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New drug may help treat certain forms of leukemia

A new experimental drug may be effective against a certain form of leukemia resistant to current treatments, research at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows.

2 May 2005

Transcendental meditation promotes a healthier, longer life

Transcendental Meditation has been found to have far more impact on the body than was previously suspected and goes beyond just creating a laid back and relaxed attitude.

2 May 2005

Research provides new insight into how individual genes control regeneration

Although they may look small and unassuming, planarian worms are famous in the scientific world for their extraordinary ability to regenerate body parts after injury. Even a small piece cut off a planarian can reorganize and regenerate to form a whole new worm.

2 May 2005

Cell phone base stations change brain currents and cause unwellness

The radiation of a cell phone base station at a distance of 80 metres causes significant changes of the electrical currents in the brains of testees (measured by electroencefalogram, EEG). All the testees said they felt unwell during the radiation, some of them seriously.

2 May 2005

HIV treatment not affected by hormonal birth control

Estrogen and progesterone hormones in birth control do not influence the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which is used to treat HIV infection, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. The study is published in the May 1, 2005, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

2 May 2005

Discovery could ease the pain of sensitive teeth

The problem currently affects around 15 per cent of the adult population and rising, as people retain their teeth for longer. The most common cause is receding gums, resulting from teeth grinding, abrasion or tooth decay, which exposes the dentine.

2 May 2005

Defects in gene called RyR2 cause malfunctions in the heart's electrical system

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified defects in a second gene called RyR2 that causes malfunctions in the heart's electrical system and contributes to what were previously unexplained drownings.

2 May 2005

Blocking the COX-1 enzyme might be the answer in ovarian cancer treatment

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in a new report say that blocking the COX-1 enzyme - not COX-2 - might lead to a way to prevent and treat the most common and fatal form of ovarian cancer.

2 May 2005

Little known enzyme ACAT2 appears to be a factor in cardiovascular disease

New research suggests that a little-studied enzyme ACAT2, may play a major role in cardiovascular disease because it alters the molecular structure of cholesterol.

2 May 2005

Specific behaviors seen in infants can predict autism, new research shows

Canadian researchers have become the first to pinpoint specific behavioral signs in infants as young as 12 months that can predict, with remarkable accuracy, whether a child will develop autism.

1 May 2005

Use of agricultural insecticides linked to lasting neurological problems for farmers

New research shows that farmers who used agricultural insecticides experienced increased neurological symptoms, even when they were no longer using the products. Data from18,782 North Carolina and Iowa farmers linked use of insecticides, including organophosphates and organochlorines, to reports of reoccurring headaches, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, hand tremors, numbness and other neurological symptoms. Some of the insecticides addressed by the study are still on the market, but some, including DDT, have been banned or restricted.

1 May 2005

Asthma and diabetes sufferers could benefit nano-particle research

Patients suffering from conditions as diverse as asthma and diabetes could benefit from research at Cardiff University to improve the effectiveness of drugs taken through spray inhalers.

1 May 2005

Prenatal exposure to cocaine effects problem-solving later in life

Children exposed to cocaine before birth show subtle but discernible differences in their ability to plan and problem-solve once they reach school age, University of Florida researchers report.

1 May 2005

Age-related macular degeneration is triggered, possibly by an infection

Age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, occurs when a common inherited gene variation is triggered, possibly by an infection, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the University of Iowa, with an international research team.

1 May 2005

Computerized tools for diagnosing heart attack could be inaccurate in some people

A computerized tool to help emergency room physicians determine whether a patient is having a heart attack may not work as well among some racial and ethnic groups, according to research of almost 12,000 patients at nine medical centers.

1 May 2005

Vitamin C may have potential to counteract negative impacts of smoking in unborn babies

Research conducted in monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, suggests high doses of vitamin C may have potential to counteract some negative impacts of smoking in unborn babies.

1 May 2005

Blocking the COX-1 enzyme might prevent and treat the most common and fatal form of ovarian cancer

Blocking the COX-1 enzyme - not COX-2 - might lead to a way to prevent and treat the most common and fatal form of ovarian cancer, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported this week.

1 May 2005

Researchers determine mechanism of action of chemotherapy drug motexafin gadolinium

The chemotherapy drug motexafin gadolinium (brand name: Xcytrin, manufactured by Pharmacyclics, Inc.) works to thwart cancer cells by disrupting key enzymes involved in cellular metabolism, according to a team of researchers led by Joseph Hacia, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

1 May 2005

Antibiotic minocycline might help alleviate HIV's negative effects on the brain and central nervous system

By studying animals, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that the antibiotic minocycline might help alleviate HIV's negative effects on the brain and central nervous system, problems that can develop even though antiretroviral therapy controls the virus elsewhere in the body.

1 May 2005

Obese people - add yet another worry to the list

Dementia is now the latest scare factor to be added to an ever growing list of threats which so far includes diabetes, heart disease and stroke, which obese people are apparently more prone to.

1 May 2005