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Molecules might identify high-risk acute-leukemia patients

New research suggests that certain small molecules used by cells to control the proteins they make might also help doctors identify adult acute-leukemia patients who are likely to respond poorly to therapy.

16 Jan 2008

Gender differences in liver cancer

A fundamental difference in the way males and females respond to chronic liver disease at the genetic level helps explain why men are more prone to liver cancer, according to MIT researchers.

16 Jan 2008

New European medical implants

Patients suffering from conditions such as stroke, blindness, deafness, incontinence, glaucoma or hydrocephalus will be the first to benefit from a range of new technologies and implantable medical devices developed by a pioneering European consortium of researchers, surgeons and technology companies.

16 Jan 2008

Lack of training in prescribing medicines for children

Current training and assessment for curbing common pitfalls in medicines prescribing for children is inadequate, suggests research published ahead of print in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

16 Jan 2008

Iowa State researchers aim to improve vaccine technology

A team of Iowa State University researchers is examining a new vaccine method that may change the way we get vaccinations.

16 Jan 2008

Hormonal nutritional supplements might speed prostate cancer progression

Hormonal components in over-the-counter dietary supplements may promote the progression of prostate cancer and decrease the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered.

16 Jan 2008

HIV infections concentrating among the least educated people in Africa

HIV infections appear to be concentrating among the least educated people in Africa, reversing previous patterns which saw higher levels of infection among the most educated, according to a study published today in the journal AIDS.

16 Jan 2008

Genetic differences may explain response to multiple sclerosis treatment

By comparing the DNA of patients with multiple sclerosis whose symptoms are reduced by interferon beta therapy to the DNA of those who continue to experience relapses, researchers may have identified important genetic differences between the two, according to an article posted online that will appear in the March 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

16 Jan 2008

Cancer study finds adolescents don't get same access to latest treatments as younger patients

The overall survival rate from cancer now is lower in older adolescents and young adults with cancer than in younger children, in part because of a lack of access to clinical trials nationally for the older age group, according to a study by pediatric oncologists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

16 Jan 2008

Causes and consequences of childhood obesity

The January 2008 special issue of The Annals, published by SAGE, explores the problem of obesity in the young, providing kids, their parents and caregivers a road map for a healthier lifestyle both for them and for future generations.

16 Jan 2008

Vitamin D2 supplements may help prevent falls among high-risk older women

Vitamin D2 supplements appear to reduce the risk of falls among women with a history of falling and low blood vitamin D levels living in sunny climates, especially during the winter, according to a report in the January 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Jan 2008

Unique role of apoptosis protein TRADD in viral signaling

Epstein-Barr virus is incredibly common in humans; up to 95% of adults in the developed world have been infected, which causes glandular fever and has been linked to the development of several forms of cancer.

16 Jan 2008

Reducing barriers for implementation of bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation

A unified effort by the public, educators and policymakers is needed to reduce deaths from sudden cardiac arrest by increasing the use and effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to a new statement from the American Heart Association.

16 Jan 2008

Undernourished stroke patients may have more complications, worse outcomes

Patients who are undernourished when they enter the hospital with an acute ischemic stroke the most common type of stroke, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked are likely to remain undernourished in the hospital and may have worse clinical outcomes, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Neurology.

16 Jan 2008

Researchers find cell protein that blocks HIV virus generation

UCLA researchers have found that a key protein in the body's dendritic cells can stop the virus that causes AIDS from "budding" part of the virus' life cycle that is crucial to its ability to replicate and infect other cells.

16 Jan 2008

Trust between doctors and patients is culprit in efforts to cross racial divide in medical research

More than three decades after the shutdown of the notorious Tuskegee study, a team of Johns Hopkins physicians has found that Tuskegee's legacy of blacks' mistrust of physicians and deep-seated fear of harm from medical research persists and is largely to blame for keeping much-needed African Americans from taking part in clinical trials.

16 Jan 2008

FDA says meat from cloned animals is safe but not everyone agrees

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has announced that meat from cloned animals is safe for human consumption.

16 Jan 2008

Supercarrot to protect against bone diseases

American scientists have created a "supercarrot" which may protect against conditions such as brittle bone disease and osteoporosis.

16 Jan 2008

Maryland Court rejects Thimerosal - autism link

Wyeth has announced that The Honorable Stuart R. Berger of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in Baltimore, Maryland, has granted Wyeth's motion to preclude plaintiffs' expert witnesses in an alleged vaccine injury case from testifying that exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines can cause autism..

16 Jan 2008

Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attacks for older women

Scientists in New Zealand say healthy post-menopausal women who take calcium supplements to maintain bone strength may be increasing their risk of heart attacks.

16 Jan 2008