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Platelet receptor could help with diseases that impact RBCs

A receptor found on blood platelets whose importance as a potential pharmaceutical target has long been questioned may in fact be fruitful in drug testing, according to new research from Michigan State University chemists.

20 Jan 2012

Birth weight plays a role in autism spectrum disorder

Although the genetic basis of autism is now well established, a growing body of research also suggests that environmental factors may play a role in this serious developmental disorder affecting nearly one in 100 children. Using a unique study design, a new study suggests that low birth weight is an important environmental factor contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorder.

20 Jan 2012

Anabolic steroids do not appear to contribute to CTE

Anabolic steroids don't appear to contribute to degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma in athletes, according to a study in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

20 Jan 2012

UTHealth's Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions opens outpatient clinic

An outpatient clinic founded on evidence-based treatments has opened at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions (CNRA) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

20 Jan 2012

Lives lost in Horn of Africa because of late response to famine early warnings, report says

"Scientists and aid organizations gave the world plenty of time to prepare, but a late response by the world's donor nations cost 50,000 to 100,000 lives during last year's drought in the Horn of Africa region," the Christian Science Monitor's "Global News Blog" writes about a report released on Wednesday by Save the Children and Oxfam.

20 Jan 2012

Antimicrobial impregnated scrubs effective in reducing MRSA

The use of antimicrobial impregnated scrubs combined with good hand hygiene is effective in reducing the burden of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) on healthcare workers' apparel and may potentially play a role in decreasing the risk of MRSA transmission to patients, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

20 Jan 2012

New book focuses on improving care for chronic diseases

Why does health care need to be redesigned? First - the current system is broken. It costs too much, and too often yields little value for patients and society. Second - it's fixable. The editors and authors of Great Health Care - Making It Happen are convinced of it.

20 Jan 2012

Scientists decode unknown mechanism of imiquimod in tumour defense

A research team from the Institute for Cancer Research at the MedUni Vienna has decoded a previously unknown mechanism of the active ingredient imiquimod in tumour defense. They have been able to prove that imiquimod transforms plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) into "tumour-killers" which can fight the tumour independently from other immune cells. This discovery could be an important step on the way to a more efficient treatment for cancer.

20 Jan 2012

TNF receptors 1 and 2 may predict kidney disease in diabetes

Levels of certain blood proteins indicate which diabetes patients will likely develop life-threatening kidney problems in the future, according to two studies appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

20 Jan 2012

Harare maternity clinics reportedly conducting compulsory HIV/AIDS tests on pregnant women

"In a move that is likely to raise the ire of HIV/AIDS activists, maternity clinics in Harare are conducting compulsory HIV/AIDS tests on pregnant women before they can register for delivery," the Zimbabwean reports, adding, "Scores of pregnant women in the high-density suburb of Glen-Norah told this newspaper that they were being asked to bring their spouses to be tested if they wanted to register to deliver their babies."

19 Jan 2012

Clues about how statins might treat breast cancer

Cholesterol-lowering statins seem to keep breast cancer at bay in some patients. Now researchers reporting in the January 20th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, provide clues about how statins might yield those unexpected benefits. The findings also suggest that mutations in a single gene could be used to identify tumors likely to respond to statin therapy.

19 Jan 2012

Mylan introduces Levetiracetam to treat seizures

Mylan Inc. today announced that its Mylan Institutional business has launched Levetiracetam in Sodium Chloride Injection, 500 mg/100 mL, 1000 mg/100 mL and 1500 mg/100 mL, for intravenous use.

19 Jan 2012

Nurture plays an important role in cerebral cortex

Our visual systems allow us to appreciate the beauty of the world, but they were mainly evolved to help us survive, by avoiding predators and capturing prey. Central to that task is the ability to instantly determine whether objects are moving, and the direction of that movement.

19 Jan 2012

SDB to honor Carnegie's BioEYES with Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize

Carnegie's educational outreach program, BioEYES, will be the recipient of the 2012 Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize from the Society for Developmental Biology.

19 Jan 2012

Georgetown professors explore balance of national security and scientific freedom

The U.S. government's request that the journals Science and Nature withhold scientific information related to the genetically modified H5N1 virus because of biosecurity concerns does not violate the First Amendment, say two Georgetown University professors. They caution, however, that a fair, transparent process undertaken by research organizations is preferable to governmental constraints on disseminating scientific information.

19 Jan 2012

Study examines drug resistance in ALK positive lung cancer

Scientists from the University of Colorado Cancer Center have once again advanced the treatment of a specific kind of lung cancer. The team has documented how anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) becomes resistant to a drug targeting the abnormal protein in the cancer. It's the first time scientists have analyzed the frequency and type of drug resistance in ALK positive patients taking crizotinib.

19 Jan 2012

FDA issues complete response letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca's dapagliflozin

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and AstraZeneca today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for investigational compound dapagliflozin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

19 Jan 2012

World must overcome psychological, organizational, political barriers to heed early famine warnings

Psychological, organizational and budgetary factors contributed to why governments did not respond sooner to early famine warnings in the Horn of Africa, Hugo Slim, a visiting fellow at the Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict at the University of Oxford, says in this Guardian opinion piece.

19 Jan 2012

Doctors’ threaten strike for first time in 4 decades over pension cuts

Doctors’ dispute with the Government over planned changes to their pensions yesterday got worse after a British Medical Association survey showed almost two out of three would back some form of industrial action.

19 Jan 2012

Earlier detection of Fragile X syndrome made possible

Now families children with fragile X syndrome may have a chance of earlier detection and intervention. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute breakthrough could allow newborn screening of the world's most common cause of inherited developmental disability. The research findings were published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

19 Jan 2012