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Research to explore why lupus therapies work for some, not others

The results should shed light not only on the mechanisms behind the disease, but more broadly on the workings of our immune system, especially how our bodies churn out and "train" key combat-ready immune cells, called B-cells.

8 Feb 2009

Extra copies of LIS1 gene carry extra risk

Is more of a good thing better? A gene known as LIS1 is crucial for ensuring the proper placement of neurons in the developing brain.

5 Feb 2009

Calcitrol - active form of vitamin D - stimulates protein that inhibits growth of breast cancer cells

Calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D, has been found to induce a tumor suppressing protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a study by researcher Sylvia Chistakos, Ph.D., of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

5 Feb 2009

Researchers uncover serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4's role in severity of drinking

New research from the University of Virginia Health System could help explain why some alcoholics are more severe drinkers than others.

5 Feb 2009

Researchers discover "master gene" behind blood vessel development

In a first of its kind discovery, University of Minnesota researchers have identified the "master gene" behind blood vessel development.

5 Feb 2009

Study tests salsalate anti-inflammatory for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes

Researchers in 20 medical centers across the country are enrolling adults with type 2 diabetes who have poorly controlled blood glucose to participate in a clinical study, Targeting Inflammation with Salsalate in Type 2 Diabetes (TINSAL-T2D).

5 Feb 2009

Source of cancer stem cells' resistance to radiation discovered

Much to the dismay of patients and physicians, cancer stem cells - tiny powerhouses that generate and maintain tumor growth in many types of cancers - are relatively resistant to the ionizing radiation often used as therapy for these conditions.

5 Feb 2009

Sangamo BioSciences starts trial of CCR5-ZFP therapeutic to treat HIV/AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. has announced that its collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania have opened a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate SB-728-T for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

5 Feb 2009

Research highlights need for licensed medicines for children

A new study has shown there is an urgent need for more children to take part in clinical trials to make sure medicines can be licensed for their safe and effective use.

5 Feb 2009

New research may lead to new pharmacologic approaches to treating obesity

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have discovered a gene that when mutated causes obesity by dampening the body's ability to burn energy while leaving appetite unaffected.

5 Feb 2009

Guidance for evaluating menopause-like condition in girls and young women

A comprehensive plan to help health care professionals diagnose and treat primary ovarian insufficiency-a menopause-like condition affecting girls and young women that may occur years before normal menopause is expected-has been developed by a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

5 Feb 2009

Super-fine oil-and-water emulsion protects against superbugs that kill cystic fibrosis patients

University of Michigan scientists report highly encouraging evidence that a super-fine oil-and-water emulsion, already shown to kill many other microbes, may be able to quell the ravaging, often drug-resistant infections that cause nearly all cystic fibrosis deaths.

5 Feb 2009

More children need medical help for respiratory syncytial virus than previously known

More than 2 million children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are seen in hospitals, emergency rooms and doctors' offices in the United States every year -- many more than doctors know.

5 Feb 2009

Molecule that suppresses immune response under study in type 1 diabetes

The idea is to teach the immune system of children at high risk for type 1 diabetes not to attack the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

5 Feb 2009

Researchers identify gene mutations that affect learning, memory in children

Mental deficiency is the most frequently occurring, yet least understood handicap in children.

5 Feb 2009

Many neglected diseases lacking research funding

The first comprehensive survey of global spending on neglected disease R&D, published in this week's PLoS Medicine , finds that just over $US 2.5 billion was invested into R&D of new products in 2007, with three diseases-HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria-receiving nearly 80% of the total

5 Feb 2009

HIPAA privacy rule fails to adequately protect patient privacy and hampers health research

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule does not adequately protect the privacy of people's personal health information and hinders important health research discoveries, concludes a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

5 Feb 2009

Genetic marker for insecticide resistance in mosquitoes identified

Research led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has identified the genetic basis for resistance to commonly-used insecticides in one of the major malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Africa.

5 Feb 2009

FDA issues early communication about Xigris safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it is working with the maker of Xigris (drotrecogin alfa activated), Eli Lilly and Company, to further evaluate the incidence of serious bleeding events and death in patients who receive Xigris, a drug used to treat severe sepsis (a blood stream infection).

5 Feb 2009

Breast cancer risk rapidly declines after women stop taking postmenopausal combined hormone therapy

Women who stopped taking the postmenopausal hormone combination of estrogen plus progestin experienced a marked decline in breast cancer risk which was unrelated to mammography utilization change, according to a study from the Women's Health Initiative led by a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) investigator that was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Feb 2009