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Positive top-line results from Idera’s IMO-3100 Phase 2a trial on plaque psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals today announced that 48% of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (12 of 25) treated with IMO-3100, a selective antagonist of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) 7 and 9, demonstrated improvements in Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores of 35% to 90% from baseline at the completion of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial of two dose levels of IMO-3100 administered for four weeks, with a four-week follow-up period.

20 Dec 2012

Recreational use of HIV drugs leading to pre-treatment resistance in South Africa

NPR's "Shots" blog examines how "opportunists who market street drugs may be undermining the global struggle against AIDS," writing, "In South Africa, two mainstay HIV drugs have found their way into recreational use."

20 Dec 2012

New therapeutic ultrasound approach could lead to an invisible knife for noninvasive surgery

A carbon-nanotube-coated lens that converts light to sound can focus high-pressure sound waves to finer points than ever before. The University of Michigan engineering researchers who developed the new therapeutic ultrasound approach say it could lead to an invisible knife for noninvasive surgery.

20 Dec 2012

Top-line results from Medivir's simeprevir phase III trials on genotype 1 HCV infection

Medivir AB today announced top-line results from three pivotal phase III trials examining the one pill, once-daily, investigational protease inhibitor, simeprevir (TMC435), administered with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

20 Dec 2012

Scientists map sensory nerves in mouse skin

Johns Hopkins scientists have created stunning images of the branching patterns of individual sensory nerve cells. Their report, published online in the journal eLife on Dec. 18, details the arrangement of these branches in skin from the backs of mice.

20 Dec 2012

Link made between muscular dystrophy and defective nerve wiring

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a particular protein helps nerve cells extend themselves along the spinal cord during mammalian development. Their results shed light on the subset of muscular dystrophies that result from mutations in the gene that holds the code for the protein, called dystroglycan, and also show how the nerve and muscle failings of the degenerative diseases are related.

20 Dec 2012

Malaria progress at risk as funding for global response levels off, WHO report states

"The remarkable gains made in the treatment of malaria over the past decade are under threat because of insufficient increases in funding over the past two years, according to an annual progress report by the World Health Organization," the Guardian reports.

20 Dec 2012

Household rules can help parents resolve conflicts and guard children's mental health

Holiday presents will soon be under the tree for millions of adolescents. With those gifts may come sibling squabbles over violations of personal space, such as unwanted borrowing of a fashionable clothing item, or arguments over fairness, such as whose turn it is to play a new video game. Those squabbles represent two specific types of sibling conflict that can have different effects on a youth's emotional health, according to a multi-year study by a University of Missouri psychologist.

20 Dec 2012

Study helps reveal how nervous system modulates motor control patterns

Most people are impressed by how a toad jumps. UC Irvine biologist Emanuel Azizi is more impressed by how one lands. An assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology who specializes in muscle physiology and biomechanics, Azizi found that nature's favorite leapers possess a neuromuscular response that's specific to the intensity of a landing - a mechanism that protects muscles from injury upon impact.

20 Dec 2012

AAV-based gene therapy cocktail may help extend lives of children with Canavan disease

Results of a clinical trial that began in 2001 show that a gene therapy cocktail conveyed into the brain by a molecular special delivery vehicle may help extend the lives of children with Canavan disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

20 Dec 2012

Researchers reveal role of dendritic cells in Type 1 diabetes

The researchers reveal the role of the innate immune cells, especially the dendritic cells, that cause the activation of the killer T-lymphocytes whose action is directed against the p pancreatic cells. The results obtained in mice make it possible to consider new ways of regulating the auto-immune reaction generated by the innate immune cells.

20 Dec 2012

Seattle Times examines partnership between Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Uganda Cancer Institute

The Seattle Times examines a partnership between the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI). In 2008, "the two institutes formally agreed to collaborate on clinical care and research projects, and more recently a major building project at Uganda's only cancer-research center," the newspaper writes.

20 Dec 2012

Lou Gehrig's disease may be treatable using neural stem cells

Promising new research provides evidence that ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, may be treatable using neural stem cells.

20 Dec 2012

Genomic technology revolutionizes gene discovery and disease understanding in autism

Genomic technology has revolutionized gene discovery and disease understanding in autism, according to an article published in the December 20 issue of the journal Neuron.

20 Dec 2012

Investigators assess efficacy of ORC vs. robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy

About 30 percent of the more than 70,000 bladder cancer cases expected in 2012 are muscle invasive. In such cases, radical cystectomy is the preferred treatment. In a pilot trial, a team of investigators assessed the efficacy of open radical cystectomy (ORC) vs. robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy (RARC).

20 Dec 2012

Few alcohol-related story ideas from The Methodist Hospital

The holidays are a time to consume -- food, gifts, and spirits. Here are a few alcohol-related story ideas from The Methodist Hospital. Because alcohol's effects on human physiology are complex, advice about is often contradictory.

20 Dec 2012

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

Rising health care costs are pushing up the amounts states must spend on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, sending some scrambling to find funds, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The report found that spending on Medicaid and other public health care programs is currently over budget in 10 states, compared to six states at the same point last year.

20 Dec 2012

SR9238 compound can reverse effects of fatty liver disease

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed the first synthetic compound that can reverse the effects of a serious metabolic condition known as fatty liver disease. True to its name, the disease involves an abnormal buildup of fat in the liver.

20 Dec 2012

New Spectra Iris indirect ophthalmoscope from Keeler

Spectra Iris is a new addition to Keeler's indirect ophthalmoscope range. It has been specifically designed as a compact, lightweight and portable indirect with an adjustable aperture for all pupil sizes.

20 Dec 2012

People with chronic shortness of breath may soon have new way to help alleviate their discomfort

People experiencing chronic shortness of breath may soon have a new way to help alleviate their discomfort, according to a Penn State College of Medicine pulmonology researcher.

20 Dec 2012

Medical News

Positive top-line results from Idera’s IMO-3100 Phase 2a trial on plaque psoriasis

Recreational use of HIV drugs leading to pre-treatment resistance in South Africa

New therapeutic ultrasound approach could lead to an invisible knife for noninvasive surgery

Top-line results from Medivir's simeprevir phase III trials on genotype 1 HCV infection

Scientists map sensory nerves in mouse skin

Link made between muscular dystrophy and defective nerve wiring

Malaria progress at risk as funding for global response levels off, WHO report states

Household rules can help parents resolve conflicts and guard children's mental health

Study helps reveal how nervous system modulates motor control patterns

AAV-based gene therapy cocktail may help extend lives of children with Canavan disease

Researchers reveal role of dendritic cells in Type 1 diabetes

Seattle Times examines partnership between Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Uganda Cancer Institute

Lou Gehrig's disease may be treatable using neural stem cells

Genomic technology revolutionizes gene discovery and disease understanding in autism

Investigators assess efficacy of ORC vs. robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy

Few alcohol-related story ideas from The Methodist Hospital

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

SR9238 compound can reverse effects of fatty liver disease

New Spectra Iris indirect ophthalmoscope from Keeler

People with chronic shortness of breath may soon have new way to help alleviate their discomfort

How industrial hygiene flow calibration supports defensible exposure data

How electrical engineering ensures accurate calibration and patient safety

The importance of ketones from a clinical and medical perspective

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