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Melatonin viable alternative for REM sleep behavior disorder treatment

Clonazepam and melatonin appear to be equally effective for the treatment of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder symptoms, although melatonin may be better tolerated, a naturalistic clinical study shows.

8 Feb 2013

Oral eosinophilic ulcers ‘a self-limiting, reactive condition’

A review of patients with oral eosinophilic ulcers suggests that the lesions should be considered a reactive, local condition rather than a CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder.

8 Feb 2013

Novel combination of ibrutinib and bortezomib could be effective new therapy for blood cancers

Laboratory experiments conducted by scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center suggest that a novel combination of the drugs ibrutinib and bortezomib could potentially be an effective new therapy for several forms of blood cancer, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

7 Feb 2013

Investigators discover two new genes associated with severe early-onset disorders of heart rhythm

A team led by Vanderbilt University investigators has discovered two new genes - both coding for the signaling protein calmodulin - associated with severe early-onset disorders of heart rhythm.

7 Feb 2013

Society of Toxicology's 52nd Annual Meeting to be held from Mar. 10-16 in San Antonio

A group of 7,000 scientists working in multiple specialties, from more than 50 countries, will meet March 10-14, 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, to share their latest findings on 60 topical issues of concern to human health and the environment.

7 Feb 2013

Patients with low-grade ACL injuries from skiing can heal without surgery

Roughly a quarter of recreational skiers who tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while hitting the slopes can be successfully treated without surgery, according to a new study.

7 Feb 2013

Drug-carrying nanoparticles have another hurdle to overcome - escaping the bloodstream

Many medically minded researchers are in hot pursuit of designs that will allow drug-carrying nanoparticles to navigate tissues and the interiors of cells, but University of Michigan engineers have discovered that these particles have another hurdle to overcome: escaping the bloodstream.

7 Feb 2013

Occupational exposure to magnetic fields may moderately increase risk of Alzheimer's, ALS

Occupational exposure to magnetic fields (MF) may be associated with "moderately increased risk" of certain neurodegenerative diseases—including Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, reports the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

7 Feb 2013

Basis of antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy found

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. Results of their experiments explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.

7 Feb 2013

Liver gene found to regulate cholesterol and fat blood levels

Researchers have identified a microRNA liver gene, miR-27b, which regulates lipid (cholesterol or fat) levels in the blood. This regulator gene controls multiple genes involved in dyslipidemia—abnormal blood cholesterol levels that can contribute to heart disease.

7 Feb 2013

Four-step process delivers specific, reliable clinical rules

Dutch researchers have developed a four-step strategy for formulating clinical decision support systems, which they say could help reduce “alert fatigue.”

7 Feb 2013

Antibiotics help severely malnourished children recover

Giving severely malnourished children antibiotics in addition to nutritional therapy significantly improves their chances of making a full recovery compared with nutritional therapy alone, say researchers.

7 Feb 2013

Chlorhexidine bathing protects vulnerable hospital patients

Bathing hospital patients with chlorhexidine-impregnated washcloths reduces the risk for them acquiring multidrug-resistant organisms and developing bloodsteam infections, show study findings.

7 Feb 2013

First new TB vaccine in century fails initial testing

The first of a series of new vaccines that have been developed to combat tuberculosis failed to show efficacy compared with placebo in South African infants, show results from a phase II trial.

7 Feb 2013

Calcium supplements may increase men’s death risk

Men who have a high intake of supplemental calcium may be at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease death, report researchers.

7 Feb 2013

Migraine, epilepsy and genetics: an interview with Dr. Melodie Winawer

This work is the product of an extraordinary consortium called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome project (EPGP). It is a consortium of 27 centres in the U.S. and internationally with several hundred physicians and staff who have worked together to enrol more than 4000 patients with epilepsy and their family members.

7 Feb 2013

ACL injuries on the rise among young athletes

Until a child's bones have fully matured (in girls, typically by age 14; in boys, age 16), an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-the primary, stabilizing ligament of the knee joint-requires special consideration, treatment and care to ensure appropriate healing and to prevent long-term complications.

7 Feb 2013