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Tobacco plants being used to produce human albumin

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the intravenous protein most commonly used in the world for therapeutic ends. It is employed to stabilise blood volume and to avoid risk of a heart attack, its administration in operating theatres being almost a daily occurrence.

27 Mar 2006

Link between alcohol abuse and dependence with medical conditions in two American Indian reservation communities

Alcohol abuse and dependence are known to be major health problems among American Indians, yet little research has examined alcohol's detrimental effect on organ systems among these populations.

27 Mar 2006

Increase in Vitamin E tied to fewer in utero deaths

Manipulating the in utero environment may alter the onset of cancers that appear later in the lives of mammals, according to a new University of Toronto study published in the journal Carcinogenesis.

23 Mar 2006

Scientists develop new research mice to help understand "good" cholesterol

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues have developed new research mice to help them better understand how the body makes and uses "good" cholesterol to protect against heart attacks and strokes.

21 Mar 2006

New technology - desorption electrospray ionization detects the boundaries of cancerous tumors

Researchers at Purdue University have shown how a new ultra-fast chemical-analysis tool has numerous promising uses for detecting everything from cancer in the liver to explosives residues on luggage and "biomarkers" in urine that provide an early warning for diseases.

21 Mar 2006

Atorvastatin could prove an effective therapy for multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University Medical Center are reporting compelling new evidence that the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin could prove an effective therapy for preventing the progression of, and reversing the severity of, multiple sclerosis (MS).

20 Mar 2006

Studying the gene-expression profiles of patients with colorectal cancer might help predict their response to chemotherapy

Studying the gene-expression profiles of patients with colorectal cancer might help predict their response to chemotherapy.

15 Mar 2006

Man-made chemical compound targets and kills tumor cells

A man-made chemical compound called ARC causes tumor cells to die but leaves normal cells unharmed, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report in a study highlighted in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.

15 Mar 2006

Best seller Lipitor shown to improve kidney function

According to drug maker Pfizer it's top selling product worldwide, the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor (Atorvastatin) has been shown to improve kidney function in patients with heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

New vaccines will protect against cancer

The leading cancer charity in Britain is predicting that thousands of cancers will be prevented every year as specific vaccines are developed.

13 Mar 2006

Exposure to toxins from hazardous waste sites may be a significant risk factor for developing primary biliary cirrhosis

Published in the March 2006 issue of Hepatology, researchers found significant clusters of the disease near Superfund toxic waste sites (SFS) and that the majority of patients in New York City who need liver transplants because of PBC, reside near SFS.

13 Mar 2006

New hepatitis drug much more effective

Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for an enormous burden of disease throughout the world, including up to half of all cases of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma, a cancer of the liver.

9 Mar 2006

Gene regulation determines human-chimp differences

The vast differences between humans and chimpanzees are due more to changes in gene regulation than differences in individual genes themselves

9 Mar 2006

Link between coffee consumption and risk of myocardial infarction greater with certain gene variation

Individuals who have a genetic variation associated with slower caffeine metabolism appear to have an increased risk of non-fatal heart attack associated with higher amounts of coffee intake

9 Mar 2006

Test for LDH enzyme may help determine risk factors in sickle cell disease

Researchers have found that a simple test for an enzyme called LDH may have significant importance for determining major risk factors in adults with sickle cell disease.

9 Mar 2006

Validation of cardiovascular risk scores in a liver transplant population

Two methods of assessing a patient's risk of cardiovascular events - SCORE and PROCAM - proved more valuable for liver transplant recipients than an alternative method, according to a new study.

7 Mar 2006

Interferon-producing killer dendritic cell speeds up immune reactions and fights cancer

A mouse immune cell that plays dual roles as both assassin and messenger, normally the job of two separate cells, has been discovered by an international team of researchers from the United States and France.

7 Mar 2006

Genetic background to ravages of obesity

Why do some overweight people stay healthy (apart from possible musculo-skeletal disorders) while obesity in other individuals leads to complications like diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

6 Mar 2006

GenoMed awarded second patent, for avoiding dialysis in acute kidney failure

GenoMed announced today that it received its second patent (US Patent #6,998,404) for the "Treatment or prevention of acute renal failure." Acute kidney failure usually happens when a patient gets dehydrated.

1 Mar 2006