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Certain microparticles help terminate inflammation

Scientists at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Harvard Medical School, Boston have found a way of mimicking the body's natural mechanism of fighting inflammation. During inflammation cells release very small particles termed 'microparticles' that retain features of their parent cell.

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

Alcohol binge-drinking in teen years could affect decision-making and related behaviors as adults

Adolescents represent the majority of people who binge drink. This may come as a surprise to some, but recent surveys indicate that episodes of heavy alcohol drinking within the previous two weeks are reported by 12 percent of 8th graders, 22 percent of 10th graders, 28 percent of 12th grade seniors and 44 percent of college students.

5 Apr 2011

Nicotine has no effect on lung cancer tumor incidence, frequency or size

Nicotine at doses similar to those found in most nicotine replacements therapies did not increase lung cancer tumor incidence, frequency or size, according to results of a mouse study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6.

5 Apr 2011

UC researchers sequence individual glioblastoma genomes and track abnormalities through the bloodstream

Medical scientists know this about glioblastoma multiforme: the malignant brain tumor is aggressive, it is elusive, and it appears in different permutations.

5 Apr 2011

New computer-based system can distinguish similar secondary tumours

A new computer-based system discussed in the International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management can distinguish between apparently similar secondary tumours and allow a cancer specialist to trace the metastases back to the site of the original cancer in the patient's body.

5 Apr 2011

Curis presents vismodegib Phase II data in basal cell nevus syndrome at AACR meeting

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced the presentation of interim Phase II clinical data on Hedgehog pathway inhibitor vismodegib in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, which is also commonly referred to as Gorlin syndrome.

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

PLC's RenalGuard REMEDIAL II trial against CIN presented at ACC.11

PLC Systems Inc., a company focused on innovative medical device technologies, announced that final results from the REMEDIAL II investigator-sponsored clinical trial of RenalGuard in Italy were presented today.

5 Apr 2011

Antimicrobial copper can effectively prevent MRSA in hospitals

A live broadcast from the University of Southampton today highlighted the effectiveness of antimicrobial copper in preventing the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as MRSA, in hospitals.

5 Apr 2011

Study suggests causal link between HSV1 and Alzheimer's disease

Laboratories at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Brown University, and House Ear Institute (HEI) have developed a new technique to observe herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) infections growing inside cells. HSV1, the cause of the common cold sore, persists in a latent form inside nerve cells.

5 Apr 2011

Thermo Fisher completes Athena and Lancaster sales for $940 million

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has completed the previously announced sales of its two laboratory-testing services businesses, Athena Diagnostics and Lancaster Laboratories, in two separate transactions, resulting in total proceeds of $940 million.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 5 Apr 2011

New insight into Parkinson's disease

As Parkinson's Awareness Month gets underway, a Canadian-led international study is providing important new insight into Parkinson's disease and paving the way for new avenues for clinical trials.

5 Apr 2011

Researchers identify new gene that can influence person's risk of developing epilepsy

Vanderbilt University researchers have identified a new gene that can influence a person's risk for developing epilepsy. The findings, reported in the March 29 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could improve molecular diagnostic tools and point to novel therapeutic targets for epilepsy.

5 Apr 2011

Caliper introduces novel fluorescent imaging agent for pre-clinical research

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery, life sciences research and molecular diagnostics, today announced the launch of XenoLight RediJect COX-2 Probe, a novel fluorescent imaging agent for pre-clinical research that specifically detects the cyclooxygenase-2 biomarker noninvasively in live animal models as well as in ex vivo tissue analysis applications.

5 Apr 2011

Quest Diagnostics completes Athena Diagnostics acquisition

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Athena Diagnostics, an esoteric laboratory specializing in genetic testing for neurological disorders, from Thermo Fisher Scientific.

From Quest Diagnostics 4 Apr 2011

Oncothyreon's ONT-10, PX-866 preclinical data presented at AACR meeting

Oncothyreon Inc. today announced the presentation of preclinical data for ONT-10, a therapeutic vaccine directed at cancers expressing MUC1, and PX-866, its irreversible inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, at the American Association of Cancer Research meeting in Orlando, Florida.

4 Apr 2011

Human immune system can help predict recurrence, overall breast cancer survival

A study published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, debuting here at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6, showed how evaluating the immune response in the tumor microenvironment may help researchers better target therapy in breast cancer.

4 Apr 2011

Men who consume digoxin have 24% reduced risk of prostate cancer

Johns Hopkins scientists and their colleagues paired laboratory and epidemiologic data to find that men using the cardiac drug, digoxin, had a 24 percent lower risk for prostate cancer. The scientists say further research about the discovery may lead to use of the drug, or new ones that work the same way, to treat the cancer.

4 Apr 2011