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Immune genes adapt to parasites

Thank parasites for making some of our immune proteins into the inflammatory defenders they are today, according to a population genetics study that will appear in the June 8 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine (online May 25).

25 May 2009

Statins may help prevent stroke recurrence

People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins after a stroke may be less likely to have another stroke later, according to research published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2009

Transition to menopause may cause trouble learning

The largest study of its kind to date shows that women may not be able to learn as well shortly before menopause compared to other stages in life. The research is published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2009

Development of innovative nanotechnology drug delivery system for the treatment of pain

Z-Cube Srl, the corporate venture arm of Zambon Company SpA, and Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for Z-Cube to develop and commercialize an innovative nanotechnology drug delivery system for the treatment of pain.

25 May 2009

Researchers unlock mystery of potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have pinpointed the cellular defect that increases the likelihood, among eczema sufferers, of developing eczema vaccinatum, a severe and potentially fatal reaction to the smallpox vaccine.

25 May 2009

Pedometers - a great way to tackle obesity in the young!

New research by Australian scientists has revealed that pedometers are as equally as effective in children as they are in adults in encouraging more physical activity.

24 May 2009

Recognition for pioneering stem cell research to mend broken bones

Funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) could lead to the development of new and better treatments for broken bones and other orthopaedic problems associated with ageing.

24 May 2009

New understanding on how superbugs manipulate the immune system

It appears that some superbugs have evolved to develop the ability to manipulate the immune system to everyone's advantage.

24 May 2009

Pregnant women should steer clear of advice to "eat for two"

Alison Stuebe, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, reviewed data for more than 1,300 women and found that those who consumed extra calories, as well as fried foods and dairy products, were more likely to gain more than is recommended during pregnancy - that's 35 pounds or more for a woman with a normal body mass index, or BMI.

22 May 2009

Reducing medical residents' hours would cost $2.5 billion annually, study says

Implementing proposed reductions in the number of hours medical residents work could cost as much as $2.5 billion annually, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Baltimore Sun reports.

22 May 2009

Milk may help build muscle - with or without exercise!

The Victorian researchers along with researchers at MG Nutritionals have found from studies with mice that a compound in milk might hold the key to beating a combination of disorders that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

22 May 2009

Life is tough for IVF twins early on

Australian researchers have found that twins conceived as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) do it tough, especially early in life.

22 May 2009

Scientists shed new light on why pancreatic cancer drugs can fail

Cancer Research UK scientists led an international team of investigators who have discovered a new mechanism that may explain why pancreatic cancer patients are often resistant to a common chemotherapy treatment called gemcitabine, according to a study published in Science.

22 May 2009

62nd World Health Assembly closes with resolutions on public health

The 62nd World Health Assembly, which brought together health ministers and senior health officials from WHO's Member States, closed today with the adoption of resolutions on a variety of global health issues including primary health care, the prevention and control of multidrug- resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, public health, innovation and intellectual property and pandemic influenza preparedness. The Health Assembly also passed the Programme Budget for 2010 -2011.

22 May 2009

Tamed virus wipes out cancer safely

Cancer Research UK scientists have tamed a virus so that it attacks and destroys cancer cells but does not harm healthy cells, according to a paper published in PLoS Pathogens, today.

22 May 2009

HER2/neu protein predicts development of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ

Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who exhibit an overexpression of the protein HER2/neu have a six-fold increase in risk of invasive breast cancer, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

22 May 2009

Research looks at ways to reduce the over-prescribing of antibiotics

Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing number of inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, a joint Cardiff University trial has discovered.

22 May 2009

Genetic testing for breast or ovarian cancer risk may be greatly underutilized

Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health care providers.

22 May 2009

Researchers discuss combined approach to maximize benefits and minimize risks of stem cell therapy

Once placed into a patient's body, stem cells intended to treat or cure a disease could end up wreaking havoc simply because they are no longer under the control of the clinician.

22 May 2009

African-American women breast cancer sufferers often refuse chemotherapy and radiation therapy

A new study finds that nearly one in four African American women with late stage breast cancer refused chemotherapy and radiation therapy, potentially life saving therapies.

22 May 2009