Medical Condition News

RSS

HGC publishes guidelines to protect people using DIY genetic tests

A set of guidelines has been published to protect people using DIY genetic tests for inherited diseases, such as certain types of breast cancer.The guidelines have been drawn up by the Human Genetics Commission (HGC), which hopes to provide the public with greater confidence in genetic testing kits.Companies - many of which are based in the US - have started to sell DIY testing kits over the internet, providing users with an estimate of their risk of inheriting diseases.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists identify tiny RNA molecule that increases blood stem cells

Investigators have identified a new mechanism that controls the number of hematopoietic stem cells - cells that give rise to all blood and immune system cells. In a report in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identify a tiny RNA molecule that increases the number of these blood stem cells, an advance that may improve treatment of blood system cancers.

5 Aug 2010

Lux Biosciences receives CRL for Voclosporin

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that their partner, Lux Biosciences, Inc., has received a Complete Response letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding their New Drug Application (NDA) for voclosporin. Lux's NDA, filed in February 2010, seeks approval for voclosporin in the treatment of non-infectious uveitis involving the intermediate or posterior segments of the eye.

5 Aug 2010

Excess maternal weight gain predicts high birth weight: Research

Expectant mothers who gain large amounts of weight tend to give birth to heavier infants who are at higher risk for obesity later in life. But it's never been proven that this tendency results from the weight gain itself, rather than genetic or other factors that mother and baby share. A large population-based study from Children's Hospital Boston, looking at two or more pregnancies in the same mother, now provides evidence that excess maternal weight gain is a strong, independent predictor of high birth weight.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists suggest home genetic tests may cause unnecessary stress

In the age of the Internet, where cybercondriacs are just a mouse click away from a diagnosis, do-it-yourself home genetics test may seem like the next logical step in managing health. But these tests, which are relatively new and available online, are often not comprehensive and may cause unnecessary stress, warns Suzanne Mahon, DNSc., a clinical professor of hematology and oncology at Saint Louis University.

5 Aug 2010

Sigma-Aldrich, NHLBI and BU collaborate in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease research

Sigma-Aldrich® today announced it has entered into an agreement with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and Boston University (BU) to develop methods to measure several potential biomarkers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) using plasma samples from the NHLBI's Framingham Heart Study (FHS), one of the most prestigious clinical studies in medicine. Funding for the project is provided by the NHLBI to Sigma-Aldrich under a research subaward agreement with BU.

5 Aug 2010

Long-term exposure to valproate leads to bone loss: Study

Scientists are reporting a possible explanation for the bone loss that may occur following long-term use of a medicine widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. The drug, valproate, appears to reduce the formation of two key proteins important for bone strength, they said. Their study, which offers a solution to a long-standing mystery, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

5 Aug 2010

SORT1 pathway holds promise as new target for therapeutic intervention for LDL cholesterol reduction

The true power of genomic research lies in its ability to help scientists understand biological processes, particularly those that - when altered - can lead to disease. This power is demonstrated dramatically in a pair of papers published today in the journal Nature. In the first, a global team of researchers describes 95 different variations across the genome that contribute in different degrees to alterations in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels in multiple human populations. In the second report, close examination of just one of these common variants not only reveals the involvement of an unexpected genetic pathway in lipid metabolism but also provides a blueprint for using genomic findings to unravel biological connections between lipid levels and coronary heart disease.

5 Aug 2010

Certain human leukemias can be treated by targeting stem-cell microRNAs: Research

Hematopoietic stem cells provide the body with a constant supply of blood cells, including the red blood cells that deliver oxygen and the white blood cells that make up the immune system. Hematopoietic-or blood-stem cells must also make more copies of themselves to ensure that they are present in adequate numbers to provide blood throughout a person's lifetime, which means they need to strike a delicate balance between self-renewal and development into mature blood-cell lineages. Perturb that balance, and the result can be diseases such as leukemia and anemia.

5 Aug 2010

Amplimmune collaborates with GSK to develop PD-1 targeting therapies

Amplimmune, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a broad strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to further develop PD-1 targeting therapies that may be effective in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. GSK will obtain exclusive worldwide rights to AMP-224 as well as other potential next generation fusion proteins that target PD-1.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists discover Deep Brain Stimulation as potential treatment for early Alzheimer's

In a world first, Dr. Andres M. Lozano and his team at Toronto Western Hospital has shown using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on patients with early signs of Alzheimer's disease is safe and may help improve memory. The phase one safety trial of six Ontario patients took place from 2005 to 2008. All patients left hospital within 2 to 3 days of surgery, and continue to participate in regular follow-up cognitive assessments.

5 Aug 2010

EEG patterns can predict schizophrenia patients' response to clozapine therapy

A commonplace electroencephalography (EEG) test may hold the key to predicting whether a person will respond to certain prescribed drugs, particularly those related to psychiatric conditions.In a study to be published by Clinical Neurophysiology, and now posted online, engineering and health sciences researchers at McMaster University applied machine learning to EEG patterns and successfully predicted how patients with schizophrenia would respond to clozapine therapy.

5 Aug 2010

FDA clears iCAD's VeraLook computer-aided detection product for virtual colonoscopy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given clearance to VeraLook™, iCAD's computer-aided detection product used in the interpretation of virtual colonoscopy exams. iCAD is an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis solutions for the early detection of cancer.

5 Aug 2010

Scientist invents new approach to boost body's response to vaccinations

As the medical community searches for better vaccines and ways to deliver them, a University of Rochester scientist believes he has discovered a new approach to boosting the body's response to vaccinations.Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D., found that the same molecules used in drugs that treat diabetes also stimulate B cells in the immune system, pushing them to make antibodies for protection against invading microorganisms.

5 Aug 2010

Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern attains National Cancer Institute designation

The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center has attained National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, an elite distinction held by only the top-tier cancer centers nationwide.

5 Aug 2010

FDA designates XOMA 052 orphan drug for Behcet's disease

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated XOMA 052, an antibody to interleukin-1 beta, an orphan drug for the treatment of Behcet's disease. As previously announced, the Committee for Orphan Medical Products of the European Medicines Agency has recommended the granting of orphan medicinal product designation for XOMA 052 for the same indication in the European Union.

5 Aug 2010

Americans continue to get fatter, CDC finds

The New York Times: "Americans are continuing to get fatter and fatter, with obesity rates reaching 30 percent or more in nine states last year, as opposed to only three states in 2007, health officials reported on Tuesday. The increases mean that 2.4 million more people became obese from 2007 to 2009, bringing the total to 72.5 million, or 26.7 percent of the population.

5 Aug 2010

Roche inaugurates National Infusion Site Awareness Week to promote diabetis management

Roche Diabetes Care, makers of the ACCU-CHEK portfolio of diabetes management products and services, is pleased to announce the inaugural National Infusion Site Awareness Week, Aug. 30-Sept. 5. Roche made the announcement during the 37th annual American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) conference to highlight the important role that certified diabetes educators and other health care professionals play in promoting better site management for the 400,000 people in the United States with Type 1 diabetes who use an insulin pump.

5 Aug 2010

Study links sea sponge genome sequence with first animals and cancer

The sponge, which was not recognized as an animal until the 19th century, is now the simplest and most ancient group of animals to have their genome sequenced. In a paper appearing in the August 5 issue of the journal Nature, a team of researchers led by Daniel Rokhsar of the University of California, Berkeley, and the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI), report the draft genome sequence of the sea sponge Amphimedon queenslandica and several insights the genome gives into the origins of both the first animals and cancer.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists develop laser probe for early detection of oral cancer

UC Davis researchers have developed a laser probe for the early detection of oral cancer. A trial with human subjects shows that the device could also be used during surgery to locate the edges of a tumor.

5 Aug 2010

Medical Condition News

HGC publishes guidelines to protect people using DIY genetic tests

Scientists identify tiny RNA molecule that increases blood stem cells

Lux Biosciences receives CRL for Voclosporin

Excess maternal weight gain predicts high birth weight: Research

Scientists suggest home genetic tests may cause unnecessary stress

Sigma-Aldrich, NHLBI and BU collaborate in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease research

Long-term exposure to valproate leads to bone loss: Study

SORT1 pathway holds promise as new target for therapeutic intervention for LDL cholesterol reduction

Certain human leukemias can be treated by targeting stem-cell microRNAs: Research

Amplimmune collaborates with GSK to develop PD-1 targeting therapies

Scientists discover Deep Brain Stimulation as potential treatment for early Alzheimer's

EEG patterns can predict schizophrenia patients' response to clozapine therapy

FDA clears iCAD's VeraLook computer-aided detection product for virtual colonoscopy

Scientist invents new approach to boost body's response to vaccinations

Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern attains National Cancer Institute designation

FDA designates XOMA 052 orphan drug for Behcet's disease

Americans continue to get fatter, CDC finds

Roche inaugurates National Infusion Site Awareness Week to promote diabetis management

Study links sea sponge genome sequence with first animals and cancer

Scientists develop laser probe for early detection of oral cancer

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

Flow chemistry, AI, and NMR: A next-gen approach to scalable API production

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Latest News