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Petition aims to stem the flood of dangerous drugs reaching Americans

In a petition filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, an international coalition of scientists and doctors seeks to compel the agency to stem the flood of dangerous drugs reaching American consumers by mandating the use of scientifically superior non-animal testing methods when those alternatives exist.

15 Nov 2007

Progress in in food allergy prevention

Progress has been made in food allergy prevention and management according to investigators presenting the latest research at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Dallas. Important research findings may impact diet restrictions of food allergic patients.

15 Nov 2007

Lonesome people may have lower levels of specific brain hormone

The anxiety and aggression that result from social isolation have been traced to altered levels of an enzyme that controls production of a brain hormone.

15 Nov 2007

Low doses of arsenic disrupt activity of development hormone

A team of Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers has determined that low doses of arsenic disrupt the activity of a hormone critical in development. The finding is further evidence that arsenic at low doses (at levels found in U.S. drinking water in some areas) can be harmful.

15 Nov 2007

Captopril may limit radiation kidney damage in bone marrow transplant patients

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have found that the risk of radiation injury in normal tissue after exposure may be reduced by a drug in common use. Their study in press appears in the on line issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics.

15 Nov 2007

Breakthrough innovation for high sensitivity TB and Malaria diagnostics

At this year's 39th World Forum for Medicine in Dusseldorf (MEDICA, November 14-17), Partec, a globally leading developer, manufacturer and provider of dedicated diagnostic solutions in the response to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is presenting a breakthrough innovation for high sensitivity TB and Malaria diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries.

15 Nov 2007

New explanation for how regulatory networks of genes evolved

When ancient retroviruses slipped bits of their DNA into the primate genome millions of years ago, they successfully preserved their own genetic legacy.

15 Nov 2007

Medics worry about ethnic sensitivity

Health professionals worry that a lack of knowledge about different cultures may lead to them being seen as insensitive or inappropriate to patients from different ethnic backgrounds - according to research published today.

14 Nov 2007

FDA adds warning for heart attacks to type 2 diabetes drug Avandia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that the manufacturer of Avandia (rosiglitazone), a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, has agreed to add new information to the existing boxed warning in the drug's labeling about potential increased risk for heart attacks.

14 Nov 2007

Bolivian Amazon study finds using insect repellent between dusk and bedtime makes insecticide-treated bednets more effective

Using insect repellent in addition to insecticide treated bednets (ITNs) has been shown to provide greater protection against malaria in areas where mosquitoes feed in the early evening.

14 Nov 2007

Understanding diversity in disease - new routes to prevention, diagnosis and treatment

The Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the health research departments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have launched a joint initiative of more than £6millon to identify small carefully defined groups of patients to help researchers detect, treat or prevent diseases.

14 Nov 2007

Low-fat answer to India's coronary crisis

First he devised a way for India's 11 million dairy farmers to improve milk production. Now Dr Suresh Gulati of the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science is making milk healthier in a country where coronary heart disease is set to soar.

14 Nov 2007

EDMA calls for empowering people with diabetes

Type 2 diabetes and its complications are frequently diagnosed too late and the complications are often detected only at the time of diagnosis, concludes the European Parliament in its 2006 Written Declaration on Diabetes.

14 Nov 2007

Young men are just as affected by hair loss during cancer treatment

Research into young people's experiences of hair loss during cancer treatment has found it is a mistake to assume women will be more affected than men. Scientists analysing interviews with recovered young adult cancer patients enrolled in the DIPEx project found that young men were just as affected by chemotherapy-induced hair loss as young women.

14 Nov 2007

WaferGen and University of Pittsburgh to collaborate on SmartChip

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc. has announced that it has established a research collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical School to have it serve as the alpha test site for WaferGen's SmartChip Real-Time PCR System.

14 Nov 2007

Avicena receives U.S. patent for compounds to treat Lou Gehrig's disease

Avicena Group, Inc. has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the Company U.S. Patent #7,285,573 for the use of the Company's proprietary drug candidates for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ("ALS" or "Lou Gehrig's Disease").

14 Nov 2007

Ultrasound may better classify ovarian tumors

Experts examining patterns in ultrasound images can more accurately classify ovarian tumors as benign or malignant than can pre-surgical blood tests, according to a study published online in the Nov. 13 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

14 Nov 2007

UK hospitals short changing women with heart failure

Women with heart failure are less likely than men to receive recommended investigations and treatment, when admitted to hospital as an emergency, reveals an extensive UK survey, published ahead of print in the journal Heart.

14 Nov 2007

Tumour cells could be used to develop personalised light-activated cancer vaccines

Cancer tissue taken directly from patients could be used to produce a light-triggered vaccine to target and treat their own tumours, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

14 Nov 2007

New understanding of how bacteria survive in hostile environments

Using an innovative device with microscopic chambers, researchers from four institutions, including Johns Hopkins, have gleaned important new information about how bacteria survive in hostile environments by forming antibiotic-resistant communities called biofilms.

14 Nov 2007