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Researchers hunt for a hi-tech vaccine against Helicobacter pylori

Almost half of the world population is infected with bacteria Helicobacter pylori which colonizes stomach, causing gastritis and ulcers and is recognized by WHO as a type I carcinogen.

10 Dec 2008

New biosensor could help the search for new drugs

Chalmers researcher Andreas Dahlin has developed a biosensor with an artificial membrane, which means that membrane-bound proteins can retain their natural structure and function.

10 Dec 2008

Dacogen data presented on trial in seniors with acute myeloid leukemia

Eisai Corporation of North America has announced data from a Phase II trial evaluating a five-day dosing regimen of Dacogen(R) (decitabine for injection) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of leukemia.

10 Dec 2008

Cholinesterase inhibitors safe and effective therapy for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

Cholinesterase inhibitors, used to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, are also a safe and effective alternative therapy for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, according to a study that appears in the December 2008 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging.

10 Dec 2008

Vaccine against malaria could be ready in 5 years

Malaria kills more than one million people every year so the news that an effective vaccine could be available within five years is more than welcome.

9 Dec 2008

Gender disparity gap in heart attack care still present

Men and women have about the same in-hospital death rate for heart attack - but women are twice as likely to die if hospitalized for a more severe type of heart attack, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

8 Dec 2008

When less is more: Brief inhibition of cancer target is effective and less toxic

New research shows that the delicate balance between maximum clinical impact and toxicity may not be quite as fragile as scientists had previously believed.

8 Dec 2008

Study sheds light on inflammatory bowel disease

Scientists have uncovered vital clues about how to treat serious bowel disorders by studying the behaviour of cells in the colon.

8 Dec 2008

Statins do not interfere with Rituximab treatment for lymphomas

Statins, drugs widely prescribed to lower cholesterol, do not interfere with a commonly used medication to treat lymphomas, according to a Mayo Clinic study presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Francisco.

8 Dec 2008

Selenium may protect from high risk-bladder cancer

A study published in the December issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that selenium, a trace mineral found in grains, nuts and meats, may aid in the prevention of high-risk bladder cancer.

8 Dec 2008

Researchers discover why Gleevec-type drugs control, but do not eradicate leukemia

Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute researchers are closer to understanding why certain chronic myeloid leukemia mutations are not stopped by the revolutionary targeted cancer pill, Gleevec, or similar therapies in that drug family.

8 Dec 2008

Nuts and Mediterranean diet appear to help metabolic syndrome

A traditional Mediterranean diet with an additional daily serving of mixed nuts appears to be useful for managing some metabolic abnormalities in older adults at high risk for heart disease, according to a report in the December 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

8 Dec 2008

Low-income settings require local guideline development for childhood illness

The next generation of case management guidelines for childhood illness need to be more locally informed, rather than relying on those centrally generated by organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), argues a new essay published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

8 Dec 2008

Best obesity treatment

Severely obese patients who have lost significant amounts of weight by changing their diet and exercise habits may be as successful in keeping the weight off long-term as those individuals who lost weight after bariatric surgery, according to a new study published online by the International Journal of Obesity.

8 Dec 2008

Half-dose vaccination in healthy young individuals may be effective in times of vaccine shortage

Individuals younger than 50 who have been previously vaccinated do not appear to have a substantially different immune response to a half-dose of influenza vaccine than to a full dose, according to a report in the December 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

8 Dec 2008

Networks of interactive genes may predict Leukemia's development

Rather than testing for individual marker genes or proteins, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have evidence that groups, or networks, of interactive genes may be more reliable in determining the likelihood that a form of leukemia is fast-moving or slow-growing.

8 Dec 2008

Discovery of protein that may cause breast cancer to spread

In an important finding published online in Developmental Cell , researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, along with collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have identified a protein likely responsible for causing breast cancer to spread.

8 Dec 2008

Electronic prescribing system may encourage physicians to prescribe lower-cost medications

Clinicians using an electronic prescribing system appear more likely to prescribe lower-cost medications, reducing drug spending, according to a report in the December 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

8 Dec 2008

Cytori reports benefit of adipose-derived regenerative cells in spinal disc model

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. reported preclinical study results, which demonstrate the potential benefit of adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) for the treatment of damaged intervertebral discs, evidenced by significantly increased disc tissue density and disc-specific extracellular matrix components at 12-months post treatment in a large animal model.

8 Dec 2008

Confusing risk information may lead breast cancer patients to make poor treatment choices

A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a tool commonly used by doctors to estimate the risk of a woman's breast cancer returning after surgery is not very effective at explaining risk to patients.

8 Dec 2008