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Family history of alcohol dependency does not relate to age of first drink

Having a first alcoholic drink at the early age of 12, 13 or 14 might be influenced more by a child's tendency to do things like lie, steal or skip school than by a family history of alcohol dependency, according to findings by University of Iowa and other investigators.

16 Oct 2005

Researchers find new type of antibiotic against the cholera bacteria

Just as hurricanes in the Gulf states and Guatemala have raised the risks of cholera outbreaks, researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified a new type of antibiotic against the cholera bacteria.

16 Oct 2005

Discovery could help make cellular immunotherapy safer

Researchers at the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered the secret weapon behind the most powerful form of cancer immunotherapy known to medicine.

16 Oct 2005

Aggressive management of diabetes with diet, exercise, and medications may improve the survival of cancer patients

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found no effects of type II diabetes on aggressiveness of prostate cancer but found that long-term survival is worse. The findings were presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Denver, Colo.

16 Oct 2005

Cell phones speed heart attack treatment

A Michigan hospital has cut in half the time it takes to begin life-saving treatment of heart attack patients by using cell phones to transmit electrocardiograms (ECGs) from the field

16 Oct 2005

Largest known series of data examining the sequencing of tamoxifen and radiation

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers say the sequence of tamoxifen and radiation following lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer patients does not affect disease control, survival or complication rates, but administering tamoxifen concurrently with radiation has negative cosmetic results.

16 Oct 2005

Ebixa (memantine) approved for the treatment of moderate Alzheimer's disease

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has announced its decision to extend Ebixa’s current indication (moderately severe to severe disease) to include moderate stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

16 Oct 2005

E-cadherin, that cellular touch so important in cancer

E-cadherin is a molecule involved in adhesion between epithelial cells that also seems to have a protective role in cancer, since its loss is associated with tumour progression and metastases formation in a series of different cancers.

16 Oct 2005

Cannabis boosts brain power in rats

Scientists now say that Cannabis, the third most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco, could boost brain power.

16 Oct 2005

Alternative methods to create stem cells successful in mice-studies

According to researchers in the U.S. two alternative methods for making embryonic stem cells, work in mice and could lead to a less controversial way to grow them.

16 Oct 2005

Cervical cancer vaccine shows promising results but smear tests still vital

Hopes of an end to routine smear testing have been raised by promising results achieved by a prototype cervical cancer vaccine.

16 Oct 2005

Europe frantically prepares for possible bird flu pandemic

The confirmation by British laboratory tests that the H5N1 deadly strain of bird flu had reached mainland Europe for the first time, has prompted Romanian authorities to slaughter poultry and send in doctors.

16 Oct 2005

Research points way to more effective delivery of medicine around the body

New research showing how drugs stick to a key protein in the bloodstream could help to create drugs that are delivered more effectively to organs in the body.

13 Oct 2005

New surgical option for breast cancer patients

A new surgical option for breast cancer patients combines removal of the cancerous tumor with breast reduction in one surgical procedure, called oncoplastic surgery, with benefits that include improved cosmetic outcome and reduced risk of complications.

13 Oct 2005

New technique could provide a long jump forward in spotting athletes' use of banned substances

A new technique could provide a long jump forward in spotting athletes' use of banned substances, according to research published today in the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry.

13 Oct 2005

4D ecography for the diagnosis of prenatal cardiopathy

One of the most recent novelties in ecographic studies has been the application of a fourth dimension, i.e. movement added to three-dimensional reconstruction. According to Dr. Alcázar, "the development of the STIC system, carrying out the spatio-temporal correlation of images, adds movement to 3D ecography.

13 Oct 2005

Remicade can improve psoriasis symptoms

An international team led by a dermatologist at The University of Manchester has found that treatment with the emerging drug infliximab, marketed as Remicade, can quickly and significantly improve psoriasis symptoms.

From The University of Manchester 13 Oct 2005

Tool to help vulnerable people to manage their medicines

Dr Karen Rosenbloom from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Hertfordshire and Ruth Goldstein from the Midlands have won first prize in the regional Health and Social Care Awards awarded by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Their research now goes forward to the national awards final which will take place on 13 December.

13 Oct 2005

Endocytosis of HIV-1 activates plasmacytoid dendritic cells via toll-like receptor -viral RNA interactions

Progressive disease after HIV infection is inversely correlated with the presence of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a subset of the dendritic cell family and the major producers of type 1 interferon in the body. High numbers of pDCs is related to successful control of HIV.

13 Oct 2005

Combining alcoholics anonymous and treatment works best

Most clinical studies examine individuals either during or immediately following treatment. A study in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research tracks individuals for 16 years who have first acknowledged their alcohol-use problems and then chosen Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), treatment, or both.

13 Oct 2005