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Study sheds new light on children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

5 May 2004

World's first gene therapy trial aimed at preventing cancer

The concept seems straightforward. If, at its heart, cancer is a disease of genes, then giving patients new genes should disarm cancer. Such treatment would replace missing or faulty genes that keep cell growth in check, or would flush the body with "super genes" that could attack and destroy cancer.

5 May 2004

Care that combines medication and psychotherapy can reduce alcohol abuse by trauma survivors

Approximately 2.5 million Americans are so severely injured each year that they require inpatient hospital admissions, and between 10 and 40 percent of these patients go on to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

5 May 2004

Immtech signs agreement with CombinatoRx to test Immtech compounds as potential cancer treatment

Immtech International, Inc. announced today that it signed an agreement with CombinatoRx of Boston, Massachusetts to screen its lead aromatic cationic compounds, DB289 and DB75, for activity against various cancers.

5 May 2004

Agreement expands Quintiles capabilities to support drug approvals in Japan

Quintiles Transnational Corp. today announced an agreement to conduct clinical trials in Peru involving ethnic Japanese, further expanding the company's ability to support new drug applications in Japan.

5 May 2004

New studies put spotlight on replicative capacity of beta cells

Researchers at Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have discovered that insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas that are attacked in type 1 diabetes are replenished through duplication of existing cells rather than through differentiation of adult stem cells.

5 May 2004

SPECT imaging may lead to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently afflicts approximately 4.5 million Americans. One of the most feared diseases of old age, AD robs its victims of their memories and personalities long before it takes their lives.

5 May 2004

Gene therapy helps alcoholic rats

As a follow up to previous work showing that gene therapy can reduce drinking in rats trained to prefer alcohol, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have used the same technique to cut drinking in rats with a genetic predisposition for heavy alcohol consumption.

5 May 2004

ASTRO holds first legislative training program in Washington, D.C.

Members of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology converged on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last week for the Society’s inaugural legislative training and advocacy program.

5 May 2004

Pregnancy massage may reduce the risk of premature births

Pregnancy massage long has been known to help expectant mothers feel better, and a new study shows it may well provide an even more important benefit – reducing the risk of premature births.

5 May 2004

New Canadian Fat Lab

As obesity is fast overtaking tobacco as the leading risk factor for heart disease, a new laboratory for studying the biology of fat cells (adipocytes) is opening its doors at the Henderson Research Centre.

5 May 2004

IT has the power to transform the pharmaceutical industry

Information technology has the power to transform the pharmaceutical industry, if businesses apply it correctly. That’s the conclusion of Pharma 2010: Silicon Reality, a report from IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS).

5 May 2004

Australian expansion of school-based Meningococcal C Vaccination program

Australian Minister for Health, Morris Iemma today announced the expansion of the NSW school-based Meningococcal C Vaccination program to include immunisation for high school students in the new school term

5 May 2004

First confirmed SARS patient given all clear

As reported by Xinhuanet, Beijing's first confirmed SARS patient has been discharged from hospital after being given the all clear.

4 May 2004

African American and Asian American patients are less likely than whites to turn to a medical specialist

African American and Asian American patients are less likely than whites to turn to a medical specialist for their initial care, suggesting a possible explanation for why racial differences in health care exist, according to a new UCLA study.

4 May 2004

Discovery of molecular switch could lead to new treatments for lymphoma and other forms of cancer

Turning a vital component of cancer cells from bodyguard to assassin could form the basis of new cancer treatments, according to a report published this week.

4 May 2004

Study finds problems in medication prescribing for vulnerable older patients

Older patients at risk of decline and death do not receive recommended medication to treat their chronic health problems about half of the time, according to a study issued by researchers from the RAND Corporation and UCLA.

4 May 2004

Researchers develop low-carb corn with enhanced protein and oil

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside reported the development of technology that doubles the protein and oil content of corn while reducing its carbohydrate content, a boost for growers to feed both people and livestock.

4 May 2004

Parents who smoke at home much more likely to have children who suffer from asthma all year round

Children with asthma whose parents smoke at home are twice as likely to have asthma symptoms all year long than children of non-smokers, a new study shows.

4 May 2004