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Adult stem cells play no role in insulin production

Diabetes researchers, investigating how the body supplies itself with insulin, discovered to their surprise that adult stem cells, which they expected to play a crucial role in the process, were nowhere to be found.

8 May 2007

PET-CT is better for early detection of muscular lymphoma than CT alone

For the study, PET-CT was used to image 305 patients with lymphoma. Twelve of these patients had muscular involvement in which 10 were biopsy proven and two were proven by imaging follow-up.

8 May 2007

Losing weight through calorie cutting won't lead to increased disability in older women

Unintentional weight loss in older adults often leads to frailty, a decline in physical function and even death.

8 May 2007

Heart-assist devices may help some end-stage heart failure patients avoid transplant

Implanted pumps improved heart function enough in a small percentage of patients awaiting a heart transplant that they were able to leave the hospital without a pump and without a new heart, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

8 May 2007

Should hyperthyroidism patients consider combining Chinese and Western medicine?

It might not be a bad idea for people with overactive thyroids to supplement their standard treatment with Chinese herbal medicine, a new review suggests.

4 May 2007

Botox decreases pain and intensity of spasticity following a stroke

Final results from a multi-center study shows that repeated treatments of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA or Botox?) over one year is well tolerated and results in a significant decrease in spasticity, pain frequency and average pain intensity in upper limbs following stroke, according to research from a neurologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

4 May 2007

$Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis$

Treatment with zoledronic acid effective in reducing fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis

A treatment for osteoporosis delivered once a year is as effective as current monthly or weekly osteoporosis regimens at reducing the incidence of bone fractures, according to a new study led by a UCSF research team.

4 May 2007

Machine preservation may promote more organ sharing

Preserving the kidneys of deceased older donors on a pump, as opposed to the conventional method of storing and transporting organs in a cooler, may lower hospital costs, improve initial organ function, and promote greater use and more sharing of organs, according to new research by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

4 May 2007

Mesoblast receives FDA clearance for heart attack stem cell trial

Australia's adult stem cell company, Mesoblast Limited has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug Submission (IND) of its US-based sister company, Angioblast Systems Inc., to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial of its allogeneic, or 'off-the-shelf', adult stem cells for patients with heart attacks.

4 May 2007

BioMarin starts phase 2a study of 6R-BH4 in sickle cell disease

BioMarin Pharmaceutical has announced that the first patient has initiated treatment in the Phase 2a clinical study of 6R-BH4 (sapropterin dihydrochloride) for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD).

4 May 2007

Reclast found to cause abnormal heart rhythms

An osteoporosis drug with the potential to cut the risk of spine fractures by 70 percent and the chance of hip fractures by 41 percent, has been found to have an adverse side effect on some women.

3 May 2007

Infliximab fails to improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms

A promising anti-inflammatory drug failed to improve symptoms of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in a large, multi-center trial.

2 May 2007

New treatments have major impact on heart failure rates

Deaths from severe heart attacks following admission to hospital have nearly halved in six years as a result of advances in medical treatment.

2 May 2007

1758 cases of malaria reported in UK travellers in 2006

1386 of the cases were due to the potentially fatal Plasmodium falciparum which is a major international health risk and which kills more than a million people a year in Africa. 219 were due to Plasmodium vivax which causes a debilitating disease, but is rarely fatal.

2 May 2007

Laparoscopic gastric banding surgery improves insulin resistance

A new study examining the overall and gender-related effects of laparoscopic gastric banding surgery (LGBS) on insulin resistance, body composition, and metabolic risk markers six months post-surgery has found significant improvements in insulin resistance.

2 May 2007

Higher calcium and vitamin D intake linked to brain lesions in seniors

Elderly men and women who consumed higher levels of calcium and vitamin D are significantly more likely to have greater volumes of brain lesions, regions of damage that can increase risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, depression and stroke.

2 May 2007

Green tea shows potential for HIV-associated dementia prevention

A compound derived from green tea greatly diminished the neurotoxicity of proteins secreted by the human immunodeficiency virus, suggesting a new approach to the prevention and treatment of HIV-associated dementia, also known as AIDS dementia complex.

2 May 2007