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Scientists decode unknown mechanism of imiquimod in tumour defense

A research team from the Institute for Cancer Research at the MedUni Vienna has decoded a previously unknown mechanism of the active ingredient imiquimod in tumour defense. They have been able to prove that imiquimod transforms plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) into "tumour-killers" which can fight the tumour independently from other immune cells. This discovery could be an important step on the way to a more efficient treatment for cancer.

20 Jan 2012

TNF receptors 1 and 2 may predict kidney disease in diabetes

Levels of certain blood proteins indicate which diabetes patients will likely develop life-threatening kidney problems in the future, according to two studies appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

20 Jan 2012

Clues about how statins might treat breast cancer

Cholesterol-lowering statins seem to keep breast cancer at bay in some patients. Now researchers reporting in the January 20th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, provide clues about how statins might yield those unexpected benefits. The findings also suggest that mutations in a single gene could be used to identify tumors likely to respond to statin therapy.

19 Jan 2012

Mylan introduces Levetiracetam to treat seizures

Mylan Inc. today announced that its Mylan Institutional business has launched Levetiracetam in Sodium Chloride Injection, 500 mg/100 mL, 1000 mg/100 mL and 1500 mg/100 mL, for intravenous use.

19 Jan 2012

Study examines drug resistance in ALK positive lung cancer

Scientists from the University of Colorado Cancer Center have once again advanced the treatment of a specific kind of lung cancer. The team has documented how anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) becomes resistant to a drug targeting the abnormal protein in the cancer. It's the first time scientists have analyzed the frequency and type of drug resistance in ALK positive patients taking crizotinib.

19 Jan 2012

FDA issues complete response letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca's dapagliflozin

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and AstraZeneca today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for investigational compound dapagliflozin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

19 Jan 2012

Earlier detection of Fragile X syndrome made possible

Now families children with fragile X syndrome may have a chance of earlier detection and intervention. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute breakthrough could allow newborn screening of the world's most common cause of inherited developmental disability. The research findings were published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

19 Jan 2012

Testing for osteoporosis – how often?

A new study shows that many women who get screened for osteoporosis may not need it. It suggests that the current guidelines result in too many unnecessary tests, increasing costs and sometimes spurring unnecessary treatment.

19 Jan 2012

A reliable way to replicate α-synuclein aggregation on cell membranes in Parkinson's disease patients

The accumulation of α-synuclein, a small, negatively charged protein, in neural cells, is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. It has been suggested that oligomeric α-synuclein causes membranes to become permeable, or to form channels on the outer cell membrane.

19 Jan 2012

Health experts call for U.N. special session on mental illness, illicit drug use

"Mental illness and drug abuse can wreak havoc in global societies and economies, and the U.N. General Assembly should devote a special session to the matter, global health experts said" in a PLoS Medicine article published on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports (1/17).

19 Jan 2012

SSRIs increase risk of falling in nursing home residents with dementia

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have an injurious fall than similar people who don't use these drugs. The association can be seen in people who use low doses of SSRIs and the risk increases as people take higher doses. The results are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

19 Jan 2012

Plate size does not help to curb energy intake or control portion sizes

The size of one's dinner plate does not help to curb energy intake or control portion sizes, according to a recent study conducted at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

19 Jan 2012

Research on neuron interaction could lead to potential treatment for addiction

Harvard scientists have developed the fullest picture yet of how neurons in the brain interact to reinforce behaviors ranging from learning to drug use, a finding that might open the door to possible breakthroughs in the treatment of addiction.

19 Jan 2012

Mephedrone users would switch to a new legal high if it caused less harm

Since mephedrone was made illegal in the UK in 2010, the street price of the drug has risen while the quality has degraded, which in turn may have reduced use of the drug. New research published online today reveals that young people who continued to use mephedrone after it became illegal would switch to a new legal high if it were pure and rated highly by their friends or on the Internet.

19 Jan 2012

Insufficient sleep increases risk of becoming overweight

New research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of becoming overweight in the long run. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

19 Jan 2012

STSI to present fifth annual educational conference on genomic medicine

Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) will present its fifth annual educational conference exploring the latest achievements and challenges in the use of genomics to diagnose and treat disease and medical conditions on March 1-2, 2012, in San Diego.

19 Jan 2012

The AJMS publishes updates on type 2 diabetes, STIs

Research is leading to new insights on two major public health challenges: preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and improving disease control for patients with type 2 diabetes. Expert updates on these critical topics appear in a special symposium section of the January issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (The AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

19 Jan 2012

NIEHS study: 32M people in the U.S. have autoantibodies

A recent study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), an agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), shows that 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, the most common of which are antinuclear antibodies.

19 Jan 2012

New research into treatment, prognosis and early detection of GI cancers

New research into the treatment, prognosis and early detection of gastrointestinal cancers was released today in advance of the ninth annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium being held January 19-21, 2012, at The Moscone West Building in San Francisco, Calif.

19 Jan 2012

Hawaii surgeons successfully implant FDA-approved eye telescope for AMD

A team of surgeons from Hawaii, Dr. Michael Bennett of Retina Institute of Hawaii and Dr. Michael McMann of McMann Institute, has successfully implanted the FDA-approved eye telescope, a first in Hawaii, at one of the leading medical centers in Honolulu.

19 Jan 2012