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Nanoworms developed to target tumors

Scientists at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and MIT have developed nanometer-sized "nanoworms" that can cruise through the bloodstream without significant interference from the body's immune defense system and-like tiny anti-cancer missiles-home in on tumors.

7 May 2008

Color Doppler ultrasound should be first imaging technique for diagnosing suspected acute appendicitis

Color Doppler ultrasound, not CT, should be the first imaging examination for adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis, a new study emphasizes.

7 May 2008

Scientists discover how reverse transcriptase molecules interact with the HIV genome

Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of the virus' fierce attack on host cells. The work is described this week in the journal Nature.

7 May 2008

Genetic tag team orchestrates the cell cycle

By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic tag team to orchestrate one of the most fundamental aspects of all life: the cell cycle.

7 May 2008

Study suggests caution on a new anti-obesity drug in children

A new class of anti-obesity drugs that suppresses appetite by blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain could also suppress the adaptive rewiring of the brain necessary for neural development in children, studies with mice have indicated.

7 May 2008

Vitamin D linked to reduced mortality rate in chronic kidney disease

For patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), treatment with activated vitamin D may reduce the risk of death by approximately one-fourth, suggests a study in the August Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

7 May 2008

A stable post-divorce family environment helps minimize long-term harm to children

For children of divorce, what happens after their parents split up may be just as important to their long-term well-being as the divorce itself.

7 May 2008

Role of genetic components of dendritic cells could lead to more effective drugs

For the first time, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response malfunction. Targeting these elements could result in more effective drugs to treat allergic disorders and asthma, according to a study reported in the May edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

7 May 2008

microRNAs appear essential for retinal health

Retinas in newborn mice appear perfectly fine without any help from tiny bits of genetic material called microRNAs except for one thing - the retinas do not work.

7 May 2008

A new search for causes of autism

Dr. Eric Fombonne, from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital, is involved in a multi-site consortium to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years.

7 May 2008

Enkephalin pathway shows potential as new target for Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable disease that is increasing in prevalence and will increase even more rapidly as the Baby Boom generation enters the age of highest risk. The available AD drugs are only partially effective in some patients. New strategies are urgently needed.

7 May 2008

Apotex receives final tender approval from Rwanda for vital AIDS drug

Apotex Inc., Canada's largest generic pharmaceutical company has successfully bid and been awarded a tender from the Rwandan Government for the life saving triple combination AIDS drug "Apo Triavir". Apotex is the first company to provide this medicine to Africa under the provisions of the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR).

7 May 2008

New study shows how sounds are amplified in the inner ear

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have found that an electrically powered amplification mechanism in the cochlea of the ear is critical to the acute hearing of humans and other mammals. The findings will enable better understanding of how hearing loss can result from malfunction of this amplification machinery due to genetic mutation or overdose of drugs such as aspirin.

7 May 2008

New journal - Circulation: Heart Failure

The American Heart Association has named the editor of Circulation: Heart Failure, its second of the planned six-publication extension to the weekly flagship journal, Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The journals will be published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

7 May 2008

Discovery of DNA variations in chromosome 6 that gives rise to neuroblastoma

Using advanced gene-hunting technology, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer.

7 May 2008

Workers with no healthcare protecting Kaiser Permanente facilities

In the heart of California's leading healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente, an increasing number of security officers report they either don't have health insurance or can't afford the plan for their families.

7 May 2008

Obesity may increase adults' risk for having dementia

Their analysis of published obesity and dementia prospective follow-up studies over the past two decades shows a consistent relationship between the two diseases. The results are published by The International Association for the Study of Obesity in the May, 2008 issue of Obesity Reviews.

7 May 2008

NCPA statement on "sense of congress" resolution opposing FDA restrictions on Estriol use

Yesterday H. Con. Res. 342 was introduced by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) opposing the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to restrict Estriol (a form of Estrogen), a compounded hormone preparation used by women to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

7 May 2008

Nitrates in vegetables protect against gastric ulcers

Vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent transformation into biologically active nitric oxide in the stomach. The Swedish researcher Joel Petersson has described the process, which also means that antibacterial mouthwashes can be harmful for the stomach.

7 May 2008

CardioTech receives approval for a second graft size for CardioPass clinical trial

CardioTech International, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of advanced medical devices and materials for the treatment of a broad range of disease states, today announced that it has received the necessary Ministry of Health approval to add a 4mm graft for the clinical trial of CardioPass , the Company's proprietary synthetic coronary bypass graft. Until now, the trial was only approved for a 5mm graft.

7 May 2008