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Seasonal flu vaccine offers some protection from H5N1

The yearly influenza vaccine that health officials urge people to get each fall might also offer certain individuals some cross protection against the H5N1 virus commonly known as bird flu, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

13 Feb 2007

New patented technology for next generation of DNA and RNA microarrays

A novel invention developed by a scientist from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) could revolutionize biological and clinical research and may lead to treatments for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and genetic and infectious diseases.

13 Feb 2007

Wearing sunscreen at all times could starve the body of vitamins

Professor Mary Norval and a team from the University of Edinburgh Medical School have studied recent research into effects of the UV light on human health - and the positive and negative implications of ozone depletion.

13 Feb 2007

Absence of health insurance coverage costs $1.47 billion in Maryland

Expenditures for the uninsured in Maryland totaled $1.47 billion in FY2002, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

13 Feb 2007

Vasectomy and trouble with words

Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal.

13 Feb 2007

Researchers discover why antipsychotic drugs cause weight gain

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have discovered why some drugs used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, cause patients to gain a lot of weight.

13 Feb 2007

Cravings for chocolate increased by dieting

Those planning to break New Year's dieting resolutions with a feast of chocolate on Valentine's Day, should think again, according to researchers at the University of Hertfordshire.

13 Feb 2007

Switching treatment to exemestane after 2-3 years on tamoxifen, improves survival

The Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), an extensive, international study, tested the superiority of switching to exemestane (an aromatase inhibitor) from tamoxifen in patients with early breast cancer.

13 Feb 2007

Variation in gene caspase-8 may help protect against breast cancer

A large-scale analysis of data on breast cancer risk has concluded that a common variation in the gene caspase-8 (CASP8) is associated with a somewhat lower risk of the disease. Variants are small changes that occur in a gene sequence.

13 Feb 2007

Breast cancer survival rates improved by novel drug sequence

Changing the way women are treated for breast cancer could improve their overall chance of survival, according to research published in the Lancet.

13 Feb 2007

Women who donate eggs for stem cell research face few health risks

Women who donate their eggs for stem cell research or in vitro fertilization are not at increased risk of health complications, and most of the risks are a result of the hormones used to stimulate their bodies to release more than one egg, according to a report commissioned by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and released by the Institute of Medicine, Bloomberg reports.

13 Feb 2007

World Bank to provide Thailand with $750,000 for HIV/AIDS programs

The World Bank plans to provide Thailand with a $750,000, three-year grant aimed at providing HIV-positive people with increased access to antiretroviral drugs, Viroj Tangcharoensathien, program director for international health policy at the country's Ministry of Public Health, said recently.

13 Feb 2007

Formularies needed to reduce medication prices under Medicare prescription drug benefit

A bill passed last month by the House that would require the HHS secretary to negotiate prices directly with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit "would have very little effect" on prices "because it forbids Medicare from excluding drugs from coverage...

13 Feb 2007

Researchers discover how to fight iron disorders with a drug against hypertension

We all know that iron deficiencies are dangerous, but also too much iron is bad for our health. Our body stores excess iron in various tissues, where it can lead to organ failure and even death if not treated before irreversible damage has occurred.

12 Feb 2007

New approach to nerve repair with novel silk-based products

A new company, Neurotex Ltd, has been established to develop novel silk-based products that have the potential to provide a new generation of nerve repair materials and treatments.

12 Feb 2007

Robotic physiotherapist could treat patients and cut waiting times

A robotic system to treat physiotherapy patients with lower limb problems could lead to a decrease in waiting lists and the ability for patients to be treated outside of clinics.

From Sheffield Hallam University 12 Feb 2007

New technologies boost production of malaria drug artemisinin

New technologies that make the large-scale extraction of a natural antimalarial ‘wonder drug' both cheaper and greener are to be developed and trialled in a new European effort.

12 Feb 2007

Octopuses and depression

Researchers often use animals to help them resolve problems that can be applied to people. Dr. Jean Boal, a biology professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, is developing a new and unique way to research the causes and effects of depression with the help of octopuses.

12 Feb 2007

Targeting bladder tumor cells in vivo and in the urine with a peptide identified by phage display

Efforts to create nanoparticles that deliver anticancer drugs or imaging agents to tumors while avoiding healthy cells are often stymied by a lack of known tumor targets, that is, molecules found on the surface of malignant cells but not healthy cells.

12 Feb 2007