Medical Research News and Research

RSS

Research on malarial drugs for travelers

A new review of existing research finds that a combination drug and the common antibiotic doxycycline allow travelers to fend off malaria with the fewest side effects in areas where the parasite is resistant to a widely accepted preventive treatment.

7 Oct 2009

Opioid drugs may not be effective for osteoarthritis

Should you take opioid drugs for hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis? Probably not, suggests a new review of the best research on the subject.

7 Oct 2009

New ultrasound probe effective for treating kidney stones

A relatively new ultrasound probe procedure has the highest success rate for breaking down kidney stones in the lower "funnel" area of the kidney, rather than the shock wave treatment used for many years, according to a review of studies.

7 Oct 2009

Skin cancer patients may benefit from smaller surgical margins

Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review.

7 Oct 2009

Diuretics effective as second-line agents in treating high blood pressure

A new review shows that diuretics — drugs often recommended as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure — are also effective when added as a second agent to other blood-pressure lowering drugs.

7 Oct 2009

Brushing removable dentures is better than soaking in enzyme cleaning solutions

Brushing removable dentures with a paste product might be the best way to keep them clean, better than soaking in effervescent or enzyme cleaning solutions, suggests a new review of what little dental literature exists on the topic.

7 Oct 2009

Mobile phones may help in kicking nicotine habit

Hooked on your cell phone and cigarettes? Fortunately, your mobile device could help you kick the nicotine habit, according to a new review from New Zealand.

7 Oct 2009

Cognitive behavioral therapy effective for bulimia and binge eating disorders

Although most people with bulimia and binge eating disorders wait many years before seeking help, a new review shows that psychological treatment can make a large difference — and that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective talk therapy for these disorders.

6 Oct 2009

Fat and muscle mass may contribute to diabetes risk

Fat and muscle mass, as potentially determined by a person's ethnic background, may contribute to diabetes risk, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

6 Oct 2009

IBM scientists to build nanoscale DNA sequencer to read human DNA

In an effort to build a nanoscale DNA sequencer, IBM scientists are drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them in order to read the information contained within their genetic code.

6 Oct 2009

Pomegranate juice beneficial for patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors: Study

According to a clinical study released in The American Journal of Cardiology, a daily serving of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may decrease the progression of arterial plaque in patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study was intended to see if POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may slow the progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT) in patients with moderate coronary heart disease risk.

6 Oct 2009

AVI BioPharma receives $11.5M DTRA fund to develop AVI-7012 for treating Junin virus infection

AVI BioPharma, Inc. a developer of RNA-based drugs, announced today that it has received expanded contract funding of approximately $11.5 million from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Transformational Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI) to support development of the Investigational New Drug (IND) data package for its candidate drug, AVI-7012, to treat Junin virus infection.

5 Oct 2009

The Lewin Group issues recommendations to overcome barriers obstructing the lupus drug development

Today, The Lewin Group, a national health care consulting firm, issued recommendations on ways to overcome the barriers that have obstructed lupus drug development resulting in no new drug approval for this disease in more than 50 years - since the Eisenhower Administration.

From CSL Ltd 5 Oct 2009

JBAIDS approved by the military for H1N1 virus detection tests

Idaho Technology’s Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS) has been approved by the military to run tests for the H1N1 virus. Deployed across the globe, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, by all four branches of the military, the JBAIDS instrument will be used to test military personnel and their families for Influenza A, swine flu A and H1 swine flu in less than an hour.

3 Oct 2009

Aspirin use in seniors study

Researchers at Monash University and the United States-based Berman Center for Outcomes & Clinical Research will lead an international clinical trial to test whether taking aspirin contributes to good health in the elderly.

1 Oct 2009

New software to detect multiple sclerosis before brain damage occurs

Researchers of the Unit for Systems Biology of the University of Jaén, led by Francisco J. Esteban, are developing a software for clinical use to detect multiple sclerosis even before the typical brain damage of this neurodegenerative disease appear. In order to do so, this scientific multidisciplinary team is calculating the fractal dimension of the brain images registered on magnetic resonance imaging.

1 Oct 2009

GSK allowed access to DiscoveRx' PathHunter ß-Arrestin parental cell lines and reagents

DiscoveRx Corp. announced today the signing of a global agreement with GSK, a leading pharmaceutical company, to provide access to its PathHunter™ ß-Arrestin parental cell lines, clones and associated reagents for use in GSK’s internal GPCR Screening and Profiling efforts.

1 Oct 2009

Children and adolescents over five are at risk from malaria

Insecticide treated mosquito nets reduce the chances of developing life-threatening malaria in Africa, however recent research shows that older children are the least well protected by nets in the community. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, has found that parents and their young children were much more likely to have malaria nets than older children.

1 Oct 2009

Effect of healthcare reform on treating cardiovascular disease patients

The Ninth Annual Controversies and Advances in Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease continuing medical education conference will feature several discussions and presentations on how healthcare reform could affect cardiovascular disease patients' diagnosis, treatment and outcome.

1 Oct 2009

Rush University receives grants to study how epigenomic changes define cognitive decline

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Rush University Medical Center approximately $5.5 million in grants to study how epigenetic changes - chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures - define and contribute to memory formation and cognitive decline. Results from the studies could profoundly alter the way the medical community understands, diagnoses, and treats Alzheimer's disease, according to the researchers.

1 Oct 2009