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ACT receives Australian patent for human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it has been issued a patent in Australia, patent number 2005325753, "Improved modalities for the treatment of degenerative diseases of the retina."

28 Jul 2012

Sirolimus has anti-skin cancer effect in kidney transplant patients

Switching from calcineurin inhibitors to a sirolimus-containing immunosuppression regimen may help reduce the incidence of secondary skin cancer after kidney transplantation, suggests research published in TheNew England Journal of Medicine.

27 Jul 2012

Anakinra can dramatically limit amount of brain damage in stroke patients

Scientists led by the President of The University of Manchester have demonstrated a drug which can dramatically limit the amount of brain damage in stroke patients.

From The University of Manchester 27 Jul 2012

Skin microbiota may help protect the body from infection

A research team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally live in the skin may help protect the body from infection. As the largest organ of the body, the skin represents a major site of interaction with microbes in the environment.

27 Jul 2012

Vitamin A insufficiency linked to hand, foot and mouth disease

Vitamin A status is associated with immunity to, and pathogenic condition of, hand, foot, and mouth disease in children, say researchers whose study results show that the majority of those with the infectious disease also had vitamin A insufficiency.

26 Jul 2012

New association found between basal cell carcinoma and eczema

In the powerful sunlight of July, newly published results from a large study of people at high risk for basal cell carcinoma support the emerging view of the nation's most common cancer as a chronic ailment that often repeatedly afflicts older people but for which the seeds may be planted in youth. The research also found a new association with eczema.

26 Jul 2012

Tips to prevent illness in crowds

Massive crowds from around the globe will mingle in London during the Olympics, and that means a world-class array of germs will mix with them. Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert Gregory Poland, M.D., offers several tips for avoiding illness when you are around lots of people, whether at the Olympics, a professional football game, convention, arena concert or other major event.

26 Jul 2012

Studies look at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia

Two recent studies in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) looked at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia, the technical term for high blood glucose, or high blood sugar.

26 Jul 2012

NIH grants aim at creating 3-D tissue chips to help identify drug safety signals

Seventeen National Institutes of Health grants are aimed at creating 3-D chips with living cells and tissues that accurately model the structure and function of human organs such as the lung, liver and heart. Once developed, these tissue chips will be tested with compounds known to be safe or toxic in humans to help identify the most reliable drug safety signals - ultimately advancing research to help predict the safety of potential drugs in a faster, more cost-effective way.

25 Jul 2012

MASL protein from plant's seeds may halt spread of melanoma

An international team of scientists led by Gary Goldberg, PhD, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM), has found that a protein from the seeds of a plant used for centuries in traditional medicines may be able to halt the spread of melanoma, a lethal form of skin cancer.

25 Jul 2012

HemoGlobe device can identify women with anemia

Could a low-cost screening device connected to a cell phone save thousands of women and children from anemia-related deaths and disabilities? That's the goal of Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering undergraduates who've developed a noninvasive way to identify women with this dangerous blood disorder in developing nations. The device, HemoGlobe, is designed to convert the existing cell phones of health workers into a "prick-free" system for detecting and reporting anemia at the community level.

25 Jul 2012

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

Human defensins, aptly named antimicrobial peptides, are made in immune system cells and epithelial cells (such as skin cells and cells that line the gut). One of these peptides, human neutrophil peptide 1, under certain circumstances hinders HIV infection, but exactly how it works remains unclear.

25 Jul 2012

Sunbed users at a 20% increased relative risk of skin cancer

Of 63,942 new cases of cutaneous melanoma (a form of skin cancer) diagnosed each year in Europe an estimated 3,438 (5.4%) are related to sunbed use. Sunbed users are at a 20% increased relative risk of skin cancer compared with those who have never used a sunbed. This risk doubles if they start before the age of 35 and experts warn that “tougher actions” are needed to reduce this risk.

25 Jul 2012

New large animal model for human cancer studies

A naturally occurring line of immunodeficient pigs can support the growth of human tumors injected under their skin, offering a promising new large animal model for studying human cancers and testing new drugs and treatment strategies.

24 Jul 2012

Study identifies MDM4 protein as promising target for treatment of melanoma

A melanoma is a malignant form of skin cancer and is one of the most aggressive types of tumors there is. Treatment is particularly difficult, because melanomas are usually resistant against conventional chemotherapy treatments.

24 Jul 2012

UV induction of melanin is directly involved in melanoma formation

A new study conducted by GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) researchers Edward C. De Fabo, Ph.D., Frances P. Noonan, Ph.D., and Anastas Popratiloff, M.D., Ph.D., has been published in the journal Nature Communications. Their paper, entitled "Melanoma induction by ultraviolet A but not ultraviolet B radiation requires melanin pigment," was published in June 2012.

24 Jul 2012

Oral immunotherapy hope for egg allergy in children

Oral immunotherapy for the treatment of egg allergy results in desensitization with long-lasting results in three-quarters of children, show study findings.

23 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 23, 2012

In this Kaiser Health News video, Greg Millett, a senior policy advisor in the Office of National AIDS Policy, tells Joanne Silberner that the president's National HIV/AIDS Strategy has improved coordination among federal agencies and that the 2010 health law will improve access to care for those living with HIV/AIDS.

23 Jul 2012

Sandoz acquires Fougera Pharmaceuticals

Sandoz has completed its USD 1.525 billion acquisition of specialty US dermatology company Fougera Pharmaceuticals on a cash and debt free basis.

23 Jul 2012

Scientists uncover how internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain

Scientists at the University of Manchester have uncovered how the internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain. The findings open up new avenues in the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases by analysing the cellular processes underlying these conditions.

21 Jul 2012