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Researchers show iRGD peptide increases treatment efficacy against cancer

Researchers have shown that a peptide (a chain of amino acids) called iRGD helps co-administered drugs penetrate deeply into tumor tissue. The peptide has been shown to substantially increase treatment efficacy against human breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers in mice, achieving the same therapeutic effect as a normal dose with one-third as much of the drug.

9 Apr 2010

"Nanovaccine" reverses diabetes

A new study, published online April 8 by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, describes a unique therapeutic "nanovaccine" that successfully reverses diabetes in a mouse model of the disease. In addition to providing new insight into diabetes, the research also reveals an aspect of the pathogenesis of the autoimmune response that may provide a therapeutic strategy for multiple autoimmune disorders.

9 Apr 2010

Happy marriage may help prevent fatal strokes in men: Study

"Love and marriage," sang philosopher Frank Sinatra, "is an institute you can't disparage." Especially, a new Tel Aviv University study suggests, when a happy marriage may help to prevent fatal strokes in men.

9 Apr 2010

Blood levels of carbon dioxide may be linked to near death experiences after heart attack

Near death experiences have often been described as “seeing life flash before one’s eyes” or “intense feelings of joy and peace.” Now researchers claim that levels of Carbon Dioxide or CO2 may be the causal link for these sensations. They believe that the CO2 alters the levels of certain chemicals in the brain and makes it see lights at the ends of tunnels or dead loved ones.

9 Apr 2010

Researchers make dramatic strides in understanding and treating leukemia

In the past decade, researchers have made dramatic strides in understanding and treating leukemia, according to the April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

9 Apr 2010

Idaho man fourth in country to receive Levacor- VAD implant

After receiving only the fourth U.S. implant of a new-generation, Utah-made ventricular assist (VAD ) device, an Idaho man with heart failure is looking forward to resuming an active life following an operation on March 17 at University of Utah Hospital.

9 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology-based vaccine cures mice with type 1 diabetes

Using a sophisticated nanotechnology-based "vaccine," researchers were able to successfully cure mice with type 1 diabetes and slow the onset of the disease in mice at risk for the disease. The study, co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, provides new and important insights into understanding how to stop the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, and could even have implications for other autoimmune diseases.

9 Apr 2010

Immune system mouse models help study biology of T cells and their role in toxoplasmosis

Using T cells primed for the infectious disease toxoplasmosis, Whitehead Institute researchers have created novel mouse models of the immune system that more accurately reflect how immune cells actually respond to pathogens in their presence.

9 Apr 2010

As overall cancer rates decline in the U.S., thyroid cancer counters the trend

As overall cancer rates are declining in the United States, thyroid cancer counters the trend. It's being diagnosed more frequently, especially in women. Women are three times more likely than men to develop thyroid cancer.

9 Apr 2010

Combination telaprevir treatment beneficial for retreatment of hepatitis C

A study co-authored by a Saint Louis University researcher found telaprevir, a protease inhibitor, combined with standard hepatitis C treatment, cures a significantly higher number of difficult-to-treat patients than standard treatment alone. The findings were published in the April issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

9 Apr 2010

Russia's first implant of SynCardia temporary CardioWest Total Artificial Heart performed on 60-year-old female

On March 23, the Bakoulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery (BSCCS) in Moscow performed Russia's first implant of the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart. The patient, a 60-year-old female suffering from biventricular heart failure, is the world's 850th recipient of the Total Artificial Heart.

9 Apr 2010

Fate Therapeutics to acquire Ottawa biotechnology company Verio Therapeutics

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today a definitive agreement to acquire Verio Therapeutics Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in Ottawa, Ontario, which is developing drug candidates targeting the activation of endogenous stem cells. Verio Therapeutics is advancing the work of several of Canada's leading stem cell scientists, including Michael Rudnicki, Ph.D., FRSC, and Lynn Arthur Megeney, Ph.D., who have made breakthrough discoveries relating to muscle and pancreatic regeneration.

9 Apr 2010

PSA test distress, study urges caution

A new study wants men to be informed about risks associated with screening for prostate cancer. The research has brought out that the prostate cancer tests can cause significant psychological distress to the men undergoing the screening. 330 men were studied by the University of Bristol as they underwent the tests and after they finished.

9 Apr 2010

12 infected with Hepatitis C by a doctor at clinic in Victoria

Hepatitis C is a vial infection that is spread much like HIV with shared needles, blood or body fluids. The Victorian Police has been brought in to investigate a cluster of 12 hepatitis C positive cases who attended a late-term abortion clinic in Melbourne.

9 Apr 2010

Raised levels of carbon dioxide in blood may lead to ‘near death experiences’

Near death experiences (NDEs), reported to include sensations such as life flashing before the eyes, feelings of peace and joy, and apparent encounters with mystical entities, may be caused by raised levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care investigated the unexplained events in 52 cardiac arrest patients.

8 Apr 2010

Whey Protein Isolate damages and accelerates hair loss

Dr. Larry Shapiro, a nationally recognized hair transplant surgeon and dermatologist in South Florida, announced today the results of a study that compared the Effects of Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) to Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) on Hair, which suggests that WPI, an ingredient found in many popular weight loss, meal replacement and body building products, is contributing to hair loss.

8 Apr 2010

No risk of adverse interaction between PPIs and clopidogrel

New research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) shows no risk in combining two commonly-prescribed treatments for patients at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

8 Apr 2010

Pittsburgh managing diabetes more cost effectively than other states

Pittsburgh is treating diabetes more cost effectively than the rest of the state and nation, and its efforts to help people better manage their disease are paying dividends. Still, a gap exists between the region and the nation's top performers, according to the third annual Pittsburgh Business Group on Health Type 2 Diabetes Report.

8 Apr 2010

Enrollment completes for Inovio Biomedical's dose escalation phase I trial of cervical cancer vaccine

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that the company has completed enrollment of all subjects for its therapeutic cervical cancer vaccine (VGX-3100) phase I trial. VGX-3100 is a DNA vaccine targeting the E6 and E7 proteins of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, and is delivered via in vivo electroporation.

8 Apr 2010

Smoking may increase risk of MS in people who have established risk factors for MS

A new study shows that smoking may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis in people who also have specific established risk factors for MS. The research is found in the April 7, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Apr 2010