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Piceatannol blocks preadipocytes’ ability to develop and grow

A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a Purdue University study.

5 Apr 2012

Scientists image process of consciousness after general anesthesia

Awakening from anesthesia is often associated with an initial phase of delirious struggle before the full restoration of awareness and orientation to one's surroundings. Scientists now know why this may occur: primitive consciousness emerges first. Using brain imaging techniques in healthy volunteers, a team of scientists led by Adjunct Professor Harry Scheinin, M.D. from the University of Turku, Turku, Finland in collaboration with investigators from the University of California, Irvine, USA, have now imaged the process of returning consciousness after general anesthesia.

5 Apr 2012

Feinstein scientists to present three GBM abstracts at AACR annual meeting

Scientists from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research will present three abstracts about Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and deadly adult brain cancer, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting to be held from Saturday through Wednesday (March 31- April 4) in Chicago, IL.

5 Apr 2012

µ-PIIIA conotoxin can be effective in controlling cancer pain

Hidden in the mud, the cone snail Conus purpurascens lies in wait for its victims. It attracts its prey, fish, with its proboscis, which can move like a worm, protruding from the mud. Once a fish approaches out of curiosity, the snail will rapidly shoot a harpoon at it, which consists of an evolutionarily modified tooth. The paralyzed victim then becomes an easy meal. It takes the venomous cone snail about two weeks to digest a fish. During this time, its venomous harpoon is also replaced.

5 Apr 2012

Olanzapine improves survival in mouse model of anorexia nervosa

Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment.

5 Apr 2012

Researchers identify how neural cells build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours

Researchers at the University of Montreal's Sainte-Justine Hospital have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours. "A better understanding of these mechanisms will enable us to design drugs that avoid body resistance to these drugs and produce longer therapeutic responses, including prolonged opioid analgesia", lead author Dr. Graciela Pineyro said.

4 Apr 2012

Positive preclinical results from Cancer Therapeutics' CTX-0294945 plus Avastin study

Cancer Therapeutics, a company focused on translating cancer biology research into novel treatments for cancer, today announced positive preclinical results for CTX-0294945 as an adjuvant therapy to the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab - Genentech/Roche). The data is presented today in a late breaking poster at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago, USA.

4 Apr 2012

Scientists discover why rapamycin causes diabetic-like symptoms in patients

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered why diabetic-like symptoms develop in some patients given rapamycin, an immune-suppressant drug that also has shown anti-cancer activity and may even slow ageing.

4 Apr 2012

Combination of ADHD drug and parental intervention can help children with autism

Researchers at The Ohio State University are conducting a study to determine which is more effective for helping children on the autism spectrum: training parents or taking medication.

4 Apr 2012

New initiative aims to strengthen regulatory capacity, systems for delivery of medicines in Africa

"The need to ensure that people in Africa have access to essential, high quality, safe and affordable medicines has just received a major boost with the launch of the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization Project in Arusha, Tanzania, on 30 March 2011," UNAIDS reports in a feature story on its website.

4 Apr 2012

Scientists discover new anti-HCV antibodies

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found antibodies that can prevent infection from widely differing strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture and animal models.

4 Apr 2012

SFU receives NIH grant to develop effective HIV/AIDS vaccine

Jamie Scott, a Simon Fraser University professor and Canada Research Chair in molecular immunity, and three international collaborators are getting a hefty financial boost in their efforts to develop an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine.

4 Apr 2012

Young girls face increased risk of side effects after Gardasil vaccination

Younger girls are more likely than adult women to report side effects after receiving Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine.

4 Apr 2012

Gamma-linoleic acid can inhibit growth of pancreatic cancer cells

The dietary supplement gamma-linoleic acid can inhibit the growth of a subset of pancreatic cancer cells and selectively promote cancer cell death in mice, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

4 Apr 2012

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of mortality in intensive care patients

Scientists have long believed that vitamin D, which is naturally absorbed from sunlight, has an important role in the functioning of the body's autoimmune system. Now Prof. Howard Amital of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center has discovered that the vitamin may also affect the outcomes of patients in intensive care.

4 Apr 2012

Navidea announces FDA extension of Lymphoseek PDUFA date by three months

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that yesterday it received notification from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date for 99m-Tc-Tilmanocept, has been modified to September 10, 2012, a 90-day extension from the initial PDUFA date of June 10th.

4 Apr 2012

Researchers figure out how rapamycin causes diabetes

The drug known as rapamycin is widely used by cancer and transplant patients, and there are hints that it might even help us put off old age and live longer. But, it also comes with a downside: rapamycin leads to diabetes in as many as 15 percent of the people who take it.

4 Apr 2012