Medical Research News

RSS

Increasing age associated with higher risk of death from breast cancer

Among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, increasing age was associated with a higher risk of death from breast cancer, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Feb 2012

Forum for Collaborative HIV Research suggests new approach for conducting Phase 3 HIV clinical trials

As the war on HIV/AIDS begins its fourth decade, medical researchers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, patient advocates and government regulators face a new and unexpected scientific challenge: how to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of promising new antiretroviral drugs when the two traditional study designs – the superiority trial and the non-inferiority trial – are no longer useful in showing improvements in both "treatment experienced" patients and those who have never received drug therapy (treatment-naive patients).

7 Feb 2012

Study finds 77% of trauma patients with vitamin D deficiency

New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that 77 percent of trauma patients had deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D.

7 Feb 2012

Smoking leads to early cognitive decline: Study

There is growing evidence that using cigarettes can also affect the brain: the latest study shows that smoking is associated with cognitive decline as early as age 45, and that male smokers may be more vulnerable to these mental effects than women.

7 Feb 2012

WHO publishes new standards for human participant research

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published “Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethics Review of Health-Related Research with Human Participants,” a compilation of 10 standards for ethics review of health related research with human participants.

7 Feb 2012

NYU Langone experts to present at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting

Experts from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center will present their latest research and clinical findings on diseases of the muscle, tendon, bone and joint at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), February 7-11 in San Francisco, California.

7 Feb 2012

ECNP expresses deep concern at withdrawal by AstraZeneca from neuroscience drug research

The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology expresses its deep concern at the recently announced withdrawal by AstraZeneca from neuroscience drug research. AstraZeneca's pull-out is especially disturbing given that it follows a series of similar withdrawals in the last two years by major pharmaceutical companies. There is a growing sense that neuroscience in Europe is now facing a severe crisis.

7 Feb 2012

Visual working memory not as specialized in the brain as visual encoding

Researchers have long known that specific parts of the brain activate when people view particular images. For example, a region called the fusiform face area turns on when the eyes glance at faces, and another region called the parahippocampal place area does the same when a person looks at scenes or buildings. However, it's been unknown whether such specialization also exists for visual working memory, a category of memory that allows the brain to temporarily store and manipulate visual information for immediate tasks.

7 Feb 2012

Five coping strategies can help people to overcome dental fear

Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have investigated the strategies used by people who suffer from dental fear to cope with dental treatment. Some of the most important factors in managing stress during a visit to the dentist include optimism on the part of the patient and an atmosphere of humour in the interaction with the dental staff.

7 Feb 2012

Queen's study aims to improve end of life decision making among elderly

At a time when there is tremendous concern about the utilization of technology at the end of life and the costs of technology, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has funded a multi-center study aimed to improve end of life decision making amongst seriously ill, elderly hospitalized patients. Queen's University is one institution receiving funding for this initiative.

7 Feb 2012

Exposure to manganese may increase risk of clumsiness in former welders

Welders who are exposed to manganese from welding fumes, risk developing increased clumsiness - and the result may remain decades after exposure has ceased. This is the finding of a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, of former shipyard workers.

7 Feb 2012

CWRU/Cleveland Clinic consortium to focus on head, neck and spinal injuries

Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University are joining forces to form the Cleveland Traumatic Neuromechanics Consortium (TNC), which will investigate and develop better protection and treatment strategies for head, neck and spinal injuries related to sports, military service and automobile accidents.

6 Feb 2012

Vigorous exercise triggers MSC accumulation in skeletal muscle

University of Illinois researchers determined that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise, a discovery that may provide a link between exercise and muscle health. The findings could lead to new therapeutic techniques using these cells to rehabilitate injured muscle and prevent or restore muscle loss with age.

6 Feb 2012

Scientists search gene alterations in three-parent kids

Researchers from Australia want to find out if using the DNA of three parents will prevent children inheriting life-threatening diseases. They add that if the technique proves successful in preventing the transfer of mitochondrial DNA mutations from mothers to babies, then laws on the use of embryos will need to be changed to allow the procedure.

6 Feb 2012

Panel discussion shows heated controversy over H5N1 research

"The controversy over research about potentially dangerous H5N1 viruses heated up [Thursday night] in a New York City debate that featured some of the leading voices exchanging blunt comments on the alleged risks and benefits of publishing or withholding the full details of the studies," CIDRAP News reports.

6 Feb 2012

People seem to switch navigational strategies with age

A Wayne State University researcher believes studying people's ability to find their way around may help explain why loss of mental capacity occurs with age.

6 Feb 2012

Environmental aspects rather than genes play a major role in MCI in non-demented elderly

Both subjective and objective cognitive impairment are highly common among non-demented elderly Swedes, with an overall prevalence of 39 percent and 25 percent respectively, according to a nationwide twin study by researchers at the Aging Research Center of Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

6 Feb 2012

SDIX, BD enter collaboration for development of microbiology detection solution

SDIX, a leading provider of biotechnology-based products and services for a broad range of life science, biotechnology, diagnostic and food safety applications, and BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced the signing of a comprehensive agreement whereby the two companies will collaborate in the development of a microbiology detection solution.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 6 Feb 2012

NIH, USDA and research facilities need to protect captive great apes

The Bioethics of Great Ape Well-Being: Psychiatric Injury and Duty of Care, recently published in the Animals & Society Institute's (ASI) Public Policy series, asserts that historically and to date the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and research facilities have failed in their legal duty to protect captive great apes by not preventing foreseeable trauma of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other psychological injuries.

6 Feb 2012

Soligenix reports positive results from preclinical studies of vaccine thermostabilization technology

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today results from preclinical studies of its proprietary vaccine thermostabilization technology indicating that Soligenix is able to produce stable vaccine formulations using adjuvants, protein immunogens, and other components that ordinarily would not withstand long temperature variations exceeding customary refrigerated storage conditions.

6 Feb 2012