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Discovery of gene that modifies severity of cystic fibrosis lung disease

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, and colleagues, have identified a gene that modifies the severity of lung disease in people with cystic fibrosis, a lethal genetic condition. The findings open the door to possible new targets for treatment, researchers say.

3 Mar 2009

Type 1 diabetes patients sought for UT Southwestern clinical drug trial

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are recruiting individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for a clinical trial to gauge the effectiveness of adding an investigational stem cell product to standard insulin therapy.

3 Mar 2009

New tissue engineering technique may help stem cells generate solid organs

Stem cells can thrive in segments of well-vascularized tissue temporarily removed from laboratory animals, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2 Mar 2009

Angiogenesis inhibitors, study points to limitations, solutions

A new generation of cancer drugs designed to starve tumors of their blood supply - called "angiogenesis inhibitors"-succeeds at first, but then promotes more invasive cancer growth-sometimes with a higher incidence of metastases, according to a new study in animals.

2 Mar 2009

Noninvasive optical device monitors brain blood flow and metabolism in stroke victims

A University of Pennsylvania team has completed the first successful demonstration of a noninvasive optical device to monitor cerebral blood flow in patients with acute stroke, a leading cause of disability and death.

2 Mar 2009

Discovery of new potential therapeutic target for Barth Syndrome

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have discovered a new targeted intervention for Barth Syndrome (BTHS).

2 Mar 2009

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 have increased risk for neural tube defects

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.

2 Mar 2009

Biphasic insulin provides significant improvements in more than 52,000 diabetic patients

A major international diabetes study of more than 52,000 patients from eight countries has shown that using biphasic BIAsp 30 insulin resulted in significant clinical improvements and greater patient satisfaction.

2 Mar 2009

Help for children with rheumatic heart disease

These bacteria carry a special protein sequence, the so-called PARF motif, on their surface.

2 Mar 2009

Oseltamivir-resistant influenza A virus potentially serious to high-risk patients

A mutation of the influenza A(H1N1) virus that is resistant to the drug oseltamivir may pose a serious health threat to hospitalized patients who have a weakened immune system, according to a study to be published in the March 11 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and being released early online because of its public health importance.

2 Mar 2009

Doctors endorse vegan and vegetarian diets for healthy pregnancies

Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful choices for pregnant women and their children, and vitamin B12 needs can be easily met with fortified foods or any common multivitamin, say doctors and dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

2 Mar 2009

Chantix may also help people control drinking

A popular smoking cessation drug dramatically reduced the amount a heavy drinker will consume, a new Yale School of Medicine study has found.

2 Mar 2009

Revealing statistics about childhood diabetes reported

The incidence rate of type 1 diabetes among non-Hispanic white youth in the United States is one of the highest in the world, according to a major national study coordinated by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

1 Mar 2009

Bacteria-killing enzyme cures mice with fatal pneumonia

Before the advent of antibiotics, pneumonia claimed so many lives - and was so feared - that it was called the "captain of the ship of death."

1 Mar 2009

Team-based diabetes care fetches more value for dollar

Diabetes patients undergoing team-based care do not save more in treatment costs under Medicare and Medicaid than other patients, but they are healthier, according to a recent study.

26 Feb 2009

Spun-sugar filaments show potential for regenerating nerves

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a technique using spun-sugar filaments to create a scaffold of tiny synthetic tubes that might serve as conduits to regenerate nerves severed in accidents or blood vessels damaged by disease.

26 Feb 2009

Antibody recognition of a highly conserved epitope across influenza viruses

The discovery of the molecule, an antibody known as CR6261, is good news for researchers who hope to design a flu vaccine that would give humans lifelong protection against a majority of influenza viruses.

26 Feb 2009

Scientists develop general-purpose method for detecting trace chemicals

Described in an advance, online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology on February 22, 2009, the team's general method could be adapted for detecting a wide variety of compounds, including many that are relevant to diagnostic medicine and environmental work.

26 Feb 2009

New discovery improves efficacy of current tuberculosis vaccine

A new article appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology may lead to improvements in the efficacy of the current tuberculosis vaccine.

26 Feb 2009

How obesity, diet and exercise influence our metabolism and interact with our genome

Research by kinesiology investigator Dustin Hittel, PhD, has proven that muscle in extremely obese individuals produces large amounts of a protein called myostatin, which normally inhibits muscle growth-suggesting that for Type 2 diabetics, and the very obese, the task of getting healthy may be more difficult than initially thought.

26 Feb 2009