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New license agreement for rotavirus diarrhea vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today a new license agreement aimed at helping to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths annually from rotavirus diarrhea in children living in developing countries.

4 May 2004

Computers to combat disease

A new initiative harnesses the USA's computing skill to enhance our ability to respond to disease epidemics and bioterrorism.

4 May 2004

Study shows those with weak immune systems should avoid the shower

A study out of the San Diego State University Center for Microbial Sciences reveals that hundreds of millions of colorful bacteria thrive on shower curtains, waiting to attack those who think they are getting clean.

3 May 2004

Study suggests that the vitamins, such as E, C, and beta carotene, could raise bad form of cholesterol

The notion that antioxidant vitamins could provide a safe, convenient way to protect the heart from disease appears to have hit a pothole.

3 May 2004

Fabrication of microscopic polymeric structures on top of a human hair

Researchers in the laboratory of Boston College Chemistry Professor John T. Fourkas have demonstrated the fabrication of microscopic polymeric structures on top of a human hair.

3 May 2004

Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a major public health concern

The increasing resistance to fluoroquinolones effectively eliminates an entire class of antibiotics and leaves only one class of drugs -- cephalosporins -- as the first-line therapy in the treatment of gonorrhea. There are currently no other major groups of antibiotics left to treat gonorrhea.

2 May 2004

Bush on healthcare

The way I like to kind of try to describe health care is, on the research side, we're the best. We're coming up with more innovative ways to save lives and to treat patients.

1 May 2004

Time matters when treating fungal infections in newborns

A new UCLA study shows that ‘time matters’ when treating fungal infections in neonates and that earlier treatment can mean the difference between life and death.

1 May 2004

Researchers profile over 6000 genes in the two primary types of normal breast cells

For several years, scientists have attempted to identify gene expression changes, using microarrays or ‘DNA chips’, in order to understand and predict breast cancer onset, progression, and clinical outcome.

1 May 2004

Developing smart drugs

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Researchers, sensing an opening in the cancer battle, are mounting a quick thrust to flush out suspected molecular cancer triggers in tumor cells.

30 Apr 2004

First imaging-based diagnostic test for living Alzheimer’s

Mayo Clinic researchers have devised a way to produce enhanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) pictures of the destructive brain lesions that cause Alzheimer’s disease. This advance using laboratory mice lays the foundation for the first imaging-based diagnostic test for living Alzheimer’s disease patients.

30 Apr 2004

China, SARS ourbreak contained

Chinese authorities have today reported test results confirming that the 53-year-old woman who died in Anhui Province on 19 April was infected with the SARS coronavirus. The woman, a medical doctor, was the mother of a 26-year-old postgraduate student who had been conducting research at the National Institute of Virology in Beijing. The student remains hospitalized in Anhui.

30 Apr 2004

Funding for new biomaterials for spinal disc repair and regeneration

Orthonics, Inc., an Atlanta start-up company developing new biomaterials for spinal disc repair and regeneration, has received initial funding from Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC, a New York-based closely held venture capital/private equity and merchant banking firm focused on the musculoskeletal/orthopedics industry. Terms of the funding were not disclosed.

30 Apr 2004

China reports SARS infection in two patients previously under investigation

The Chinese Ministry of Health has today reported diagnostic confirmation of SARS infection in two patients previously under investigation in Beijing. Confirmation is based on the results of laboratory tests, clinical symptoms, and a history of close contact with a known case.

29 Apr 2004

Researchers develop hinged figure skate prevent to joint injuries

Researchers at the University of Delaware have redesigned the traditional figure skate, with the goal of reducing the joint injuries that plague many competitive skaters.

29 Apr 2004

New technique of identifying genes may help researchers developing drugs

A quick new technique able to identify genes that evolve rapidly as well as those that change slowly already has pinpointed new targets for researchers developing drugs against tuberculosis and malaria, and it could do the same for other infectious diseases, according to a paper in this week's Nature.

29 Apr 2004

Chinese authorities announce 9th suspected SARS case

Chinese health authorities have announced that an additional case of SARS is under investigation. This brings the total number of cases in China, reported since 22 April, to nine. Of these, one has died.

29 Apr 2004

How flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease

Duke biomedical engineers have received more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue their explorations of how the complex moving and flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease.

28 Apr 2004

Bypass surgery results in better five-year survival than balloon angioplasty and stent procedures

Bypass surgery results in better five-year survival than balloon angioplasty and stent procedures for patients with serious coronary artery disease and additional health conditions such as diabetes

28 Apr 2004

Researchers are pioneering regenerative medicine techniques that could help millions of Americans heal faster after dental surgeries

More than 10 million Americans undergo surgical tooth extractions every year, and the procedure invariably involves some loss of bone from the tooth socket. This bone loss is problematic for dentists because it can compromise both the functional and esthetic outcomes of treatment involving dentures and bridges. Significant losses of bone also make it difficult for surgeons to properly fit dental implants to the ridge of the jawbone without requiring additional surgical procedures.

28 Apr 2004