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Use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries may actually increase the risk of death

The common use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries like those from car crashes may actually increase the risk of death, according to a new review of studies about the treatment.

24 Jan 2005

Available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated

Currently available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated with a non-human molecule that compromises their potential therapeutic use in human subjects, according to research by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.

24 Jan 2005

Activate dendritic cells turn on biological clock

A molecule specially modified by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine can reset the biological clock for cancer vaccines, potentially making them more potent.

24 Jan 2005

Priming embryonic stem cells to fulfill their promise

Bioengineering researchers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a process to help turn embryonic stem cells into the types of specialized cells being sought as possible treatments for dozens of human diseases and health conditions.

24 Jan 2005

High blood pressure risk in African-Americans linked to genetics

National health records have shown that African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure than Caucasians, but pinning down the roots of that difference has proven elusive. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to this difference in disease risk.

24 Jan 2005

Severity of liver disease not a reliable indicator of quality of life

A new study on the determination of how livers are allocated for transplants examined the relationship between liver disease severity and quality of life, and found that the commonly used model for liver allocation is not a reliable indicator of general quality of life.

24 Jan 2005

Scientists unravel first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein

Timing is everything, it seems, even in science. A team led by Johns Hopkins scientists has unraveled the first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein, only to find that it's not one step but two.

24 Jan 2005

Many of George Bush's health policies likely to be controversial in second term

Many health policies under George Bush's second term in office are likely to be controversial, warns a leading British doctor and an American colleague in this week's BMJ.

20 Jan 2005

Intellect linked to risk of suicide in young men

Intellectual capacity in early adulthood is strongly related to subsequent risk of suicide in men, finds a study in this week's BMJ.

20 Jan 2005

Mother’s diet and slimness might have long-term effects on the health of her baby

Researchers have discovered a link between the amount of blood flowing through the liver of the unborn baby in late pregnancy and the diet of expectant mums.

20 Jan 2005

Heart patients with gastrointestinal complications should use low doses of aspirin combined with drugs that treat stomach ulcers

Physicians are challenged in treating heart patients who may be at high-risk for gastrointestinal bleeding from aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Factors that place patients at high-risk include a history of ulcers or gastrointestinal complications such as bleeding, increased age and congestive heart failure.

20 Jan 2005

Cord blood transplantation now a viable option for adult leukemia patients

Stem cell transplantation using umbilical cord blood is a standard treatment option for blood disorders in children, but not for adults, due to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently large dose of cells.

20 Jan 2005

Clopidogrel (Plavix®) responses appear normal in largest data set

Although individual patients respond differently to treatment with the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel (brand name Plavix®), those variations appear normal and may not indicate important differences in the effectiveness of treatment, according to a new study (PDF file) in the Jan. 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 Jan 2005

Medicine alone may not offer best quality of life for patients with moderate heart attack risk

Routine angiography and revascularization procedures, if indicated, appear to offer better quality of life than conservative medical treatment for patients with chest pain and evidence of coronary artery disease, according to a new study (PDF file) in the Jan. 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 Jan 2005

Scientists identify fat gene

UCLA/VA scientists have identified a new gene that controls how the body produces and uses fat. Called lipin, the gene may provide a new target for therapies to control obesity, diabetes and other weight-related disorders. The first issue of the new journal Cell Metabolism publishes the findings in its January 2005 edition.

19 Jan 2005

Doctor report cards not always clear when comparing quality of care

When choosing a doctor based on increasingly popular “doctor report cards,” patients should be aware that the areas in which physicians are graded are not always clear-cut, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine.

19 Jan 2005

Program aimed at improving the quality of treatment for depression is effective at reducing depression

An intervention for adolescents aimed at improving the quality of treatment for depression is effective at reducing depression, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Jan 2005

Do well-trained hospital staff perform CPR properly?

University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether well-trained hospital staff perform CPR compressions and ventilations according to guideline recommendations.

19 Jan 2005

Simplified approach to the management of patients with an acute coronary syndrome

A simplified approach to the management of patients with an acute coronary syndrome (chest pain at rest or with mild exertion) can help ensure that precise risk-reducing strategies are followed to the letter by doctors and other caregivers of patients with this medical condition, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

19 Jan 2005

Screening tests find colorectal cancer in its earliest stages when it can be treated more successfully

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2004, it’s estimated that CRC caused nearly 57,000 deaths.

18 Jan 2005

Medicine News and Research

Use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries may actually increase the risk of death

Available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated

Activate dendritic cells turn on biological clock

Priming embryonic stem cells to fulfill their promise

High blood pressure risk in African-Americans linked to genetics

Severity of liver disease not a reliable indicator of quality of life

Scientists unravel first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein

Many of George Bush's health policies likely to be controversial in second term

Intellect linked to risk of suicide in young men

Mother’s diet and slimness might have long-term effects on the health of her baby

Heart patients with gastrointestinal complications should use low doses of aspirin combined with drugs that treat stomach ulcers

Cord blood transplantation now a viable option for adult leukemia patients

Clopidogrel (Plavix®) responses appear normal in largest data set

Medicine alone may not offer best quality of life for patients with moderate heart attack risk

Scientists identify fat gene

Doctor report cards not always clear when comparing quality of care

Program aimed at improving the quality of treatment for depression is effective at reducing depression

Do well-trained hospital staff perform CPR properly?

Simplified approach to the management of patients with an acute coronary syndrome

Screening tests find colorectal cancer in its earliest stages when it can be treated more successfully

Everything there is to know about biosimilars eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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