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Survival of heart attack patients placed on beta-blocker therapy corresponds to specific variations in their genes

Survival of heart attack and unstable angina patients placed on beta-blocker therapy corresponds to specific variations in their genes, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.

27 Sep 2005

Possible therapy that could control blood pressure

A newly developed virus that introduces a blood pressure-lowering gene into cells and enables that gene to maintain blood pressure at healthy levels for four months promises to take gene therapy for the disorder a step closer to reality, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report released online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

27 Sep 2005

Longer hospital stays do not mean better care

Physicians at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) have disproved the notion that longer hospital stays mean better care. They have successfully cut back on wait times across one dozen hospital departments and, as a result, reduced to well below six the average number of days patients with congestive heart failure, a need for dialysis or surgery, and many other conditions must spend in the hospital.

27 Sep 2005

Gene variants and beta-blockers associated with increased risk of death

Patients with certain gene variants who were prescribed beta-blocker drugs after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) had an increased risk of death over the next three years, according to a study in the September 28 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

27 Sep 2005

Veggies reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers

Eating vegetables and other foods that have weak estrogen-like activity appears to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers - as well as in non-smokers, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

27 Sep 2005

Benefits of statin therapy identified

The greater the reduction in LDL (lower-density lipoprotein) cholesterol achieved by statin therapy the greater the reduction in incidence of major coronary events, coronary revascularisation and stroke, concludes a meta-analysis published online today by The Lancet.

27 Sep 2005

New virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer

A Mayo Clinic research team has devised a new virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer. Researchers say their findings will help overcome hurdles that have hindered gene therapy cancer treatments.

27 Sep 2005

Transplanted insulin-producing cells survive better when the activation of NKT cells are blocked

Scientists in Japan have found a way to improve on a promising diabetes treatment. In the October 3 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Masaru Taniguchi and colleagues report that transplanted insulin-producing cells survive better when the activation of a specific type of immune cell is blocked.

27 Sep 2005

Pursuit of potential drugs and small molecules that target the IGF-1 receptor

Pharmaceutical companies around the world still come knocking on Renato Baserga, M.D.,'s door. And for good reason.

27 Sep 2005

Gene responsible for Neuralgic Amyotrophy identified

Neuralgic Amyotrophy is a painful disorder of the peripheral nervous system. This heritable disease causes prolonged acute attacks of pain in the shoulder or arm, followed by temporary paralysis.

27 Sep 2005

Artificial Cervical (neck) Disc for treatment of degenerative disc disease

Rush University Medical Center is one of the few sites in the country selected to participate in a clinical trial for the Artificial Cervical (neck) Disc, the latest technology in the field.

27 Sep 2005

Plans to develop a "universal beta-cell line" - treatment for type 1 diabetes

Transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells shows great promise as a treatment for type 1 diabetes, but development of this therapy has been hampered by a severe shortage of donor beta-cells, which are obtained from decreased human donors.

26 Sep 2005

Testing for drug resistance in HIV-infected patients at the time of diagnosis may increase patients' life expectancy

Resistance to antiretroviral therapy, even in patients who have never received treatment, is a growing concern. However, genotype resistance testing, which involves looking for the presence of resistance genes, is not a standard procedure at the time a patient is diagnosed with HIV, probably due to lack of data on its benefits and its relatively high cost compared with other routine blood tests.

26 Sep 2005

$Statin use associated with a 36 percent reduction in risk of fracture$

Statin use associated with a 36 percent reduction in risk of fracture

In a large study of elderly, predominately male veterans, statin use was associated with a 36 percent reduction in risk of fracture when compared with no lipid-lowering therapy, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine

26 Sep 2005

Increlex - first major innovation in 20 years for the treatment of growth failure

Rush University Medical Center is participating in a clinical trial to evaluate the potential benefit of the first major innovation in 20 years for the treatment of growth failure.

26 Sep 2005

Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis prefer once monthly to weekly treatment

Over 70% of postmenopausal women with Osteoporosis who expressed a preference, preferred once-monthly Bonviva, finding it more convenient than a once-weekly treatment. This is according to new data presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR).

26 Sep 2005

85 percent of postmenopausal women do not get enough calcium

An analysis presented today at the 27th Annual Meeting of The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research found that 85 percent of postmenopausal women do not get enough calcium on a daily basis.

26 Sep 2005

Innovative new treatment for moderate to severe heart failure

Cardiologists at Beth Israel Medical Center are currently enrolling patients in an investigational study that is looking at the safety and efficacy of an innovative new treatment for moderate to severe heart failure, in which a unique pacemaker-like device helps strengthen the heart's pumping power

26 Sep 2005

New treatment option for chronic sinusitis

Acclarent on Saturday unveiled their new treatment option for chronic sinusitis, the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure. Results from the initial safety and feasibility study of this unique, catheter-based treatment for chronic sinusitis were presented by William Bolger, MD, FACS.

26 Sep 2005

Potential oral drug for rheumatoid arthritis

A potential oral drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may encourage women to treat their condition earlier rather than later because it is less arduous than currently available treatments. Early treatment is important because RA most often develops between the ages of 35 and 50 and is two- to three times more prevalent in women.

26 Sep 2005