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Muscle stem cell identity confirmed

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell.

17 Sep 2008

Triple cocktail of medicines to tackle stroke risk

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are to investigate whether giving recovering stroke patients a triple cocktail of medicines could reduce their chances of a further attack.

17 Sep 2008

24 percent of U.S. women affected by pelvic floor disorders

Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes physical discomfort and limits activity.

17 Sep 2008

Mother's flu shot protects newborns

Newborns can be protected from seasonal flu when their mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

17 Sep 2008

Flies reveal immune cell response to tumour and tissue damage

Research with fruit flies has revealed more in common between simple cuts and scratches and the growth of tumours than might have been expected.

17 Sep 2008

Prostate cancer genes behave like those in embryo

Gene activity in prostate cancer is reminiscent of that in the developing fetal prostate, providing further evidence that all cancers are not equal, Johns Hopkins researchers report. The finding could help scientists investigate how to manipulate the genetic program to fight a disease whose biology remains poorly understood despite more than half a century of investigation.

16 Sep 2008

GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort submit NDA for Solzira for restless legs syndrome

GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort, Inc. announced today that a New Drug Application (NDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting approval of Solzira (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

16 Sep 2008

AIDS Healthcare Foundation says "shame on Abbott"

As part of its ongoing campaign to lower drug prices and improve access to lifesaving AIDS treatments globally, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which operates three free treatment clinics in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Tuxtla Gutierrez) today unveiled a new print advertisement criticizing Abbott Laboratories, Inc. for the steep price it charges for its key AIDS drug Kaletra in Mexico.

16 Sep 2008

Study questions use of newer antipsychotic drugs in children

A new study has found that older antipsychotic drugs are as effective as newer ones for some children.

16 Sep 2008

Unusual case of a woman who suffered stroke after having sexual intercourse

Minutes after having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suddenly felt her left arm go weak. Her speech became slurred and she lost feeling on the left side of her face.

15 Sep 2008

Scientists identify kidney failure susceptibility gene

Scientists at Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine have, for the first time, identified variants in the gene MYH9 that are associated with increased risk for non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD,) which is the near-loss of kidney function leading to either dialysis of transplant. MYH9, located on the 22 chromosome, is the first gene identified for common forms of kidney disease.

15 Sep 2008

Ohio bill would ban public funding for health care services to undocumented immigrants

A bill pending in the Ohio Legislature would ban the use of tax revenue for routine medical care of undocumented immigrants, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

15 Sep 2008

DNA vaccine developed at the Karmanos Cancer Institute fights HER2-positive cancers

Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a HER2 DNA vaccine that has shown to be effective on drug resistant tumors in mice. The study was reported in the September 15 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

15 Sep 2008

Gender differences in experience of rheumatism

Rheumatoid arthritis is often a more painful experience for women than it is for men, even though the visible symptoms are the same.

15 Sep 2008

30 years on from Alma-Ata and the pendulum is swinging back to primary health care

Thirty years on from the signing of the historic Alma-Ata declaration, the famous rallying call to the global health community, the concept of Primary Health Care, which lay at its heart, is back on the global agenda.

15 Sep 2008

'Dodgy dossier' partly to blame for failure of war against malaria in the tropics

The war against malaria in tropical countries was fought and lost in the 20th Century on the basis of faulty intelligence, a 'dodgy dossier' which argued that the same methods used to tackle the disease in temperate countries would also work in the tropics.

15 Sep 2008

Neuroscientists discover a critical early step of memory formation

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report in the July issue of Neuron how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins - including one linked to mental retardation - that typically prevent proteins from being made.

14 Sep 2008