dual drug sneaks across the blood-brain barrier to fight HIV

In an advance toward eliminating pockets of infection in the brain that help make HIV disease incurable, scientists report the development of new substances that first plug the biological vacuum cleaner that prevents anti-HIV drugs from reaching the brain and then revert to an active drug to treat HIV.

14 Oct 2011

Cylene advances preclinical development of CX-5461 for treatment of cancer

Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has advanced its targeted, non-genotoxic, activator of p53 for the treatment of leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma through formal preclinical development, the Company announced today.

14 Oct 2011

Limited decision-making ability of individual cells is bolstered in masses

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have quantified the number of possible decisions that an individual cell can make after receiving a cue from its environment, and surprisingly, it's only two.

14 Oct 2011

Baxter commences BAX 111 Phase III trial in von Willebrand disease

Baxter International Inc. today announced initiation of a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of BAX 111, Baxter's investigational recombinant von Willebrand factor (rVWF), for the treatment and prevention of bleeding episodes in patients with von Willebrand disease.

From Baxter International Inc. 14 Oct 2011

Echo Therapeutics to begin Symphony tCGM System clinical study in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing the Symphony tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and the Prelude® SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced that it is initiating a clinical study of its Symphony tCGM System in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

13 Oct 2011

Laser-based analysis method can detect optical pressure differences in blood cells

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers Dr. Sean J. Hart, Dr. Colin G. Hebert and Mr. Alex Terray have developed a laser-based analysis method that can detect optical pressure differences between populations or classes of blood cells that does not rely on prior knowledge, antibodies, or fluorescent labels for discrimination.

13 Oct 2011

New insights into how adenovirus triggers an immune response

A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to improved gene therapies for conditions such as heart disease and cancer as well as more effective vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

13 Oct 2011

Hospitalized patients with anemia may not always benefit from transfusion

University of Kentucky researchers, including lead author Samy Selim of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, have recently published a paper suggesting that transfusion may not always be the best treatment for hospitalized patients with anemia.

13 Oct 2011

Black Canadians with darker skin more likely to report poorer health

A new University of British Columbia study finds that Black Canadians with darker skin are more likely to report poorer health than Black Canadians with lighter skin. The study also suggests that a mismatched racial identity can negatively affect health.

13 Oct 2011

Researchers identify age-dependent beta cell proliferation pathway

As a person ages, the ability of their beta cells to divide and make new beta cells declines. By the time children reach the age of 10 to 12 years, the ability of their insulin-producing cells to replicate greatly diminishes. If these cells, called beta cells, are destroyed-as they are in type 1 diabetes-treatment with the hormone insulin becomes essential to regulate blood glucose levels and get energy from food.

13 Oct 2011

Breast-reconstruction procedure can preserve mammary artery for future cardiac surgery

Doctors at Johns Hopkins have shown that during an increasingly popular type of breast-reconstruction surgery, they can safely preserve the internal mammary artery, in case it is needed for future cardiac surgery.

13 Oct 2011

FDA grant to foster development of novel pediatric medical devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University and Saint Joseph's Translational Research Institute (SJTRI) a two-year, $1.8 million grant to foster the development of medical devices focused on the special needs of children.

13 Oct 2011

Skin cell to liver cell shows promise for genetic liver disease

In a new scientific breakthrough, researchers have taken skin cells from a patient with liver disease and turned them into replacement liver cells. Although the procedure is years before it can be used in humans, but if approved, it could launch a new era of personalized therapies for serious genetic disorders.

13 Oct 2011

ESC to deliver educational programme on cardiovascular disease in Beijing

At over 40%, the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China is amongst the highest in the world- and has been rightly described as an epidemic. Its population faces a catalogue of CVD risk factor statistics that expose high levels of obesity, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, and a smoking habit within males that is proving stubborn to address.

13 Oct 2011

Peanut allergy could be switched off

Now researchers may have discovered how to switch off food allergies. Researchers from Northwestern University found a way to tweak the immune system so that it doesn’t react when foods like peanuts and eggs are encountered – in mice.

12 Oct 2011

Restless legs syndrome linked to hypertension

Up to 15 percent of the population has restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome is characterized by crawling sensations and repeated muscle twichings in one or both legs, and an uncontrollable urge to move them - which may compel a person to walk in circles for hours at night.

12 Oct 2011

Vitamin D plays an essential role in the body's fight against TB

Not just important for building strong bones, an international team of scientists has found that vitamin D also plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections such as tuberculosis.

12 Oct 2011

Endocrine Society releases clinical practice guideline on continuous glucose monitoring

Patients with diabetes face daily challenges in managing their blood glucose levels, and it has been postulated that patients could benefit from a system providing continuous real-time glucose readings. Today, The Endocrine Society released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) providing recommendations on settings where patients are most likely to benefit from continuous glucose monitoring.

12 Oct 2011

Two-gene DNA urine test for prostate cancer

In the current debate sparked by the recent USPSTF recommendation on PSA screening, it is clear that better biomarkers than PSA are urgently needed. One new biotechnology that may go a long way in detecting only prostate cancer and reducing unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies and possible subsequent overtreatment, is the development of a new urine test for prostate cancer.

12 Oct 2011