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Ethanol, nonalcoholic compounds in red wine may reduce risk of vascular disease

Observational epidemiologic studies relating wine and alcohol to health all suffer from the fact that they, of necessity, compare people who prefer certain beverages, but not the beverages themselves. While there have been many intervention trials in animals, randomized trials in humans are less common. Randomized crossover trials, in which each subject receives all interventions in sequence, can be especially important as they tend to avoid baseline differences among subjects and can detect effects of different interventions with smaller numbers of subjects.

18 Jan 2012

PCORI to meet this week to release national priorities for medical effectiveness research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, an independent board established by the health law, will meet this week to set priorities for "comparative effectiveness research." In other news related to the health law, the News Hour reports on how the overahul has impacted pediatric cancer patients and the New York Times reports on the law's provisions related to screening kids for obesity and providing them counseling.

18 Jan 2012

Insights into rates and impact of mTBI among military personnel in Iraq/Afghanistan

As the last U.S. troops return home from Iraq, new research lends timely insights into the rates and impact of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among military personnel serving in Iraq/Afghanistan, according to a topical issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR), the official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America.

18 Jan 2012

WHO's Chan urges new approach to preventing, fighting diseases at Executive Board meeting

"Countries need to change their current mindset to successfully tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, adding that governments will need to explore new approaches to prevent and treat these diseases, which have quickly become one of the most pressing issues in public health," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Jan 2012

Alpha-1-antitrypsin may reduce effects of GVHD

A natural enzyme derived from human blood plasma showed potential in significantly reducing the effects of graft-vs.-host disease, a common and deadly side effect of lifesaving bone marrow transplants.

18 Jan 2012

New combination treatment more effective in treating cutaneous T-Cell lymphoma

Promising findings on a novel combination treatment approach for a chronic type of skin lymphoma are being published in JAMA's Archives of Dermatology by clinical researchers from Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

18 Jan 2012

U.S. readies plan to fight Alzheimer's

The government is setting what it calls an ambitious goal for Alzheimer's disease: Development of effective ways to treat and prevent the mind-destroying illness by 2025. The Obama administration is developing the first National Alzheimer's Plan to find better treatments for the disease and offer better day-to-day care for those afflicted.

18 Jan 2012

Pfizer, Medivation report results from dimebon Phase 3 trial on AD

Medivation, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. today announced results from the CONCERT trial, which is a Phase 3 trial that evaluated dimebon (latrepirdine) when added to ongoing treatment with donepezil HCL tablets in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

18 Jan 2012

Scientists use gold-filled silicon wafers to target and burn breast cancer cells

By shining infrared light on specially designed, gold-filled silicon wafers, scientists at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute have successfully targeted and burned breast cancer cells. If the technology is shown to work in human clinical trials, it could provide patients a non-invasive alternative to surgical ablation, and could be used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, to make those treatments more effective.

18 Jan 2012

LEITAT, JPT and IUCT partner to develop enhanced anticancer therapy

JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH (JPT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BioNTech AG, IUCT and LEITAT announced today their collaboration on the joint development of an enhanced anticancer therapy based on the biofocused targeting of nucleoside analogs linked to small cyclic peptidomimetics.

18 Jan 2012

No significant change in prevalence of obesity in the U.S.

There has not been significant change in the prevalence of obesity in the U.S., with data from 2009-2010 indicating that about one in three adults and one in six children and teens are obese; however, there have been increases in certain demographics, according to two studies being published by JAMA. The studies are being released online first because of their public health importance.

18 Jan 2012

New research highlights and offers solutions for a nitrogen-soaked world

The nitrogen cycle has been profoundly altered by human activities, and that in turn is affecting human health, air and water quality, and biodiversity in the U.S., according to a multi-disciplinary team of scientists writing in the 15th publication of the Ecological Society of America's Issues in Ecology.

18 Jan 2012

Study explains how cells regulate their bonds during new blood vessel development

New research explains how cells regulate their bonds during the development of new blood vessels. For the first time, the role of the protein Raf-1 in determining the strength of the bond between cells has been shown.

18 Jan 2012

SERI researchers receive NEI grant to understand origins of eye allergies

The National Eye Institute has awarded researchers at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, a subsidiary of Mass. Eye and Ear, a five year-grant totaling more than $2.4 million to understand the origins of eye allergies.

18 Jan 2012

Georgia Tech findings advance glaucoma research

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness. Nearly 4 million Americans have the disorder, which affects 70 million worldwide. There is no cure and no early symptoms. Once vision is lost, it's permanent. New findings at Georgia Tech, published in January during Glaucoma Awareness Month, explore one of the many molecular origins of glaucoma and advance research dedicated to fighting the disease.

18 Jan 2012

Two new studies focus on causes of arrhythmia and SCD

Researchers in Rhode Island Hospital's Cardiovascular Research Center have published two new studies focusing on the causes of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD) when a genetic disorder is present.

18 Jan 2012

Neuronal energy deficits may contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Turning off a protein that helps cells balance energy increases animal mobility and reduces the death of nerve cells that control movement in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study in the January 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may one day guide new directions for the treatment of the progressive neurodegenerative disorder, for which there is currently no cure.

18 Jan 2012

Study shows how to stop brain cancer cell proliferation and migration

Brain cancer is hard to treat: it's not only strong enough to resist most chemotherapies, but also nimble enough to migrate away from radiation or surgery to regrow elsewhere. New research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center shows how to stop both.

18 Jan 2012

Connection between Musashi1 and HuR proteins can lead to glioblastoma

Most research on glioblastoma development, a complicated tumor of the brain with a poor prognosis, has focused on the gene transcription level, but scientists suggest that post-transcriptional regulation could be equally or even more important.

18 Jan 2012

Children with neurologic impairment account for increasing hospital resources

Because of care advances, more infants and children with previously lethal health problems are surviving. Many, however, are left with lifelong neurologic impairment. A Children's Hospital Boston study of more than 25 million pediatric hospitalizations in the U.S. now shows that neurologically impaired children, though still a relatively small part of the overall population, account for increasing hospital resources, particularly within children's hospitals.

18 Jan 2012