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New target for muscular dystrophy drug therapy

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report how the gene for utrophin, which codes for a protein very similar to dystrophin, the defective protein in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), puts the brakes on its own expression in muscle cells, thereby suggesting a new target for treatment.

13 Jul 2007

Rochester now offers gene test to detect Batten disease

Rochester has become one of only a handful of communities around the world to offer a genetic test to detect Batten disease, a deadly inherited disorder.

12 Jul 2007

Hip resurfacing offers options to boomers' aging joints

Joe Mitchell always assumed his chronic leg pain was due to tight muscles, but as the pain became more intense in recent years, his physicians uncovered the culprit: an arthritic hip. He explored treatment options, and was dismayed to learn that he was not an immediate candidate for the main treatment for arthritic hips: hip replacement surgery.

12 Jul 2007

Uninsured adults increase Medicare costs

While the overall cost-effectiveness of Medicare benefits have been much-debated, new data now show that people who were uninsured before receiving benefits at age 65 required more intensive and costlier care than those who had been privately insured prior to receiving Medicare.

12 Jul 2007

St. Jude study holds promise for improving neuroblastoma treatment

A treatment for neuroblastoma that lands a one-two punch works best when the second punch is timed to take maximum advantage of the first one, according to results of studies at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

12 Jul 2007

Some smokers have genetic predisposition to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Some people have a genetic variation that makes them more susceptible to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) if they smoke tobacco, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

12 Jul 2007

Senate Health Committee votes to repeal written informed consent in HIV testing bill (AB 682), notes AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US' largest provider of HIV/AIDS healthcare, prevention and education, and operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California which conducts more than 15,000 HIV tests annually, has lauded the California State Senate Health Committee for its vote in favor of Assembly Bill 682, California's Routine HIV Screening Bill, which will now move on to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

12 Jul 2007

Impact of work-hour regulations on medical residents

Four years ago this month, new rules went into effect that restricted the long hours worked by many physicians in training.

12 Jul 2007

Functional data analysis in renal anemia

Anemia is one of the most frequent complications of hemodialysis, and its correction is an important factor in restoring a tolerable quality of life to dialysis-dependent patients.

12 Jul 2007

First mouse model of lung transplantation

Lung transplants have been performed successfully for more than 20 years in humans but never before in mice – until now.

12 Jul 2007

British doctor accused of behaviour "tantamount to euthanasia" cleared

A British doctor who was accused of actions "tantamount to euthanasia" with regard to the deaths of two premature babies has been cleared of any misconduct.

12 Jul 2007

Simple blood test for newborns would save lives

The president of the March of Dimes Dr. Jennifer Howse says a simple blood test could save many newborns from premature death or mental retardation.

12 Jul 2007

Baxter presents findings from the ADAPT study

Baxter Healthcare Corporation has announced the presentation of findings from the ADAPT (Analysis of Data from ADVATE Prospective Trials) study program database showing a statistically significant relationship between the duration of time spent with factor VIII blood levels below one international unit per deciliter (1 IU/dL, one percent of normal factor VIII level) and an increase in the annual bleed rate in people with hemophilia A.

11 Jul 2007

Sigma-Aldrich launches Imprint DNA Modification kit

Sigma-Aldrich has announced the launch of the Imprint DNA Modification kit.

11 Jul 2007

Researchers measure effect of hepatitis B on patients' quality of life

"Am I going to die? I have no future." "I feel depressed at times, fearful I may not see my children marry or be a grandparent." Such heart-rending statements from patients with chronic hepatitis B reveal the social and mental impact of this disease, which affects 350 million worldwide.

11 Jul 2007

Detecting cognitive impairment in primary care: Performance assessment of three screening instruments

A new study published in the June issue of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease demonstrates the accuracy and validity of a new mathematics-based memory assessment developed by Medical Care Corporation to detect early signs of memory impairment due to Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders.

11 Jul 2007

Potential role of milk thistle as an anticancer agent

Milk thistle extract, an herbal remedy since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, is today one of the most popular herbal supplements, with U.S. retail sales of nearly nine million dollars.

11 Jul 2007

Kaposi sarcoma tumors arise independently from multiple cells

Kaposi sarcoma is unique among cancers because most tumors grow from a small number of different cells, whereas nearly all other cancers arise from a single cell, according to a study published online July 10 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

11 Jul 2007

Myomo receives FDA approval to market e100 NeuroRobotic System

Myomo, Inc. has announced that the company received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market the Myomo e100 NeuroRobotic System. Myomo's first product is a wearable, portable therapeutic modality designed to allow patients to self initiate and control movement of partially paralyzed limbs using their own biological signals.

11 Jul 2007

Court rules in favor of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) has announced that the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Judge William G. Young, following a Nov. 6, 2006 jury decision, ruled in favor of MEEI on claims of unjust enrichment and unfair trade practices against QLT Inc.

11 Jul 2007