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Vitamin D may be adjunct for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, say researchers

Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) typically have widespread chronic pain and fatigue. For those with low vitamin D levels, vitamin D supplements can reduce pain and may be a cost-effective alternative or adjunct to other treatment, say researchers in the January 2014 issue of PAIN-.

17 Jan 2014

Longer reads: Connecting with patients; obesity origins; children with chronic disease

I'd never [before] been encouraged to sit at a patient's bedside - to stop hurrying for even a moment. Our medical teachers put a premium on accuracy and efficiency, which became conflated with speed.

17 Jan 2014

Immune system plays important role in heart's response to injury

The immune system plays an important role in the heart's response to injury. But until recently, confusing data made it difficult to distinguish the immune factors that encourage the heart to heal following a heart attack, for example, from those that lead to further damage.

16 Jan 2014

Babies born to smoking mothers have 47% increase in odds of becoming overweight

Many women are encouraged to quit smoking when they become pregnant using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) whether as gum, transdermal patches, nasal spray or lozenges.

16 Jan 2014

Monitoring individuals with chronic HBV is cost-effective strategy for China

A novel study determined that monitoring inactive chronic hepatitis B (HBV) carriers is a cost-effective strategy for China. However, results published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that increasing treatment, monitoring and adherence to therapy are necessary to achieve significant health benefits at the population level.

16 Jan 2014

Scientists develop strategies focused on diet to treat patients suffering from circadian dysfunctions

Living organisms have adapted to the day-night cycle and, in most cases, they have evolved a "circadian clock". Its effects are not completely known yet but its functioning has been shown to have important metabolic consequences for the body.

16 Jan 2014

New drug combination proves effective in treatment of hepatitis C

Efforts to cure hepatitis C, the liver-damaging infectious disease that has for years killed more Americans than HIV/AIDS, are about to get simpler and more effective, according to new research at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere.

16 Jan 2014

PGC-1α protein found in muscle may contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes later in life

A Montr-al research team led by Jennifer Estall at the IRCM discovered that a protein found in muscle tissue may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes later in life. The study's results, published in today's printed edition of the scientific journal American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, indicate that the protein could be a promising early predictor of increased diabetes risk.

15 Jan 2014

Hepatitis C infection varies widely among different Hispanic groups in the U.S.

The first study of hepatitis C infection among different Hispanic groups in the U.S. has found that infection with the virus varies widely, with Puerto Rican Hispanics much more likely than other groups to be infected. The study, led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, highlights which Hispanic populations would benefit most from increased hepatitis C testing and treatment.

15 Jan 2014

UMMS researchers commissioned by Alpha-1 Project to develop PiZ antibody

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have been commissioned by the Alpha-1 Project (TAP) to develop a PiZ antibody. The antibody will be used to track the presence of mutant alpha-1 PiZ protein in human blood serum, an essential tool in testing potential therapies for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1).

13 Jan 2014

Hormone associated with improved glucose metabolism activates calorie-burning brown fat

Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that a hormone long associated with weight loss and improved glucose metabolism is linked to activation of calorie-burning brown fat.

10 Jan 2014

Research: SLPI protein produced by body in response to injury plays vital role in patients with ALF

Findings published in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases journal, Hepatology, indicate that infection, the commonest cause of mortality in patients with acute liver failure, may be decreased by inhibiting the activity of a protein found in saliva called SLPI.

10 Jan 2014

Researchers deploy potential new weapon against HIV

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have deployed a potential new weapon against HIV - a combination therapy that targets HIV-infected cells that standard therapies cannot kill.

10 Jan 2014

Longer reads: Hospice drains Medicare; false Obamacare 'horror stories;' growing up without vaccines

Hospice patients are expected to die: The treatment focuses on providing comfort to the terminally ill, not finding a cure. To enroll a patient, two doctors certify a life expectancy of six months or less. But over the past decade, the number of "hospice survivors" in the United States has risen dramatically, in part because hospice companies earn more by recruiting patients who aren't actually dying, a Washington Post investigation has found. Healthier patients are more profitable because they require fewer visits and stay enrolled longer (Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating, 12/26).

9 Jan 2014

Study provides details to help scientists design better vaccines for Plasmodium vivax

A form of malaria common in India, Southeast Asia and South America attacks human red blood cells by clamping down on the cells with a pair of proteins, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has revealed.

9 Jan 2014

OxThera announces initiation of Oxabact clinical study in Primary Hyperoxaluria

OxThera AB, a Stockholm-based privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has initiated a clinical study in Primary Hyperoxaluria. This announcement bolsters the Company's position as a leader in developing therapies for hyperoxaluria, a debilitating condition that, if untreated, leads to kidney damage and end-stage renal disease.

8 Jan 2014

Research opens door to new direction of PAH treatment

The development of new, more effective vasodilators to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension has been hampered because of their systemic toxicity and adverse side effects. An international team of investigators seeking to surmount these problems and increase drug efficacy have determined that a vascular homing peptide can selectively target hypertensive pulmonary arteries to boost the pulmonary but not systemic effects of vasodilators. Importantly for potential clinical use, this peptide retains its activity when given sublingually. The results using a rat model of PAH are published in the American Journal of Pathology.

8 Jan 2014

Scientists identify how early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells become specialised cell types

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into how both early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells are directed into becoming specialised cell types, like pancreatic and liver cells. The results have just been published in the scientific journal eLife.

8 Jan 2014

AP-1 proteins modulate fat accumulation in liver, say researchers

Excessive alcohol consumption, as well as obesity leads to the accumulation of fat in the liver, a disease termed fatty liver disease (FLD) or steatosis. FLD is one of the most prevalent diseases in Western societies and affects about 30% of the adult population. Importantly, FLD increases the risk of liver failure, diabetes and cancer and no pharmacological therapies exist for this detrimental disease.

8 Jan 2014

Landes Bioscience releases special issue on sepsis

A special issue on sepsis has been released by the publisher Landes Bioscience (Austin, TX USA). The articles contained in this special issue of the journal Virulence have been authored by world-class investigators and provide new insights into both the pathogen-related factors and the host defense mechanisms that lead to septic shock and contribute to its resolution or fatal outcome.

7 Jan 2014

Liver News and Research

Vitamin D may be adjunct for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, say researchers

Longer reads: Connecting with patients; obesity origins; children with chronic disease

Immune system plays important role in heart's response to injury

Babies born to smoking mothers have 47% increase in odds of becoming overweight

Monitoring individuals with chronic HBV is cost-effective strategy for China

Scientists develop strategies focused on diet to treat patients suffering from circadian dysfunctions

New drug combination proves effective in treatment of hepatitis C

PGC-1α protein found in muscle may contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes later in life

Hepatitis C infection varies widely among different Hispanic groups in the U.S.

UMMS researchers commissioned by Alpha-1 Project to develop PiZ antibody

Hormone associated with improved glucose metabolism activates calorie-burning brown fat

Research: SLPI protein produced by body in response to injury plays vital role in patients with ALF

Researchers deploy potential new weapon against HIV

Longer reads: Hospice drains Medicare; false Obamacare 'horror stories;' growing up without vaccines

Study provides details to help scientists design better vaccines for Plasmodium vivax

OxThera announces initiation of Oxabact clinical study in Primary Hyperoxaluria

Research opens door to new direction of PAH treatment

Scientists identify how early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells become specialised cell types

AP-1 proteins modulate fat accumulation in liver, say researchers

Landes Bioscience releases special issue on sepsis

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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