Drug Trial News

RSS

Caspase-12 antagonists could potentially be useful in the treatment of sepsis and other inflammatory and immune disorders

According to the new study, the presence of caspase-12, which appears to modulate inflammation and innate immunity in humans, increases the body's "vulnerability to bacterial infection and septic shock" while a deficiency confers strong resistance to sepsis. This new discovery suggests that caspase-12 antagonists could be a potentially useful in the treatment of sepsis and other inflammatory and immune disorders.

26 Apr 2006

Groups better at solving problems than individuals

Study shows that the collective efforts of groups may be useful in boosting problem-solving skills. It found groups of three, four, or five perform better on complex problem solving than the best of an equivalent number of individuals.

24 Apr 2006

Non-Smokers with lung cancer respond better to treatment than smokers

Smoking history contributes to poor outcomes in the treatment of lung cancer, according to a new study. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lung cancer patients who have never smoked before in their life have better overall survival rates and respond better to chemotherapy than current or former smokers.

24 Apr 2006

Study reveals findings on how insulin-producing beta cells grow and function

A new Joslin Diabetes Center-led study has shown conclusively that two receptors in the insulin-producing beta cell do not affect developmental growth, refuting a long-held hypothesis in diabetes research.

23 Apr 2006

Link between expectancy, visual cues and the desire to smoke

In a study recently published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and the Department of Psychology at McGill University found that when people expect to smoke in the near future, external cues such as watching someone smoke affects their brain more than their level of craving or how long they have gone without a cigarette.

23 Apr 2006

Arf gene loss enhances oncogenicity and limits imatinib response in mouse models of Bcr-Abl-induced acute lymphoblastic leukemia

New clues to why some kinds of leukemia are more aggressive and deadly than others are coming from research examining the types of genetic damage that allow some blood cells to grow out of control, scientists report.

23 Apr 2006

Hypnotherapy relieves chest pain not linked to heart disease

According to a small study in the UK, hypnotherapy was helpful in relieving the angina-like chest pain experienced by some people which is not caused by heart disease.

23 Apr 2006

Sex not such a happy experience in male-dominated societies

According to the results of a global survey older men are more satisfied with their sex lives than their female equivalents.

23 Apr 2006

No alarm on fluoride: cancer risk unproven

Suggestions that fluoridated water supplies may be linked to a rare form of bone cancer have not been scientifically established, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Robert Hall said this week.

20 Apr 2006

Teenage girls prioritise travel, study and home ownership above marriage and motherhood

The two-year study led by Dr Jackie Sanders in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work followed three groups of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 - those no longer in school, those at a co-educational high school performing at an average level, and those in accelerated classes at single-sex schools.

20 Apr 2006

Corticosteroids do not improve survival in patients with late-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome

The study is the first multi-center randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of moderate doses of steroids in ARDS patients when treatment is started 7 days or more after the onset of the condition.

20 Apr 2006

Study into whether folic acid and other B vitamins can help slow dementia

The world's largest ever study into a possible link between B vitamins and Alzheimer's disease is to be based at Oxford University.

20 Apr 2006

Popular antidepressants may affect fetus

A team from the Ottawa Health Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and The Ottawa Hospital has found an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, fetal death, and infant seizures among pregnant women who used a popular class of antidepressants during pregnancy.

20 Apr 2006

Genetic data from an island population proves to be a useful tool in understanding disease

With fewer than 4,000 residents, the genetically isolated Micronesian island of Kosrae, in the West Pacific, provides an ideal population in which to research heritability of disease.

20 Apr 2006

Forearm support reduces pain linked to computer use

Providing forearm support is an effective way to prevent musculoskeletal disorders of the upper body and helps reduce upper body pain associated with computer work, according to a study reported in the April 18 issue of the British Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

20 Apr 2006