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New breast cancer treatment may dispense with the need for chemotherapy

According to the latest research new hormone therapy drugs designed to treat breast cancer may dispense with the need for chemotherapy thus avoiding the nasty side effects associated with the treatment.

21 May 2007

Hormone treatment could cut need for chemo in some younger breast cancer patients

Around 5,500 pre-menopausal breast cancer patients could be offered a hormone drug that is shown to be as effective as traditional chemotherapy - and so avoid potential infertility and long-term menopausal side effects - according to a Cancer Research UK report published in The Lancet.

20 May 2007

Aspirin during pregnancy could reduce risk of pre-eclampsia

Women who receive aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs during pregnancy are at lower risk of pre-eclampsia, conclude authors of an article published in an upcoming edition of The Lancet.

20 May 2007

When is an herbal tea a safe and effective sleep aid?

When is an herbal tea a safe and effective sleep aid, and when is that same tea a risky pharmaceutical choice?

18 May 2007

Study of normal brain development

Children appear to approach adult levels of performance on many basic cognitive and motor skills by age 11 or 12, according to a new study coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

18 May 2007

National Physician Assistant Conference to be held in Philadelphia

The largest annual gathering of the physician assistant (PA) profession – the fourth fastest-growing profession in the country – will convene Saturday, May 26, through Thursday, May 31, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

18 May 2007

Effects of Taser on human health

Using a Taser to control agitated suspects in police custody is standard operating procedure for many law enforcement agencies.

18 May 2007

Not enough is known about long-term safety of "functional foods"

So-called 'functional foods' need to be systematically monitored because not enough is known about their long-term safety and effectiveness, say a group of scientists writing in the British Medical Journal.

18 May 2007

Celecoxib offers promise for premature babies

Scientists have found evidence that the cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib, a common pain reliever used to treat arthritis, may offer a new way to reduce the risk of the most common cause of brain damage in babies born prematurely.

18 May 2007

Some NSAIDs may be better suited to treating cancer

Until recently, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and celecoxib (sold as Celebrex), were being hailed as promising cancer prevention drugs.

18 May 2007

Venous thromboembolis accounts for 10% of all hospital deaths

Up to 25,000 people may die needlessly each year due to the failure to prevent blood clots known as venous thromboembolisms (VTE) in UK hospitals, say experts in this week's BMJ.

18 May 2007

Novel device helps monitor mental illness

Psychiatric researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine will report important new findings from a study of patients with bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia at the upcoming meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry, to be held in San Diego May 17-20.

17 May 2007

Researchers develop first images of physical changes in brain cells thought to underlie memory

University of California, Irvine researchers have developed the first images of the physical changes in brain cells thought to underlie memory, a discovery that is already uncovering clues about memory loss linked to cognitive disorders.

17 May 2007

Quest for effective HIV vaccines present new possibilities, challenges

A vaccine that prevents HIV infection remains an important goal in the fight against AIDS, but the current top HIV vaccine candidates may not work in this way, say scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

17 May 2007

Researchers identify the cancer stem cell for rhabdomyosarcoma

As published in the June 1 issue of Genes & Development, Dr. Leonard Zon (Children's Hospital Boston) and colleagues have identified the cancer stem cell for rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of childhood.

17 May 2007

Albuterol may help kids with bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis, a wheezing much like asthma in adults, is responsible for many hospital admissions of infants.

17 May 2007

Culture techniques can significantly affect cell growth and function

When it comes to growing cells in a lab, technique matters. A new Brown University study shows that nerve cells grown in three-dimensional cultures use 1,766 genes differently compared to nerve cells grown in standard two-dimensional petri dishes.

17 May 2007

New guidelines for blood conservation during cardiac procedures

A team of medical experts led by a Virginia Commonwealth University anesthesiologist and a thoracic surgeon from the University of Kentucky has established a set of clinical guidelines to help physicians decrease the need for blood transfusions in high-risk patients during cardiac operations.

17 May 2007

Good news for for people with mild, persistent asthma

People with mild asthma that is well-controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids may be able to reduce inhaler use to once a day, or switch to a daily pill, according to new research conducted at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and 20 other centers.

17 May 2007

Cancer cells can be killed by a new cancer drug that is triggered by a laser light

Their paper describes how these new photosensitizer drugs can only be activated by light once they have been localized in the target tumour cells. For the first time Zheng and Wilson have demonstrated that tumour cells can be selectively attacked using a PDT.

17 May 2007