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Amazing 'smart bomb' drug zaps cancer cells in mice without damaging healthy cells

Scientists say they have developed an anti-cancer 'bomb' which has a similar behavior to a Trojan horse.

28 Jul 2005

Study raises concern about the use of beta blockers for all heart patients

Doubt has been cast on the popular practice of giving most heart patients drugs that reduce the heart's workload before and after major surgery, after new research has raised concerns about it.

28 Jul 2005

Carbon monoxide could turn out to be a life-saver for patients recovering from organ transplants

Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that kills thousands of Americans every year, could turn out to be a life-saver for patients recovering from organ transplants, strokes or heart attacks, according to new research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

28 Jul 2005

$4.7million grant for research on neuroblastoma

Significant funding from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council will enable researchers at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) for Medical Research to make progress on the treatment of one the most aggressive, drug-resistant childhood cancers - neuroblastoma - over the next five years.

28 Jul 2005

Bone marrow may be source of new egg-cell generation

Last year a group of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers announced surprising findings that female mice - contrary to longstanding theories of mammalian reproductive physiology - retained the ability to make new egg cells or oocytes into adulthood.

27 Jul 2005

Revolutionary finding on female reproductive function

Previously unrecognized stem cells found in the bone marrow and blood of mice can "restock" a depleted ovary with new egg cells within weeks, according to new research published in this week's issue of the journal Cell.

27 Jul 2005

Cancer biology, pharmacology and engineering combine to create cancer smart bomb

Imagine a cancer drug that can burrow into a tumor, seal the exits and detonate a lethal dose of anti-cancer toxins, all while leaving healthy cells unscathed.

27 Jul 2005

Rate of increase in PSA value predicts risk of death following radiation therapy

Men who have a higher rate of increase in their PSA value in the year prior to their prostate cancer diagnosis have a significantly higher risk of death following radiation therapy, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

26 Jul 2005

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Opiates appear to better "ameliorate the withdrawal, facilitate feeding and potentially reduce the likelihood of seizures," according to two new systematic reviews done by David Osborn, a neonatologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.

26 Jul 2005

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can identify effectiveness of chemotherapy early in high-risk breast cancer patients

The effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer can be evaluated earlier by using 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging over other conventional imaging procedures, according to an article in the July issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine's Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

26 Jul 2005

New chemical compound can accelerate stem cell mobilization

The finding has led to the development of a new chemical compound that can accelerate this process (called stem cell mobilization) in mice - which could eventually lead to more efficient stem cell harvesting for human use.

26 Jul 2005

Consultants' leader comments on latest star ratings

"Clearly, the public has a right to know how well its hospitals are performing but patients should not use the star ratings to judge the quality of care they can expect to receive.

26 Jul 2005

Proportion of health spending on asthma highest for children

The proportion of total health expenditure attributed to asthma care is highest for children-particularly boys aged 5-14 years, according to a new report released by the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring (ACAM)-a collaborating unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

26 Jul 2005

Rush to offer new treatment for arterio-venous malformations

Rush University Medical Center will be the first in Chicago and among the first hospitals in the nation to offer a promising new treatment for arterio-venous malformations (AVMs) following its approval by the FDA on July 21.

26 Jul 2005

Alfred biomodelling creates life like hobbit

Pioneering Alfred technology is being put to good use in understanding where we come from, in the fields of Anthropology and Palaeontology.

26 Jul 2005

New national cytology training programme established in New Zealand

A new nationally-coordinated training programme for pathologists, scientists and technicians involved in processing and interpreting cervical smears is to be established. The programme will be based in Christchurch with training taking place in main centres across New Zealand.

26 Jul 2005

BSD Medical receives notice of allowance for new patent

BSD Medical today announced that the company has received "official notice of allowance" for a new patent that is expected to be issued by the U.S. Patent Office.

26 Jul 2005

Does aspirin work equally well for everyone?

We all know that aspirin can help prevent a heart attack or stroke, but does aspirin work equally well for everyone? A growing amount of medical evidence says no. One reason emerging to explain this difference is that some people fail to achieve an adequate response to the drug.

26 Jul 2005

Investigational vaccine against Clostridium difficile

Acambis has announced that earlier this month it started a Phase I clinical trial of its investigational vaccine against Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

26 Jul 2005

Eplerenone shows benefit for patients with damaged hearts

In the first thirty days following a heart attack, one in three deaths among patients with signs of heart failure may be preventable by early treatment with a drug called eplerenone (Inspra, Pfizer Ltd), according to new data published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

26 Jul 2005