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Inflammation is a crucial and dangerous step in the development of obesity

New research by the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School shows that the biggest health threat to fat and obese people isn't the fat itself but the fact that the fat fuels a killer inflammation response in people.

8 Mar 2006

New findings on antidepressants during pregnancy are reason for caution, not alarm

Until recently, antidepressants - especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - were considered fairly safe for pregnant women.

8 Mar 2006

Revatio now available in the UK

Patients in the UK suffering from a rare life-threatening heart condition, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), could soon be offered a new treatment.

8 Mar 2006

Cat in the clear - but experts argue over "fire blanket" pandemic plan

At the conclusion of a meeting in Geneva on how to limit the effects of a future flu pandemic, experts remain divided on the chance of success.

8 Mar 2006

MS sufferers lobby for return of Tysabri

Despite the deaths of two people among the thousands treated with a promising multiple sclerosis drug, MS patients are trying to persuade the U.S. government to allow the drug back onto the market.

8 Mar 2006

Potential new treatment for Huntington and Parkinson patients

A potential new treatment for neurodegenerative disorders, which seems to be able to reduce the toxic protein aggregates characteristic of many of these diseases, is published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

7 Mar 2006

Discovery of compound that reduces hallmark lesions of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Researchers at UC Irvine have found that a new compound not only relieves the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but also reduces the two types of brain lesions that are hallmarks of this devastating disease, thereby blocking its progression.

7 Mar 2006

Will the FDA rise to the occasion and admit their natalizumab mistake?

When Anita Louise Smith enrolled in an experimental drug trial in 2002 in Colorado, she had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis but no symptoms and was looking to reduce the chances of being ravaged by the disease.

7 Mar 2006

Genes play a key role in stress response

Both nature and nurture - genetic makeup and the environment experienced through life - combine to influence health and well-being, Duke University Medical Center researchers and their colleagues have determined in four new studies.

7 Mar 2006

Researchers discover cause of episodic ataxia type-2

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered the underlying cause of a type of ataxia, hereditary disorders characterized by poor balance, loss of posture and difficulty performing rapid coordinated movement.

7 Mar 2006

Newly identified biomarkers may help reverse the ageing process

Lotions and potions that promise to remove wrinkles and other effects of aging crowd cosmetics aisle shelves, but do these treatments really work?

7 Mar 2006

Catheter ablation for chronic atrial fibrillation improves quality of life

People who have endured the effects and risks of an irregular heartbeat for years can get long-lasting relief from a procedure that takes less than two hours, a definitive new study shows.

7 Mar 2006

Pharmaceutical brochures don't always present accurate data

A study published in the journal BMC Family Practice found that three out of twenty promotional brochures studied contained data that was different from the original study on the effects of the drug.

7 Mar 2006

Artificial intelligence addresses the problem of confusing drug names

Was that Xanex or Xanax? Or maybe Zantac? If you're a health care professional you'd better know the difference--mistakes can be fatal.

7 Mar 2006

Mutant genes trigger AMD but may lighten the way to new treatments

According to new research in the U.S., the most common form of blindness in the elderly, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), can be attributed to just two genes which trigger the condition.

7 Mar 2006

SSRI use associated with increased risk for heart patients

In a surprising finding, patients with coronary artery disease who take commonly used antidepressant drugs may be at significantly higher risk of death, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.

7 Mar 2006

New anti-drug program success

A newly-released study suggests that a well-designed in-school and community communication campaign really can dramatically cut marijuana and alcohol use among young teens.

7 Mar 2006

Extensive study of natalizumab

Scientists have completed an extensive study of more than 3,000 patients who received a promising anti-inflammatory drug, natalizumab, that was linked to three cases of a serious brain infection in large clinical trials halted in early 2005.

7 Mar 2006

5,000 rare diseases need drugs, but Europe only approves a handful each year

Only seven per cent of drug applications for treating people with rare diseases were approved in Europe between 2000 and 2004, despite the fact that there are currently more than 5,000 conditions needing medication.

6 Mar 2006

Next-generation drug development: risky and costly, but worth it

Generic drugs, which drive a $40 billion dollar generics industry expected to hit $60 billion by 2007, account for 53% of all prescriptions filled in the United States today.

6 Mar 2006