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Mechanism for the in-vivo transport of siRNA

It all started with flowers: in the nineties of the last century Norwegian researchers discovered that additional copies of a particular gene in petunias inhibited its activity instead of reinforcing it as had been assumed.

18 Sep 2007

Organ transplantation for HIV-positive patients

Not long ago, organ transplantation was not considered an option for HIV infected patients.

17 Sep 2007

First fully robotic Whipple surgery in Midwest performed at University of Illinois Medical Center

A surgical team led by Dr. Pier Cristoforo Giulianotti, chief of the division of minimally invasive, general and robotic surgery at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, has performed the first fully robotic Whipple procedure in the Midwest.

17 Sep 2007

Phase 3 study on novel oral direct thrombin inhibitor

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced that the September 15 issue of The Lancet will publish results from the RE-NOVATE study, which investigated dabigatran etexilate as a potential therapy for patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery.

13 Sep 2007

Virus experts step closer to treatment for hepatitis C

Nine hundred of the world's hepatitis C experts are meeting in Glasgow this week to discuss the latest research into the disease at the 14th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses.

13 Sep 2007

New Rensselaer tools speed stem cell research

Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed tools to help solve two of the main problems slowing the progress of stem cell research - how to quickly test stem cell response to different drugs or genes, and how to create a large supply of healthy, viable stem cells to study from only a few available cells.

13 Sep 2007

New understanding of tropical disease schistosomiasis

Researchers have provided new details about the inner workings of a parasitic worm that causes a tropical disease called schistosomiasis, which leads to itchy skin, fever, chills, muscle aches, and liver disease that, in some cases, can be fatal.

13 Sep 2007

The benefits of the contraceptive pill far outweigh the risks

A study by researchers in Scotland confirms that for most women who take the contraceptive pill, the benefits far outweigh any potential risks.

12 Sep 2007

Forces unite to tackle latest outbreak of Ebola in the Congo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says another outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least five people.

12 Sep 2007

Ultraconserved non-coding RNAs may be important in human cancer

Research here shows that an obscure form of RNA, part of the protein-making machinery in all cells, might play an important role in human cancer.

12 Sep 2007

Maximizing opportunities for personalized treatment

Scientists and clinicians from around the world will gather in Atlanta, Georgia next week at the American Association for Cancer Research's second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

11 Sep 2007

First-degree relatives of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis more likely to have biomarkers of the disease

Armed with this new information, physicians could screen and assess first-degree relatives of PBC patients with a simple blood test, enabling them to diagnose and treat more patients before the disease causes irreversible liver damage. These findings were published in this month's issue of Hepatology.

11 Sep 2007

C-reactive protein shown to be a potential target for cancer treatment

Scientists report that a protein best known as a common marker of inflammation plays a key role in the progression of human cancer.

11 Sep 2007

Vitamin C inhibits the growth of some tumors

Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate Linus Pauling famously and controversially suggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that in mice at least, vitamin C - and potentially other antioxidants - can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors ¯ just not in the manner suggested by years of investigation.

11 Sep 2007

Prevention of primary variceal bleeding

Beta blockers should be the first line of prevention against variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. While banding is similarly effective in reducing the incidence of such bleeding, it can have fatal complications and is more expensive.

10 Sep 2007

Significant association between alcohol and endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women

Postmenopausal women consuming two or more alcoholic beverages a day may double their risk of endometrial cancer, suggests a study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). The study will appear in the International Journal of Cancer, and is now available online.

10 Sep 2007

Fatty hearts in pre-diabetics

A simple imaging technique developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has revealed fat buildup in the hearts of pre-diabetic people long before symptoms of heart disease or diabetes appear.

5 Sep 2007

Discovery of monoclonal antibodies which may make a successful Hepatitis C vaccine a reality

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects up to 500,000 people in the UK alone, many of the infections going undiagnosed.

4 Sep 2007

Hepatitis E virus in Europe

Hepatitis E virus infections can be fatal in pregnant women, but until recently doctors thought the disease was confined to China, India and developing countries.

4 Sep 2007

Fat: An active player in the regulation of many processes in health and disease

Why should we be interested in doing obesity-related research? Emphasis is put on this type of research simply because of the fact that the epidemiological data and predictions are alarming. Worldwide it is estimated that one person in every eight is overweight and more than 300 millions are obese

3 Sep 2007