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Molecular analyses of leukemia patients suggest strategies for better treatments

The cure rate for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) might continue to rise with improved use of conventional therapies. But even more effective and less toxic therapies based on genetic and pharmacogenetic studies might one day push the success rate close to 100 percent, according to an article published by investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the April 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Apr 2004

Pharmacopeia announces that proposed spin-off of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery, Inc. unit is expected to occur by the end of April 2004

Pharmacopeia, Inc. today announced that the proposed spin-off of its Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery, Inc. (PDD) unit is expected to occur by the end of April 2004. The Pharmacopeia Board of Directors intends to meet next week to consider final approval of the pro rata distribution to stockholders of 100% of the common stock of PDD.

7 Apr 2004

Research shows that intense high dose cholesterol lowering drugs result in a major reduction in deaths and severe heart attacks

If you want to increase your chances of living longer, taking cholesterol drugs is an easy way to do it. That's the message from a Harvard study of 4,162 people hospitalized in 350 places in eight countries. It is the first research to show that intense lowering of cholesterol results in a major reduction in deaths and severe heart attacks.

7 Apr 2004

A protein involved in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is essential to learning and memory

A study published today in Neuron offers the first evidence that lack of this protein - known as RIM1 alpha - causes profound deficits in the learning process. The discovery is a major step in understanding the molecular events that underlie learning and memory - complex processes that can be impaired in human neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, mental retardation and schizophrenia.

7 Apr 2004

Time-reversal acoustics research promises medical breakthroughs

Scientists have not yet found a way to actually make time run backward, but in the cutting-edge world of recent acoustics research, they have shown a way to make sound waves run backward in a kind of ultra-focused reverse echo. By the technology known as time-reversal acoustics, sound waves - in exact reverse order from the original sound - echo directly and very precisely back to their source point.

7 Apr 2004

New research findings in study of Rett Syndrome

Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA reports in the April 6, 2004 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that introduction of the MeCP2 protein into post-mitotic nerve cells of MeCP2 mutant mice rescues the symptoms of Rett Syndrome. This raises the possibility that neurons are functionally normal in a newborn child and that neural dysfunction manifests itself only later due to prolonged MeCP2 deficiency. If correct, therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing the onset of Rett symptoms could be initiated at birth.

7 Apr 2004

Boston University Professor Offers Tips for Healthy Gardening and Other Activities

Do you find yourself hesitating to perform favorite springtime activities because of the pain and discomfort associated with bending and kneeling? A Boston University (BU) occupational therapy professor has a solution to this problem, which affects thousands of people each year.

7 Apr 2004

Celadrin arthritis topical cream significantly reduces pain

Celadrin is a novel compound developed through a proprietary process. The product is an all-natural ingredient which has been clinically shown to provide joint health, flexibility and improved quality of life on a cumulative basis with no reported side effects.

7 Apr 2004

Women with a history of pre-eclampsia are at increased risk of cancer

Women with a history of pre-eclampsia are at increased risk of cancer, particularly cancers of the stomach, breast, ovary, lung and larynx, according to a Columbia University study recently published by the British Medical Journal. Researchers studied 37,000 women in western Jerusalem, Israel, who delivered babies in three large hospitals between 1964 and 1976.

7 Apr 2004

International obesity experts form a team to review and evaluate obesity

In an effort to help medical professionals, policy-makers, researchers, the news media and the general public evaluate the quality and usefulness of obesity research, a group of international obesity experts has formed a team that will review and evaluate published research papers in the field of obesity.

7 Apr 2004

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

The disastrous environmental and health effects of lead in petrol are well-known, and western countries have been phasing it out for many years now. However, a recent additive to petrol - manganese - may be just as toxic. A Macquarie University study aims to find out.

7 Apr 2004

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

7 Apr 2004

Study shows frequent masturbation reduces chance of developing prostate cancer

An Amercian study has shown sexual activity has been hypothesized to play a role in the development of prostate cancer, but epidemiological data are virtually limited to case-control studies, which may be prone to bias because recall among individuals with prostate cancer could be distorted as a consequence of prostate malignancy or ongoing therapy.

7 Apr 2004

Analysis of Bacterial Genomes Begins to Unravel Complex Story of Metabolic Evolution

In a paper published in the current issue of the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution , Arizona State University biochemists Jason Raymond, Christopher Staples and Robert Blankenship and Rice University's Janet Siefert do an analysis of the genomes of a large group of bacteria and archaea, comparing in particular similar genes that produce the protein nitrogenase.

7 Apr 2004

Lack of vigorous physical activity is the main contributor to obesity in adolescents ages 11 to 15

Lack of vigorous physical activity is the main contributor to obesity in adolescents ages 11 to 15, according to a study of 878 adolescents by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, in collaboration with investigators at San Diego State University.

6 Apr 2004

University of Kansas officials have reported to the FBI a computer hack into electronic pharmacy records

University of Kansas officials have reported to the FBI a computer hacking on Friday, April 2, into electronic pharmacy records in the Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center. Marilu Goodyear, KU vice provost for information services, said surveillance software alerted KU officials to the intrusion, and technicians immediately disabled the affected computer server.

6 Apr 2004

Patients with coronary artery blockages can be treated safely using drug coated stents

The researchers followed 155 consecutive patients treated with multiple sirolimus-eluting stents between April 2002 and March 2003. Each patient had at least two lesions blocking blood flow in different coronary arteries. Earlier studies have demonstrated that patients with a single, simple artery narrowing held open with a sirolimus-eluting stent are less likely to need retreatment than similar patients who received a bare metal stent. However, those studies excluded patients with complex or multiple artery lesions.

6 Apr 2004

Oral sildenafil improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension

Oral sildenafil (Viagra®) improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, according to the results of the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, reported in the April 7, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

6 Apr 2004

FDA accepts REMICADE® (infliximab) for the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis

Centocor, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its filing of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for REMICADE® (infliximab) as first-line therapy, in combination with methotrexate, for the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with moderately-to-severely active disease. REMICADE®, in combination with methotrexate, is currently indicated in the U.S. for reducing signs and symptoms, inhibiting the progression of structural damage and improving physical function in patients with moderately-to-severely active RA who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate alone.

6 Apr 2004

New study could lead to new drugs to prevent premature birth

Dr Raheela Khan, of the University’s Academic Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology based at the newly-opened University of Nottingham Medical School at Derby, is working with colleagues Dr Balwir Matharoo-Ball and Dr Dave Barratt in the University’s School of Pharmacy on the research looking at what makes some women go into labour before their baby is due.

6 Apr 2004

Medical News

Molecular analyses of leukemia patients suggest strategies for better treatments

Pharmacopeia announces that proposed spin-off of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery, Inc. unit is expected to occur by the end of April 2004

Research shows that intense high dose cholesterol lowering drugs result in a major reduction in deaths and severe heart attacks

A protein involved in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is essential to learning and memory

Time-reversal acoustics research promises medical breakthroughs

New research findings in study of Rett Syndrome

Boston University Professor Offers Tips for Healthy Gardening and Other Activities

Celadrin arthritis topical cream significantly reduces pain

Women with a history of pre-eclampsia are at increased risk of cancer

International obesity experts form a team to review and evaluate obesity

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

Study shows frequent masturbation reduces chance of developing prostate cancer

Analysis of Bacterial Genomes Begins to Unravel Complex Story of Metabolic Evolution

Lack of vigorous physical activity is the main contributor to obesity in adolescents ages 11 to 15

University of Kansas officials have reported to the FBI a computer hack into electronic pharmacy records

Patients with coronary artery blockages can be treated safely using drug coated stents

Oral sildenafil improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension

FDA accepts REMICADE® (infliximab) for the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis

New study could lead to new drugs to prevent premature birth

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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