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New series of clinical standards to diagnose heart attacks

Diagnosing heart attacks will become a more precise science thanks to the first of a new series of clinical standards just issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2921 (human cardiac troponin complex) will help manufacturers develop and calibrate assays that measure specific protein concentrations in patient blood samples to determine whether a heart attack has occurred.

24 May 2004

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics awards $21 million to Vertex

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has announced that it has expanded its drug discovery and development collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

24 May 2004

Research shows that treatment with nitric oxide after storage may dramatically improve the viability of transplanted livers

About 5,000 liver transplants are performed annually in the United States, and a key factor ensuring success is maintaining a healthy donor organ that can function effectively in the recipient. However, transplanted livers typically incur substantial damage when blood flow is restored to the organ after the transplant.

24 May 2004

Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals

Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals. The discovery was made by applying the latest laboratory methods to a strain of mice restored from embryos frozen since the early 70s.

23 May 2004

An antibiotic, Tigecycline produces 74 percent cure rate in cSSSI patients

An antibiotic, currently being tested in clinical trials, produced a 74 percent cure rate for hospitalized patients with possibly life-threatening, complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI).

23 May 2004

Using gene therapy to fight rheumatoid arthritis

Guided by a similar principle, arthritis researchers at the University of Florida and Harvard University hope to use gene therapy to help joint cells pump out a harmless protein that parks in receptor sites, leaving a notorious inflammatory agent “circling the lot” and unable to cause pain, swelling and possible joint damage.

21 May 2004

Are we as crazy as mad cows?

When proteins in our body work properly, we can see, smell, consume and digest food, grow muscle and brain cells. But when these infinitely useful biological building blocks fail, the most pernicious diseases arise. Susan Lindquist has scrutinized the complex origami-like shapes of proteins and come to understand how structural mistakes can lead to a frightening class of neurodegenerative disorders, including “Mad Cow Disease.”

20 May 2004

Natural biological process by which yeast cells dismantle amyloid fibers

Amyloid fibers, those clumps of plaque-like proteins that clog up the brains of Alzheimer's patients, have perplexed scientists with their robust structures. In laboratory experiments, they are able to withstand extreme heat and cold and powerful detergents that cripple most other proteins.

20 May 2004

Protein that appears to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease

A protein that allows human cancer to resist multiple anticancer drugs also appears to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease, according to research conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center. The protein, active in brain tissue, could be a target for new drugs to treat patients with Alzheimer's.

20 May 2004

Cell division can be halted in multiple ways, with implications for cancer

Brown University researchers have found that there are multiple independent ways to stop cell division, a phenomenon that prevents the spread of genetic mutation, which can make cells cancerous. Results of this research, along with an accompanying editorial, were published in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell.

20 May 2004

Scientists have sped up a common jumping gene found in the human genome

Johns Hopkins scientists have transformed a common "jumping gene" found in the human genome into one that moves hundreds of times more often than normal in mouse and human cells.

20 May 2004

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

A new study has important implications for the millions of African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure. The study, AADVANCE, shows Diovan HCT(R) (valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide) lowers blood pressure in African Americans to aggressive recommended target blood pressure goals as effectively as amlodipine.

20 May 2004

Causes of hepatitis and potential therapies that may improve care presented in study

Hepatitis, a potentially serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver, is a major problem worldwide. Hepatitis A is generally food-borne, while hepatitis B and C spread primarily through parenteral or sexual routes. Hepatitis B and C can be life-long, potentially deadly chronic infections.

19 May 2004

$First drug approved for hormone refractory prostate cancer that has shown a survival benefit$

First drug approved for hormone refractory prostate cancer that has shown a survival benefit

The the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Taxotere (docetaxel), injection in combination with prednisone ( a steroid), for the treatment of patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer. This is the first drug approved for hormone refractory prostate cancer that has shown a survival benefit.

19 May 2004

Comparison study shows low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet loses more weight than low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet

People who followed a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet lost more weight than people on a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet during a six-month comparison study at Duke University Medical Center. However, the researchers caution that people with medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure should not start the diet without close medical supervision.

19 May 2004

Inexpensive, simple urine test that could identify impending kidney failure

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed the basis of an inexpensive, simple urine test that identifies impending kidney failure or rejection following transplant surgery. Their work, presented this week in a special invited lecture to the American Transplant Congress in Boston, Mass., is based on proteins found in urine, and could lead to a urine test kit that may allow many patients to skip painful biopsies.

19 May 2004

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

The protein, torsinA, is defective in patients with DYT1 dystonia, an inherited condition that causes uncontrollable movements in the limbs and torso. Learning what torsinA does could be an important step toward developing a treatment for the disorder.

19 May 2004

Multimillion-dollar electron microscope unveils shapes of viruses and proteins

With a multimillion-dollar electron microscope and computer programs that can pick out the shapes of structures only six atoms wide, Dr. Wah Chiu and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston are attempting to explain the intricate structures of viruses and proteins.

19 May 2004

Survey shows chicken popular with low-carbohydrate dieters

The chicken industry has benefited even more than beef or pork from the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets so popular with American consumers, according to a recent survey.

19 May 2004

Inactivating a protective molecule may help chemotherapy for leukemia but harm bone marrow

Inactivating a protective molecule in leukemic cells to make them more vulnerable to chemotherapy might also make healthy blood-forming cells more sensitive to the toxic effects of those same drugs.

19 May 2004

G Protein News and Research

New series of clinical standards to diagnose heart attacks

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics awards $21 million to Vertex

Research shows that treatment with nitric oxide after storage may dramatically improve the viability of transplanted livers

Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals

An antibiotic, Tigecycline produces 74 percent cure rate in cSSSI patients

Using gene therapy to fight rheumatoid arthritis

Are we as crazy as mad cows?

Natural biological process by which yeast cells dismantle amyloid fibers

Protein that appears to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease

Cell division can be halted in multiple ways, with implications for cancer

Scientists have sped up a common jumping gene found in the human genome

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

Causes of hepatitis and potential therapies that may improve care presented in study

First drug approved for hormone refractory prostate cancer that has shown a survival benefit

Comparison study shows low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet loses more weight than low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet

Inexpensive, simple urine test that could identify impending kidney failure

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

Multimillion-dollar electron microscope unveils shapes of viruses and proteins

Survey shows chicken popular with low-carbohydrate dieters

Inactivating a protective molecule may help chemotherapy for leukemia but harm bone marrow

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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