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Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.

23 Dec 2009

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

A landmark autism study and a dramatic success for gene therapy in reversing inherited blindness, both at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, were recognized among the top scientific achievements in 2009, according to three national publications: Time magazine, Discover magazine and the journal Science.

23 Dec 2009

Discovery of inhibitory hormone may yield new treatments for cancer and other diseases

Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases.

23 Dec 2009

Reduced calories increase human cell lifespan

Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That's because they've shown exactly how restricted calorie diets-specifically in the form of restricted glucose-help human cells live longer. This discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) could help lead to drugs and treatments that slow human aging and prevent cancer.

23 Dec 2009

Postnatal depression treatments are not cost effective, say York researchers

Routine screening for postnatal depression in primary care - as recommended in recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) - does not appear to represent value for money for the NHS, researchers at the University of York have concluded.

23 Dec 2009

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Dec 2009

Beta blockers may increase risk of anemia-induced adverse cardiovascular events

Routinely used to treat patients for heart attack or high blood pressure, beta blockers are known for their role in helping to protect the heart. A new study in the January issue of the journal Anesthesiology looks at the effects of beta blockers on surgical outcomes, revealing that the cardioprotective effects of the medication could be compromised by acute surgical anemia.

23 Dec 2009

ARCA biopharma submits Gencaro trial protocol for review under the FDA’s SPA process

ARCA biopharma, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a study protocol for review under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) process for the design of a clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of GencaroTM, in approximately 3,000 patients with chronic heart failure who have the genotype that appears to respond most favorably to Gencaro. Gencaro is the Company’s investigational, pharmacologically unique beta-blocker and mild vasodilator.

23 Dec 2009

Chronic overeating plays fundamental role in obesity epidemic

The causes of obesity are complex and individual, but it is clear that chronic overeating plays a fundamental role. But when this behaviour becomes compulsive and out of control, it is often classified as "food addiction" - a label that has generated considerable controversy, according to a McMaster University psychiatrist and obesity researcher.

23 Dec 2009

NHLBI grant for identifying genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to support their search for undiscovered gene defects that cause congenital heart disease. The $4.19 million, 6-year grant is part of the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC), which seeks to identify genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease, and relate genetic variants present in the congenital heart disease patient population to clinical outcomes.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers mix active drug and placebo to maximize drug benefits for efficient treatment

Researchers used the placebo effect to successfully treat psoriasis patients with one quarter to one half of their usual dose of a widely used steroid medication, according to an early study published online today in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

23 Dec 2009

Second successful phrenic nerve decompression surgery

The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that immediately following a rare phrenic nerve surgery to repair his paralyzed diaphragm, a 47-year-old man has reported significantly improved breathing and feels “15 years younger.” The surgery marked the second known case of successful phrenic nerve decompression, both of which were performed by a New Jersey medical team led by Dr. Matthew Kaufman of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

23 Dec 2009

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

On the morning of December 17, 2009, UPMC physicians used Gamma Knife® surgery to treat the center's 10,000th patient, an 81-year-old male with a tumor deep in his brainstem, a site where traditional surgery would have been impossible. Gamma Knife surgery is performed using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system, which directs up to 201 pencil-thin beams of therapeutic radiation precisely on brain tumors and other targets in the head.

From Elekta 23 Dec 2009

CT can be a preferred technique for diagnosing PE, according to study

Computed tomography (CT), a highly accurate, readily available medical imaging technique, is the overwhelmingly preferred technique of emergency physicians and radiologists for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE), according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

23 Dec 2009

U.S. Congress approves $1.6 million for AdMeTech Foundation's research program

AdMeTech Foundation, a nonprofit organization, announced today that the U.S. Congress has approved $1.6 million for funding of its groundbreaking research program aimed at developing novel imaging technologies for early prostate cancer detection, which in turn is critical for saving lives and designing customized patient care, including the most effective and the least invasive approach.

23 Dec 2009

Combination of ropivacaine and fibrin sealant is effective in reducing pain after LC procedure

Fibrin sealant has been an extremely effective and widely used adjunct to surgical procedures to control diffuse slow bleeding over large surfaces. In addition, fibrin sealant has been used as a carrier for other compounds. Thus, it has been used to release medicines slowly at a fixed site and is therefore effective for a long time.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers recommend progesterone as viable treatment for traumatic brain injuries

Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, recommend that progesterone (PROG), a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, be considered a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries, according to a clinical perspective published in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

23 Dec 2009

Trabectedin now available for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma

Patients with a rare form of cancer called advanced soft tissue sarcoma could now benefit from a new drug called trabectedin, after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved the drug for NHS use.

23 Dec 2009

Pancreas 3-D imaging useful in preoperative assessment of pancreatic carcinoma patients

In the field of hepatic imaging in the context of living liver donors and before complex partial liver resections, three-dimensional imaging of the liver, hepatic vessels and bile ducts has managed to become established in some centers. In this case, in addition to visualization, the volumetry of various liver sections is of interest. Moreover, the three-dimensional reconstruction can be used preoperatively to consider various resection options and to evaluate their technical feasibility with regard to vascular and bile duct anatomy and to the expected liver volume after surgery.

23 Dec 2009

MSH6 mutation carriers at elevated risk for colorectal, endometrial and lynch syndrome cancers

People carrying the germ-line MSH6 mutation are at high risk by age 80 years for colorectal and endometrial cancers and any cancer associated with Lynch syndrome, according to a new study published online December 22 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

23 Dec 2009

Medical Condition News

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

Discovery of inhibitory hormone may yield new treatments for cancer and other diseases

Reduced calories increase human cell lifespan

Postnatal depression treatments are not cost effective, say York researchers

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

Beta blockers may increase risk of anemia-induced adverse cardiovascular events

ARCA biopharma submits Gencaro trial protocol for review under the FDA’s SPA process

Chronic overeating plays fundamental role in obesity epidemic

NHLBI grant for identifying genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease

Researchers mix active drug and placebo to maximize drug benefits for efficient treatment

Second successful phrenic nerve decompression surgery

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

CT can be a preferred technique for diagnosing PE, according to study

U.S. Congress approves $1.6 million for AdMeTech Foundation's research program

Combination of ropivacaine and fibrin sealant is effective in reducing pain after LC procedure

Researchers recommend progesterone as viable treatment for traumatic brain injuries

Trabectedin now available for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma

Pancreas 3-D imaging useful in preoperative assessment of pancreatic carcinoma patients

MSH6 mutation carriers at elevated risk for colorectal, endometrial and lynch syndrome cancers

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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