Blood News and Research

RSS

Researchers determine the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have determined the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of the Institutes comprising the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2005

PSA remains the best measure of the likelihood of prostate cancer recurrence after surgery

Despite recent claims by some urologists that measuring the blood protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) may not be effective in predicting risk of prostate cancer, a Johns Hopkins study of more than 2,000 men confirms that PSA remains the best measure of the likelihood of cancer recurrence after surgery.

19 Sep 2005

Human fat cells produce a protein that is linked to both inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have found that human fat cells produce a protein that is linked to both inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

19 Sep 2005

Natural daily body rhythms may influence the effectiveness of spinal-epidural pain medication

The study found that women who had day labor got longer pain relief than women with night labor with the same amount of labor pain medicine.

19 Sep 2005

Study suggests chronic infections may create autoimmune response

New research finds the human immune system has foregone evolutionary changes that would allow it to produce better antibodies in less time because the improved antibodies would be far more likely to attack the body's own tissues.

19 Sep 2005

Drug AMD-3100 may help cancer patients who need stem cell transplants

A new drug may help cancer patients mobilize the cells necessary to restore their blood-forming system after high-dose chemotherapy, according to results from a clinical trial at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and at other centers across the nation.

19 Sep 2005

Less-virulent strain of avian influenza virus can spread from poultry to humans

In findings with implications for pandemic influenza, a new study reports for the first time that a less-virulent strain of avian influenza virus can spread from poultry to humans. The research appears in the October 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

19 Sep 2005

Women with atrial fibrillation face a higher risk of ischemic stroke than men

Women with atrial fibrillation who are not on anticoagulant therapy have a higher rate of ischemic stroke and face a higher absolute risk for stroke than do men with the condition, according to a joint study

19 Sep 2005

Manic depression linked to two chromosomal regions in the human genome

An international team of 53 researchers has offered the most convincing evidence so far linking bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, to two chromosomal regions in the human genome. The finding gives scientists refined targets for further gene studies.

19 Sep 2005

Lowering blood sugar levels could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

Lowering blood sugar levels could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in both diabetics and non-diabetics, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

19 Sep 2005

Does surgery induce angiogenesis in dormant breast cancer?

Analysis of breast-cancer relapse patterns from two independent databases provides indirect evidence for the theory that surgery to remove the primary tumor may initiate formation of a new blood supply (angiogenesis) in formerly dormant metastases, accounting for a pattern of early relapse in younger women.

12 Sep 2005

Bariatric surgery is a safe option for treating obese patients who have coronary artery disease

The findings are important because coronary artery disease patients can see a significant benefit with a successful procedure. The resulting weight loss is also followed by an improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and sleep apnea, all factors linked to coronary artery disease.

12 Sep 2005

Retinoic acid combined with PIC, a synthetic immunity booster, significantly elevates the immune system response to a tetanus shot

These results show that a natural product of vitamin A can have an important role in regulating immunity and, when administered along with PIC, might be a potentially powerful nutritional-immunological assist in vaccination."

12 Sep 2005

Women who suffer heart attacks wait longer to be assessed

Women who suffer heart attacks wait longer to be assessed, admitted and receive treatment than men with the same condition, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

12 Sep 2005

Cellular mechanism discovery could lead to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease

A major finding by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has identified a previously unknown cellular mechanism that acts as an off switch for immune system function.

12 Sep 2005

Screening test for cells that activate immune system

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are the first to create a large-scale, cell-based screening method that identifies which compounds activate immune-response cells that hold promise for future cancer-fighting vaccines.

12 Sep 2005

Nuclear receptor proteins could change anti-inflammatory treatments

Several nuclear receptor proteins appear to overlap in their ability to exert anti-inflammatory effects, according to new research by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

12 Sep 2005

HOXA1 is a gene that's been looking for a disorder for a long time

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, who specialize in studying the genetics of rare eye-movement disorders, have found a rare genetic syndrome whose implications go far beyond the eye, raising intriguing questions about human cardiovascular and brain development.

12 Sep 2005

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

In many patients with type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime, churning out glucose throughout the day, even when blood sugar levels are high. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells.

12 Sep 2005

Low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight

A low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity than an omnivorous diet, shows a new study appearing in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

10 Sep 2005