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Scientists develop new device to test the effects of drugs

Scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs.

24 May 2013

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised a powerful new technique for finding antibodies that have a desired biological effect. Antibodies, which can bind to billions of distinct targets, are already used in many of the world's best-selling medicines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents.

24 May 2013

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

24 May 2013

Mayo experts provide tips to prevent teen suicide

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24. If parents are worried their child may be having suicidal thoughts, it's no time to tiptoe around the question, according to Mayo Clinic experts who have produced two educational videos on suicide prevention for use by media outlets, schools and others.

24 May 2013

New research identifies mechanism to make cancer cells respond to chemotherapy

Breast cancer characterized as "triple negative" carries a poor prognosis, with limited treatment options. In some cases, chemotherapy doesn't kill the cancer cells the way it's supposed to. New research from Western University explains why some cancer cells don't respond to chemotherapy, and identifies a mechanism to rectify that.

24 May 2013

Liposomal anthracycline-based chemotherapy effective for children with leukemia: Study

Treating pediatric leukemia patients with a liposomal formulation of anthracycline-based chemotherapy at a more intense-than-standard dose during initial treatment may result in high survival rates without causing any added heart toxicity, according to the results of a study published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

24 May 2013

The Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health is acknowledged for excellence in stroke care

The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health has been acknowledged for the exceptional quality of its stroke care with a Target: Stroke designation and two Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

24 May 2013

Highlights: Geography's role in elective surgeries in Calif.; Conn. Democrats eye shifting $400M in Medicaid money; HHS says Cedars-Sinai has $2.2M in billing errors

Geography plays a role in whether patients in California have elective operations such as joint replacement, weight loss surgery and gallbladder removal, according to a new study. The California HealthCare Foundation study showed wide variations in patient surgeries across the state (Gorman, 5/22).

24 May 2013

Researchers use data to identify different forms of prostate cancers and effective treatment options

Some prostate cancer patients unnecessarily undergo surgery or harsh treatments because science fails to identify the differences between slow-growing and aggressive forms of the disease. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes are developing technology that allows patients to safely choose to do nothing, opt for relatively mild treatments or take drastic measures.

24 May 2013

Bochum's medics use autologous cord blood to treat infantile cerebral palsy

Bochum's medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following a cardiac arrest with severe brain damage, a 2.5 year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative state - with minimal chances of survival. Just two months after treatment with the cord blood containing stem cells, the symptoms improved significantly; over the following months, the child learned to speak simple sentences and to move.

24 May 2013

Smartphone solutions for clinical trials

mHealth broadly refers to the use of a mobile device to send patient information to or from a medical service provider. In most medication management mobile applications that are out there now, the “information” sent is usually a unidirectional nagging reminder to the patient. The application may populate a diary or it may not.

24 May 2013

UCLA researchers find decrease in overall mortality rates for advanced heart failure

UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden cardiac death, caused by the rapid onset of severe abnormal heart rhythms, has declined.

24 May 2013

Researchers discover how drug prevents cancer progression

In collaboration with Daniel Zenklusen, also a University of Montreal biochemistry professor and lead author and doctoral candidate Vincent Messier, discovered that when cells are starved for nutrients TOR sends a signal to shut down production of a chemical message in the form of RNA to synthesize B cyclin ", Dr. Michnick explained.

24 May 2013

Caregivers experience less stress when family members with dementia attend ADS program

Family caregivers of older adults with dementia are less stressed and their moods are improved on days when dementia patients receive adult day services (ADS), according to Penn State researchers.

24 May 2013

Researchers reveal new insights about the process of axon amputation

As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon - the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other neurons. It is a dance with death, however, because the molecular poison the neuron deploys to sever an axon could, if uncontained, kill the entire cell.

24 May 2013

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

24 May 2013

New, improved drugs can boost body's natural flu killer system

A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer system.

24 May 2013

Senate immigration bill would ease restrictions on foreign health workers; Measure advances to increase scrutiny on compounding pharmacies

On Capitol Hill, several legislative efforts are moving forward on health issues. Among them is an effort by the Massachusetts delegation to keep bonus Medicare payments for the state's hospitals, while House Republicans are looking for another way to deal with a bill to fund high-risk insurance pools.

24 May 2013

New screening method to diagnose breast cancer

A Missouri University of Science and Technology researcher has developed a new screening method that uses urinalysis to diagnose breast cancer - and determine its severity - before it could be detected with a mammogram.

24 May 2013

Lifestyle behaviors can lower risk of kidney failure in people with CKD

Lifestyle behaviors like working out and improving nutrition can lower the risk of kidney failure in people with chronic kidney disease, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

24 May 2013