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Substance tackles skin cancer with two-pronged attack

By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. It was created and tested by an international team of researchers led by the University of Bonn.

2 Nov 2008

Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot

Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot - a process that was previously thought to have been lost during the course of vertebrate evolution, according to new research at the University of Chicago, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Institut Pasteur in Paris. Their findings will be published online Nov. 2 in Nature Chemical Biology.

2 Nov 2008

Current hospital tests for Clostridium difficile not accurate enough

Current hospital tests for the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C difficile) are not accurate enough and a new two-stage process should be introduced to avoid misdiagnosis and its consequences.

2 Nov 2008

Pfizer's Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) receives FDA approval for the treatment of overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) extended release tablets for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.

2 Nov 2008

Side effects predict succes of breast cancer treatment

Hot flushes, night sweats and painful joints can be a blessing in disguise for breast cancer patients - according to a new report published online in the Lancet Oncology.

2 Nov 2008

Antioxidants reduce the toxic effects of lead

A research study carried out by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) proves that administering natural antioxidants can reduce the effects of lead poisoning in animals during the gestation and lactation periods. The study suggests that it could also be effective in humans.

31 Oct 2008

24-hour drinking linked to shift in hospital attendance patterns

Since the UK's move to 24-hour drinking, a large city centre hospital in Birmingham has seen an increase in drink-related attendances between the hours of 3am and 6am.

31 Oct 2008

Malaria falls significantly in the Gambia in last 5 years - raises possibility of elimination in other parts of Africa

The incidence of malaria has fallen significantly in The Gambia in the last 5 years, according to a study carried out by experts there with support from scientists based in London.

31 Oct 2008

Important steps towards the development of a human vaccine against malaria

Every day 2,000 children die from malaria in Africa alone. The infection is transmitted from human to human by biting mosquitoes and remains one of the world's most devastating diseases. Despite many years of effort a vaccine is still not available but is urgently needed, if we are to make an impact on this enormous problem.

31 Oct 2008

Vigorous exercise protects against breast cancer

Normal-weight women who carry out lots of vigorous exercise are approximately 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don't exercise vigorously.

31 Oct 2008

Good genes behaving badly behind type 1 diabetes

Investigators combing the genome in the hope of finding genetic variants responsible for triggering early-onset diabetes may be looking in the wrong place, new research at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests.

31 Oct 2008

Titan Pharmaceuticals updates on Probuphine patent application

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has received an Office Action from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) rejecting the claims in the Company's method of use patent application for the use of Probuphine in the treatment of opioid addiction and chronic pain.

31 Oct 2008

Research points to new treatment options for infantile hemangioma

A team of researchers led by Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) Dean for Research Bjorn Olsen has discovered a mechanism for the rapid growth seen in infantile hemangioma, the most common childhood tumor.

31 Oct 2008

Harvard study looks at quality of hospitals across the United States

The quality of hospitals across the United States is inconsistent. To address this issue, the federal government and private organizations have begun to publicly report data, such as how well hospitals treat certain conditions.

31 Oct 2008

Cimzia study shows reduction of symptoms and progression of rheumatoid arthritis

UCB has announced pivotal RAPID 1 (RA PreventIon of structural Damage) data published in Arthritis & Rheumatism shows CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol), the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha), together with methotrexate (MTX), rapidly reduced symptoms of disease and inhibited progression of joint damage in adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with sustained results for up to one year.

31 Oct 2008

New cases of diagnosed diabetes rises 90% in last 10 years

The rate of new cases of diagnosed diabetes rose by more than 90 percent among adults over the last 10 years, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

31 Oct 2008

GlaxoSmithKline believes there is no liver safety issue with Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate)

GlaxoSmithKline today issued the following response to a petition filed by Public Citizen to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), a highly effective therapy for treating type 2 diabetes when used in the appropriate patient population.

31 Oct 2008

Frequent urination protects against bladder cancer

A new study has analysed the effect of urinary frequency on the risk of bladder cancer. The conditions of this research which is published in the latest number of the International Journal of Cancer, show a direct association between the number of times people get up at night to urinate and protection against bladder cancer.

30 Oct 2008

Adjusting the clocks to summer time affects risk of heart attack

Adjusting the clocks to summer time on the last Sunday in March increases the risk of myocardial infarction in the following week. In return, putting the clocks back in the autumn reduces the risk, albeit to a lesser extent. This according to a new Swedish study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Oct 2008

Gleevec holds potential as first drug to successfully treat neurofibromatosis

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine report that the anti-cancer drug Gleevec holds out promise to become the first effective treatment for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease that has resisted treatments until now.

30 Oct 2008