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Bacterial toxin closes gate on immune response

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated that a bacterial toxin from the common bacterium Staphylococcus aureus shuts down the control mechanism of the tunnel, called an ion channel, in immune cell membranes.

14 Feb 2008

Another Vietnamese falls victim to bird flu

Vietnamese authorities have confirmed that a man who has died in a Hanoi hospital was infected with the bird flu virus.

14 Feb 2008

Avastin cancer drug does well in breast cancer study

A new study on the cancer drug Avastin has found that when the drug is combined with chemotherapy it slowed down the progression of breast cancer.

13 Feb 2008

Warning about deaths and serious reactions linked to blood thinning drug heparin

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States says the production of a popular blood thinning drug has been halted temporarily after more than 300 reports of health problems associated with the drug.

13 Feb 2008

Researchers study airway bypass procedure for severe emphysema

Researchers at Pulmonary Associates today announced the start of the EASE (Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema) Trial, an international, multi-center clinical trial to explore an investigational treatment that may offer a new, minimally invasive option for those suffering with advanced widespread emphysema.

12 Feb 2008

New Handbook of Cancer Prevention

A new publication designed to help individuals, doctors and governments reduce the global burden of cancer has been announced by Europe's leading society for medical oncologists.

12 Feb 2008

Discovery of possible target for prevention and treatment of pneumonia

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have identified a key protein target that may be a crucial factor in the development of a vaccine to prevent and new therapies to treat pneumonia, the leading killer of children worldwide.

12 Feb 2008

$1-year results of bronchial thermoplasty in refractory asthma$

1-year results of bronchial thermoplasty in refractory asthma

Asthmatx, Inc. has announced the publication of data from the Research in Severe Asthma (RISA) Trial of bronchial thermoplasty in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM, 2007; 176:1185-1191).

12 Feb 2008

Baxter's multiple-dose vial Heparin linked to severe allergic reactions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that Baxter Healthcare Corporation has temporarily stopped manufacturing multiple-dose vials of the injectable blood-thinning drug heparin due to reports of serious allergic reactions and hypotension (low blood pressure) in patients who receive high "bolus" doses of the drug.

11 Feb 2008

First reported acute asthma death associated with work-related environmental tobacco smoke

A young asthmatic woman who collapsed and died shortly after arriving for her shift as a waitress at a bar may be the first reported death to be reported nationally from acute asthma associated with environmental tobacco smoke.

11 Feb 2008

Seven new prostate cancer genetic risk factors identified

Cancer Research UK funded scientists have found seven new sites in the human genome that are linked to men's risk of developing prostate cancer. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics today.

11 Feb 2008

WHO warns of one billion death toll from tobacco

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a stark warning about smoking saying that unless urgent action is taken, by the year 2100 tobacco could kill one billion people.

11 Feb 2008

Revelation of new genes linked to prostate cancer could single out high risk men

The discovery by researchers of at least ten new genes associated with prostate cancer could in future be used to accurately identify high-risk men.

11 Feb 2008

Potential new therapy for lung disease patients

A new study by researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine may change current thinking about how best to treat patients in respiratory distress in hospital intensive care units.

8 Feb 2008

Respiration device for detecting early-stage respiratory irregularities in premature babies

A start-up company is developing a novel, non-invasive device for detecting early-stage respiratory irregularities in premature babies, children and adults receiving ICU care.

8 Feb 2008

Natural secretion marks difference between mole and melanoma

A protein naturally produced and secreted by the body can make the difference between your average mole and melanoma, which killed more than 8,000 people in the United States last year, reveals a new study in the February 8 issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

8 Feb 2008

Hot flashes may be getting an unfair rap for disrupting women's sleep at midlife

Studies have often reported that sleep problems increase during the transition into menopause, reinforcing the idea that hot flashes are to blame. But even under controlled conditions in sleep laboratories, the connection between hot flashes and sleep disruption remains unclear, reports the February 2008 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch.

8 Feb 2008

FDA approves novel allograft product

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the first replacement heart valve from donated human tissue in which the cells have been removed.

8 Feb 2008

PET outperforms CT in characterization of lung nodules

Researchers involved in a large, multi-institutional study comparing the accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) in the characterization of lung nodules found that PET was far more reliable in detecting whether or not a nodule was malignant.

7 Feb 2008

Chemical chaperone could open door to treatment of neurological disorder

An unexpected finding turned out to be a clue leading researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to propose a new treatment approach for Niemann-Pick disease, a rare, deadly neurodegenerative disorder.

7 Feb 2008