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When cancer cells can't let go

Like a climber scaling a rock face, a migrating cancer cell has to keep a tight grip on the surface but also let go at the right moment to move ahead.

13 Apr 2009

Visual impairment will increase as population ages, but treatment can mitigate effects

Health care providers can expect a significant increase in age-related macular degeneration as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13 Apr 2009

Three medical centers awarded funds to study generation of cardiac muscle cells

The American Heart Association, with support from the Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation, has awarded funding for three research centers to study the development and mechanisms of generating new cardiac muscle cells.

13 Apr 2009

You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy

The new science of epigenetics explains how genes can be modified by the environment, and a prime result of epigenetic inquiry has just been published online in The FASEB Journal: You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy.

13 Apr 2009

Therapeutic effect of imatinib improved with addition of chloroquine

The therapeutic effects of the blockbuster leukemia drug imatinib may be enhanced when given along with a drug that inhibits a cell process called autophagy, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

13 Apr 2009

Survey research looks at attitudes, obstacles to walking and biking to work

According to researchers with Kansas State University's Physical Activity and Public Health Laboratory, active commuting -- walking or biking to school or work -- can be an easy, effective and efficient way to integrate physical activity into the daily routine.

13 Apr 2009

Facebook lowers grades in college, according to pilot study

College students who use Facebook spend less time studying and have lower grade point averages than students who have not signed up for the social networking website, according to a pilot study at one university.

13 Apr 2009

Study of neighborhoods points to modifiable factors, not race, in cancer disparities

While cities have shown considerable racial disparities in cancer survival, those racial disparities virtually disappear among smaller populations, such as neighborhoods within that city.

13 Apr 2009

SIRT1 takes down tumors

Yuan et al. have identified another anti-cancer effect of the "longevity" protein SIRT1.

13 Apr 2009

Scientists uncover mimicry at the molecular level that protects genome integrity

The new study, which was published on April 12, 2009, in an advanced online edition of the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, draws new parallels between the Rad60 DNA repair factor and SUMO, a small ubiquitin-like modifier, which are both essential for maintaining genome stability during replication.

13 Apr 2009

Review identifies dietary factors associated with heart disease risk

A review of previously published studies suggests that vegetable and nut intake and a Mediterranean dietary pattern appear to be associated with a lower risk for heart disease, according to a report published in the April 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

13 Apr 2009

Screening to help prevent stroke in kids increases, but limited access a problem

The number of children with a certain blood disorder undergoing an ultrasound to help prevent stroke is up significantly in the past 10 years since the publication of a major study showing its benefits.

13 Apr 2009

Researchers show how PCBs may alter in utero, neonatal brain development

In three new studies - including one appearing online in the Public Library of Science - Biology (PLoS - Biology) - UC Davis researchers provide compelling evidence of how low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alter the way brain cells develop.

13 Apr 2009

$Pharmacyclics starts clinical trial of novel oral Btk inhibitor for refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma$

Pharmacyclics starts clinical trial of novel oral Btk inhibitor for refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Pharmacyclics, Inc. has announced that it has begun treating patients in a Phase 1 dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of PCI-32765, an orally available, selective inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, or Btk, as a potential treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

13 Apr 2009

Racial disparities persist in the treatment of lung cancer

Black patients suffering from lung cancer are less likely to receive recommended chemotherapy and surgery than white lung cancer patients, a disparity that shows no signs of lessening.

13 Apr 2009

Optimer Pharmaceuticals receives production patent for Fidaxomicin

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a production patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,507,564) covering steps used in the manufacture of fidaxomicin, which is currently in its second Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection, or CDI.

13 Apr 2009

New therapies expected to help reduce future burden of age-related macular degeneration

The prevalence of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration is projected to increase substantially by 2050, but the use of new therapies is expected to help mitigate its effects on vision, according to results of simulation modeling reported in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

13 Apr 2009

New easy to understand guide on treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee

A new pair of plain-language guides from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examines the effectiveness, safety, and adverse effects of various treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee, including glucosamine and chondroitin, fluid injections, arthroscopic surgery, pain medications and other approaches.

13 Apr 2009

Tobacco and marijuana increase risk of respiratory symptoms and COPD

Smoking both tobacco and marijuana increases the risk of respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), found a study in CMAJ.

13 Apr 2009

Medicare payments for outpatient prescription medications jumped $38 billion between 2005 and 2006

Medicare payments for outpatient prescription medications increased by more than $38 billion when comparing 2005 and 2006 data, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Apr 2009