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New study sheds light on origins of myeloid leukemia

A new study by the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center, sheds light on the origins of myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer that affects children and adults.

13 May 2011

Patients with sickle cell disease may require higher, frequent doses of morphine

Frequent episodes of severe pain occur in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and require treatment with potent opioid medications. A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that SCD patients clear morphine from their blood stream quickly and, therefore, require high doses to achieve optimal analgesia.

13 May 2011

UCSD scientists discover steroid hormone that inhibits brain inflammation

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a steroid hormone that inhibits inflammation in the brain. The findings, to be published in the May 13 issue of the journal Cell, have implications for understanding the exaggerated inflammatory responses that are characteristic features of numerous neurodegenerative diseases.

13 May 2011

Gene manipulation can improve survival rates during sepsis infection

Sepsis is a major killer in hospital intensive care units. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found that manipulating a genetic factor that can launch or throttle the body's defenses can improve survival rates during bacterial infection.

13 May 2011

Researchers identify miRNA in blood serum of lung cancer patients

Researchers have identified characteristic patterns of molecules called microRNA in the blood of people with lung cancer that might reveal both the presence and aggressiveness of the disease, and perhaps who is at risk of developing it.

13 May 2011

Scientists uncover gene responsible for Adams-Oliver Syndrome

Scientists at King's College London have, for the first time, uncovered a gene responsible for Adams-Oliver Syndrome, a condition which can cause birth defects of the heart, limbs, or blood vessels.

13 May 2011

Study provides evidence that adult planarians harbor pluripotent stem cells

A single adult cell from one of the most impressive masters of regeneration in the animal kingdom - the planarian - is all it takes to build a completely functional new worm, researchers have learned. The study provides the first hard evidence that adult planarians harbor pluripotent stem cells - cells capable of producing the diverse range of tissue types necessary to build a complete animal.

13 May 2011

Study: OVA1 blood test can accurately predict ovarian cancer in women with pelvic masses

A study published online ahead of print in the June 2011 edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology demonstrated that American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology guidelines for determining the likelihood that an ovarian mass is cancerous prior to surgery would accurately identify more women with ovarian cancer if the OVA1 blood test were used in place of the currently recommended CA 125 blood test.

From Quest Diagnostics 13 May 2011

Hydroxyurea safe and effective for infants, toddlers with sickle-cell disease

In what is being hailed as a significant advance in the treatment of children with sickle cell anemia, a drug commonly used to treat adults has been shown to be safe and effective in children.

13 May 2011

Doctors miss blood clots costing millions to the NHS: Report

According to to figures from the NHS Litigation Authority, the NHS has paid out over £112m since 2005 in compensation because doctors have failed to spot or prevent fatal blood clots.

12 May 2011

Nearly one third of the miners on a synthetic form of cannabis

New research has revealed that a synthetic form of cannabis is being consumed and has shown up in one in ten West Australian mine workers’ urine samples. The state's ChemCentre provides forensic testing for police and the State Coroner. They have been given the contract on an increasing basis by private companies in mining regions to test their workers for the substance, known as Kronic.

12 May 2011

Liver cells made in the lab using skin cells: Study

In a medical breakthrough, researchers have been able to convert skin cells into liver cells. This could one day eliminate the need for organ transplants, they say.

12 May 2011

McGill research team finds distinct disease-causing mutations and saves baby girl

About two years ago, Dr. Philippe Gros, a McGill University professor in the Department of Biochemistry and a Principal Investigator in thd McGill Life Sciences Complex, described a mouse mutant that was immunodeficient and hypersensitive to the Bacille Calmette-Gu-rin (BCG) vaccine and to tuberculosis (TB).

12 May 2011

59-year-old enrolls in study of stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass

A 59-year-old Houston man became the first individual in the United States to enroll in a study using stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass to treat severe heart failure.

12 May 2011

Researchers help explain why smart drugs are not effective in some cancer patients

Some of the most effective and expensive cancer drugs, dubbed "smart drugs" for their ability to stop tumors by targeting key drivers of cancer cell growth, are not effective in some patients. In two related studies, Yale School of Medicine researchers examined one such driver, the EGF receptor, and found that a decoy receptor might be limiting the amount of drug that gets to the intended target.

12 May 2011

German doctors among first to treat ischemic stroke patients with new blood clot retrieval device

Doctors in Germany are among the first to treat ischemic stroke patients outside the United States with the REVIVE SE, a new self-expanding blood clot retrieval and removal device designed to remove blood clots and restore blood flow to the brain in patients having a stroke.

12 May 2011

Swedish adds new virtual reality training simulator to help surgeons practice on robotic-assisted system

As one of the first medical centers in the Northwest to perform robotic-assisted surgery, Swedish is home to the fastest growing, most comprehensive and experienced robotic-assisted surgical program in the region. Swedish established the multidisciplinary, robotic-assisted surgical program in 2005 and has since performed more than 3,400 robotic-assisted surgeries -- more than any other program in the region.

12 May 2011

Biocept's paper describes identification of different CTC phenotypes in cancer patients

Biocept, Inc., a privately-held laboratory testing company focused on the detection, enumeration and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients, today announced the publication of a paper describing the identification of different CTC phenotypes using its proprietary Cell Enrichment and Extraction platform.

12 May 2011

Copper intake linked to increased probability of developing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Banner Sun Health Research Institute has found further evidence linking copper to the increased probability of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the current issue of the International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 2011, Article ID 987023.

12 May 2011

Prostrate cancer patients can benefit from new MRI-ultrasound fusion

Targeted biopsy, a major advance in prostate cancer diagnostics, was detailed by a UCLA team in the current issue of Urologic Oncology. The new technology fuses MRI with real-time 3D ultrasound, providing an exacting method to obtain biopsy specimens from suspicious areas in the prostate.

12 May 2011