Medicine News and Research

RSS

Common gene variant increases risk of developing diabetes

Carrying two copies of a common variant of a particular gene doubles your chances of developing diabetes and puts you in a similar risk category to being clinically obese, according to a collaborative study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

23 Oct 2006

Genomic test decides which drug is best for cancers

Scientists at Duke University, North Carolina have developed a panel of tests which are able to analyze a cancerous tumor and then decide which chemotherapy will most efficiently attack the cancer.

23 Oct 2006

Count those calories when you eat out because the chef won't!

According to a survey carried out in the U.S., counting how many calories are in the food they prepare is not something the average chef in a restaurant bothers about.

22 Oct 2006

Targeted tumor therapy has paramount consequences for future expansion of nuclear medicine

Targeted tumor therapy lobs toxic payloads directly into tumors to destroy cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

20 Oct 2006

CCR5 receptor discovery could help fight against tuberculosis, HIV

A key aspect of how the body kicks the immune system into action against tuberculosis is revealed in research published today.

20 Oct 2006

Gene mutation explains type of brittle bone disease

A newly identified gene mutation helps explain a subset of cases of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease, whose origin had until now remained mysterious.

20 Oct 2006

Flexible interface between DNA ligase and a heterotrimeric sliding clamp supports conformational switching and efficient ligation of DNA

Scientists investigating an important DNA-repair enzyme now have a better picture of the final steps of a process that glues together, or ligates, the ends of DNA strands to restore the double helix.

20 Oct 2006

Blood clotting protein appears to also play a role in fertility

A protein known to play a role in blood clotting and other cell functions is also critical for proper sperm formation in mice, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

20 Oct 2006

New Purdue biochip may speed drug development

Purdue University researchers have developed a biochip that measures the electrical activities of cells and is capable of obtaining 60 times more data in just one reading than is possible with current technology.

20 Oct 2006

FDA advisory panel recommends adding warning label to Tamoxifen

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday recommended that a warning label be added to tamoxifen, an agency-approved drug for treating and preventing breast cancer, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Bridges, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

All women in U.S. should have right to quality health care, breast cancer screenings

All women in the U.S. should have access to regular mammograms, and "none should be condemned by lack of funds to the painful death of breast cancer," the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist, writes in a Sun-Times opinion piece.

19 Oct 2006

Despite aging U.S. population, few physicians specialize in treatment for the elderly

Even as the "population ages and more people ... need them ... geriatricians are in short supply," the New York Times reports.

19 Oct 2006

NC State researchers receive $3.5 million to tackle HIV

Researchers at North Carolina State University have received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) to develop mathematical and statistical models that will aid in designing new treatment strategies for HIV patients.

19 Oct 2006

Antibiotic gives long acting relief to irritable bowel sufferers

Researchers in the U.S. say that a long-acting antibiotic can help treat the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

19 Oct 2006

Comprehensive review backs health benefits of eating fish

There is ample research advocating the nutritional benefits of eating fish and shellfish because fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

18 Oct 2006

Heart transplant patients who receive a donor heart from a person with hepatitis C have a lower rate of survival

A shortage of cardiac organ donors results in a substantial number of deaths among persons awaiting cardiac transplantation. One potential approach for increasing the availability of donors is to broaden the criteria used to identify appropriate donors.

17 Oct 2006

Do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits? Yes or No

Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns have been raised in recent years about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollution, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. That has led to confusion among the public--do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits?

17 Oct 2006

Underlying causes, frequencies, and outcomes of dilated cardiomyopathy

The mystery behind a commonly untreatable and undetected heart muscle disease in children is partially revealed for the first time in today's edition of the scientific journal JAMA.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers step toward therapy for respiratory syncytial virus

When a child under the age of 2 contracts a respiratory tract infection requiring hospitalization, odds are that the cause is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

17 Oct 2006

Parkinson's disease affects more than just motor control

Although Parkinson's disease is most commonly viewed as a "movement disorder," scientists have found that the disease also causes widespread abnormalities in touch and vision - effects that have now been verified using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain.

17 Oct 2006