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Lack or loss of SIRT3 protein induces proliferation of breast cancer cells

Research published in the Cancer Cell journal in March was a significant step in knowing the causes of cancer better, especially breast cancer, revealing that the lack or loss of a protein in the cells known as SIRT3, induces the proliferation of this disease and thereby, this protein can be an may be a therapeutic target in the development of effective therapies for cancer. The research was led by Dra. Marcia Haigis of the Harvard Medical School, with the participation of Dr. Arkaitz Carracedo, from the Proteomics Laboratory at CIC bioGUNE.

6 Apr 2011

Teenagers with scoliosis can benefit from new generation spine implants

Teenagers who undergo spine fusion for scoliosis using the newest surgical techniques can expect to be doing well 10 years after surgery, according to a Hospital for Special Surgery study published online ahead of print in the TK issue of the journal Spine.

6 Apr 2011

Two reports show drastic increase in opioid prescriptions in America

Two reports by addiction researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse show a drastic shift in prescribing patterns impacting the magnitude of opioid substance abuse in America.

6 Apr 2011

PQM program launches new public medicine database

In the growing global battle against substandard and counterfeit medicines, the Promoting the Quality of Medicines program has launched a new, public database of medicines collected and analyzed in collaboration with stakeholders from countries in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

6 Apr 2011

Caliper's CDAS unit enters cancer research collaboration with Denver-based CHI

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life-sciences research, today announced that its Caliper Discovery Alliances and Services unit has formed a research collaboration with Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the nation's largest health systems.

6 Apr 2011

Meditation for pain succeeds: Study

According to a new study meditation may help in reducing pain. For the study researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus - a 120-degree heat on their calves - as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.

5 Apr 2011

Patients prescribed high doses of pain medications at higher risk of overdose: Study

According to a study published in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA, receiving higher prescribed doses of opioid prescriptions is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose death, but receiving both as-needed and regularly scheduled doses is not associated with overdose risk.

5 Apr 2011

R&D Directions names Novavax VLP influenza vaccine as one of top '100 great investigational drugs in development'

Novavax, Inc. announced that its virus-like particle (VLP) influenza vaccine has been named by the editors of R&D Directions magazine as one of the top "100 great investigational drugs in development" today. In its tenth annual list of promising clinical compounds, R&D Directions cited Novavax's virus-like-particle technology as a promising new approach to producing vaccines to prevent seasonal, H1N1 and avian influenza. The list reflects the current interests of industry observers and analysts and is described in the magazine's March 2011 issue.

5 Apr 2011

Majority of customers highly satisfied with neighborhood independent drugstores

New drugstore Ratings published in the May issue of Consumer Reports and available online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org reveal that the overwhelming majority (94%) of readers are highly satisfied with their experiences at neighborhood independent drugstores. While customers said they were generally satisfied with their pharmacies, some were irked by long waits and lagging service at some big box stores.

5 Apr 2011

Aeterna Zentaris presents two posters on perifosine at AACR meeting

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that two posters on its lead anticancer agent, perifosine, were presented at the 102nd annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research currently held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

5 Apr 2011

Health experts release recommendations for fighting breast cancer in low-, middle-income countries

"Worldwide breast cancer incidence and mortality are expected to increase by 50 percent from 2002 and 2020 - and those rates will be highest in developing nations," according to a review article published Friday in Lancet Oncology that describes several challenges low- and middle-income countries face in diagnosing and treating such conditions, the Huffington Post reports.

5 Apr 2011

Cocaine-addicted individuals show heightened response to drug-related images

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University (SBU) have conducted the most comprehensive study to date of how cocaine users respond to drug-related and other emotional stimuli, making use of comparisons with a matched control group and exploring the effects of recent cocaine use and abstinence. The findings appear in a paper published online in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

5 Apr 2011

American Cancer Society awards 85 institutions with $49,213,000 for new research, training

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 132 national research and training grants totaling $49,213,000 to 85 institutions nationwide in the second of two grants cycles for 2011.

5 Apr 2011

Cedars-Sinai receives $750,000 grant from Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy for sildenafil/taladafil study

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) – the largest, most comprehensive non-profit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) – announced today that they will award Ronald G. Victor, M.D. of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a $750,000 grant to fund his study of phosphodiesterase inhibitors (sildenafil and taladafil) as a possible therapy for Duchenne.

5 Apr 2011

Children with DCD tend to feel more emotionally isolated, less coherent and less optimistic

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is widely recognized by the medical community, and there are a number of therapies in place. But as many as six percent of all children suffer from the less familiar Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Demonstrating a lack of refined motor skills, children with DCD tend to have a more difficult time playing sports and staying organized at school. They appear to be uncoordinated - and many parents think they'll grow out of it. But research shows that may not be true.

5 Apr 2011

Neuropeptide ghrelin impacts alcoholism, binge-eating and sugar consumption

The substance ghrelin plays an important role in various addictions, such as alcoholism and binge-eating. It also impacts on sugar consumption, which is due, in part, to genetic factors, reveals new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

5 Apr 2011

Cancer cells exploit 'stress response' mechanism used by normal cells to cope with harsh, demanding conditions

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say a "stress response" mechanism used by normal cells to cope with harsh or demanding conditions is exploited by cancer cells, which transmit the same stress signal to surrounding cells, triggering an inflammatory response in them that can aid tumor growth.

5 Apr 2011

Researchers develop new cancer treatment

Scientists from the School of Pharmacy at Queen's University Belfast and Almac Discovery Ltd have developed a new treatment for cancer which rather than attacking tumours directly, prevents the growth of new blood vessels in tumours, starving them of oxygen and nutrients, thereby preventing their growth.

5 Apr 2011

Statins can help prevent risk of death from pneumonia

Taking statins could help prevent people dying from pneumonia, according to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

5 Apr 2011

GERONTOSHIELD project receives 2.6 Million Euro fund for ageing research

Our society gets older, people live longer. The price we pay: infectious diseases can easier overcome the immune system. Like all organs, the immune system does not function flawlessly in old age. A new collaboration of university and non-university research institutes and two companies is investigating why our immune defence is getting weaker when we become old.

5 Apr 2011