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Hypertension, insulin resistance and immune suppression links

Many of the 75 million Americans with essential hypertension also develop diabetes and other complications in addition to their high blood pressure, and researchers have discovered a common molecular mechanism in a strain of rat that explains why such metabolic disorders arise together in mammals.

30 Jun 2008

Growth-stimulating molecule called p110beta a promising cancer drug target in prostate tumors

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report they have blocked the development of prostate tumors in cancer-prone mice by knocking out a molecular unit they describe as a "powerhouse" that drives runaway cell growth.

27 Jun 2008

Discovery of toxic key to Alzheimer’s disease memory loss

Using new scientific techniques, scientists have unlocked the cascade of molecular events that lead to Alzheimer's disease.

26 Jun 2008

Technique for analyzing the function of microRNAs wins Barenholz Prize for Hebrew University student

A unique technique for analyzing the function of microRNAs developed by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem doctoral student has led to the discovery of a new mechanism by which viruses evade the human immune system. This discovery has important implications for human intervention in the battle between viruses and humans.

25 Jun 2008

Could Gleevec help stroke victims?

For over a decade, the drug called tPA has proven its worth as the most effective emergency treatment for the most common kind of stroke. But its promise is blemished by two facts: tPA can cause dangerous bleeding in the brain, and its brain-saving power fades fast after the third hour of a stroke.

23 Jun 2008

AMA adopts strategies to help address medical student debt - aim to help relieve physician shortage

The American Medical Association (AMA) today adopted new policy to help address the increasing medical student debt burden at its Annual Meeting.

17 Jun 2008

Drink up that coffee to reduce your risk of a heart attack!

According to new research drinking coffee on a long-term basis does not increase the risk of early death and may in fact reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.

17 Jun 2008

Misoprostol off-label use may have led to deaths

Preliminary U-M studies indicate that oral use of RU-486's companion drug misoprostol is safe, but vaginal use may undermine body's immune responses

16 Jun 2008

Women, Latinos face higher brain aneurysm risk

A type of stroke that can strike at any age, and kills one-third of its victims, appears to be more common in women and Mexican-Americans than in non-Hispanic white men, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Stroke Program.

15 Jun 2008

Nanoparticles trigger built-in cell-death signal to overcome drug resistance

One of the most vexing problems in treating cancer is the propensity of tumors to develop resistance to a wide range of anticancer drugs. Over 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients, for example, have drug-resistant tumors at the time of their initial diagnosis, and virtually all patients who relapse have drug-resistant tumors.

15 Jun 2008

Rural, unmarried women at higher risk for depression

Mayo Clinic research suggests unmarried women living in rural areas have lower self-rated health status than their married counterparts.

11 Jun 2008

Discovery of gene linked to adult-onset obesity

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered a gene that may provide a clue as to why obesity rates increase with age. The research was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Jun 2008

Vitamin D, "the heart tranquilizer"

Strong bones, a healthy immune system, protection against some types of cancer: Recent studies suggest there's yet another item for the expanding list of vitamin D benefits. Vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," keeps the heart, the body's long-distance runner, fit for life's demands.

11 Jun 2008

Study recommends development of standards for pediatric doses in nuclear medicine

Results of a recent survey of 13 pediatric hospitals in North America show a lack of universally applied standards for administering radiopharmaceutical doses to children undergoing nuclear medicine examinations, according to an article in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

11 Jun 2008

Drug combo offers new approach for reversing type 1 diabetes

Promising results from a study that tested a new approach for reversing Type 1 diabetes are being presented this week at the American Diabetes Association's 68th Annual Scientific Session in San Francisco.

11 Jun 2008

Computed tomography lung cancer screening no cure-all for smokers

Screening for lung cancer with computed tomography (CT) may help reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, but it won't protect them from other causes of death associated with smoking, according to a new study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology.

11 Jun 2008

Bill 'best way to ensure' transparency of possible conflicts of interest, editorial states

A report published last week that found three researchers from Harvard Medical School were "vastly underreporting their income from drug companies" offers "striking proof that today's requirements for reporting payments from industry -- essentially an honor system in which researchers are supposed to reveal their outside income to their institutions" -- must "be strengthened," a New York Times editorial states.

11 Jun 2008

Sunshine vitamin protect against heart attacks

In a study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, it has been found that men with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk for heart attacks.

10 Jun 2008

Having heart surgery? Watch your blood sugar

Nearly half of all heart surgery patients may experience blood sugar levels high enough to require temporary insulin treatment after their operation, even though they've never had diabetes, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.

10 Jun 2008

Sen. Grassley issues report on conflict-of-interest probe into improper payment disclosures by three Harvard psychiatrists

Three well-known psychiatric researchers from Harvard Medical School may have violated federal and educational institution regulations by failing to properly disclose drug industry payments and other conflicts of interest, according to an investigation report published last week by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in the Congressional Record, the Wall Street Journal reports (Armstrong, Wall Street Journal, 6/9).

10 Jun 2008