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Efforts to raise awareness on teen substance abuse

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) today echoed the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's call for increased parental awareness about the intentional abuse of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines among teenagers.

23 Apr 2005

Scientists have, for the first time, induced a state of reversible metabolic hibernation in mice

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have, for the first time, induced a state of reversible metabolic hibernation in mice. This achievement, the first demonstration of "hibernation on demand" in a mammal, ultimately could lead to new ways to treat cancer and prevent injury and death from insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues.

23 Apr 2005

Teens get high on painkillers

The latest study, by a group called the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, has found that approximately one in five teenagers have tried to get high by using prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin which they often find in their parents' medicine cabinets.

23 Apr 2005

Nanoparticles reveal tiny cancerous tumors

Specially designed nanoparticles can reveal tiny cancerous tumors that are invisible by ordinary means of detection, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

22 Apr 2005

Aging population correlates with a switch from acute infectious diseases to chronic diseases as the major cause of morbidity and mortality

Some diseases like ulcers and certain types of cancer, once thought to be primarily related to lifestyle factors, are now known to be caused by microorganisms, and many more syndromes, including some psychiatric conditions, may have a connection to infection, according to a report released today by the American Academy of Microbiology.

22 Apr 2005

Mice put into "suspended animation" in U.S.

Researchers from the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle have placed mice in a state of near suspended animation, raising the possibility that in future hibernation could be induced in humans.

22 Apr 2005

Genetic variation linked to alcohol dependence

The same gene that accounts for part of a genetic risk for developing alcoholism in a U.S. population is found in a Russian population, according to a published study by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

22 Apr 2005

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

In a recent study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science paired the active ingredient of a garden remedy with advanced bio-technology to deliver a powerful punch against cancer. The cancer killing effectiveness lies in their technique of arming a cancer-targeting antibody with the destructive potential of the dietary molecule otherwise known as "allicin."

22 Apr 2005

Cancer patients may one day benefit from treatment with mixtures of customized antibodies

In a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), a team of Weizmann Institute scientists have demonstrated how the right combination might form a web that destroys the cancer cell's communication network, ultimately demobilizing the cell.

22 Apr 2005

One step closer to personalized medical treatment

A new study by 64 renowned scientists may bring us one step closer to personalized medical treatment--that is, medical treatment tailored to each person's unique genetic make-up and medical condition.

22 Apr 2005

Enzyme that helps trigger the development of leukemia

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified an enzyme that helps trigger the development of leukemia, a cancer of blood cells.

21 Apr 2005

Discovery may lead to new drugs to prevent sexually transmitted HIV infection

Scientists have long suspected that HIV hijacks immune cells called dendritic cells to infiltrate the immune system. Now UCLA AIDS Institute researchers have shown that blocking HIV's access to a naturally occurring molecule on dendritic cells may cut their ability to smuggle the virus into other immune cells.

21 Apr 2005

First time video capture of chemical signals that traverse human cells messaging

Researchers at UCSD and UC Irvine have captured on video for the first time chemical signals that traverse human cells in response to tiny mechanical jabs, like waves spreading from pebbles tossed into a pond. The scientists released the videos and technical details that explain how the visualization effect was created as part of a paper published in the April 21 issue of Nature.

21 Apr 2005

Body's 24-hour internal clock linked to obesity and diabetes

Obesity and diabetes in both adults and children are rising at alarming rates and a wide range of culprits -- super-sized food portions, lack of exercise due to television, computers, suburban sprawl and loss of gym classes, high-fat and fast foods, sugar-laden drinks and psychological trauma -- have been blamed.

21 Apr 2005

Strongest evidence yet that infectious misformed proteins cause mad cow disease

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have produced the strongest proof yet that the mysterious and devastating brain diseases known as "transmissible spongiform encephalopathies" (TSEs) are transmitted by an infectious agent composed only of a malformed protein, and not a virus.

21 Apr 2005

Adolescents not receiving health counseling

Fewer than 50 percent of adolescent medical checkups include preventive health counseling, despite the demonstrated effectiveness of doctor-delivered advice in promoting healthy behavior as well as reducing risky behavior in teens.

21 Apr 2005

It will be at least a decade before a malaria vaccine is available

A seminar on malaria in this week’s issue of The Lancet states that it will be at least a decade before a vaccine for the disease will be ready for widespread use and emphasises the need to expand the use of existing control methods.

21 Apr 2005

Anti-malarial drug combo could help address malaria crisis in Africa

Using a combination of two drugs—artemether and lumefantrine—is the most effective way to treat malaria in the areas of Africa where resistance to commonly used malaria drugs is high, concludes a randomised trial published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

21 Apr 2005

Who needs health care - the well or the sick?

Shifting drug spending from the worried well in rich countries to those with treatable disease in poorer nations will benefit the health of everyone, argues a doctor in this week's BMJ.

21 Apr 2005

Counting the human cost of international trade

International trade is creating a global road safety crisis that only serves to inhibit development and perpetuate poverty, argues an expert in this week's BMJ.

21 Apr 2005