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Scientists engineer first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus

Chemical engineers from Johns Hopkins University have broken the "mucus barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus - regarded by many as nearly impenetrable - and carrying medication that could treat a range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer, cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research noted in a presentation scheduled for the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

20 Aug 2008

Lycopene molecules in tomatoes could help fight cancer

Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the popular garden staple added disease-fighting power, Ohio State University research suggests.

20 Aug 2008

Teen cancer survival on the rise, but more work needed

The first national report detailing survival for teenagers and young adults with cancer shows that survival rates climbed by around 11 per cent over two decades.

From The University of Manchester 20 Aug 2008

Type 2 diabetes linked to arsenic in drinking water

While exposure to high concentrations of the element in drinking water and in the workplace has been shown to be associated with diabetes, little is known about the effect of lower levels on diabetes risk.

20 Aug 2008

Drugs and fruit juices - a combination to avoid

It has been common knowledge for a number of years that grapefruit juice can influence the absorption of certain drugs, potentially turning normal doses into toxic overdoses.

20 Aug 2008

Research indicates no justification for denying obese patients knee replacements

Research by scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with colleagues at the universities of Bristol, Oxford and Keele, has shown that there is no justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery.

20 Aug 2008

Newly uncovered cells may be critical in psoriasis

Psoriasis, one of humanity's oldest known diseases, has also been one of its most misunderstood. But in a new study that could change researchers' perspective of the skin disorder and potentially lead to powerful new drug targets, Rockefeller University scientists have found that the source of psoriasis may be a single population of inflammatory cells that act as instigators by priming the body's immune system for self-attack.

20 Aug 2008

Simple bowel cancer test spots deadliest tumours

British scientists say a simple bowel cancer test could save thousands of lives by spotting the deadliest tumours.

20 Aug 2008

Obesity raises risks of serious gastrointestinal diseases

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in the United States coupled by the increased risk of gastrointestinal diseases related to obesity raises serious implications for the health of Americans. Several scientific studies in the August issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology examine the association between obesity and the risk of colorectal cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

19 Aug 2008

Clinical-scale generation of functional red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. reported that it is feasible to differentiate and mature human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into functional oxygen-carrying red blood cells (RBCs) under conditions suitable for scale-up.

19 Aug 2008

Are your eyes a window to diabetes-related health issues?

Scientists at Aston University in Birmingham, UK are carrying out a unique study using the eyes to detect early signs of health problems which could lead to diabetes, and they're looking for volunteers to help.

19 Aug 2008

Rifamycin antibiotics attack tuberculosis bacteria with walls, not signals

Amid concerns about the rising number of new tuberculosis cases worldwide, researchers led by Rockefeller University's Seth A. Darst have reexamined and disproved a theory that describes how a potent class of antibiotics kills a deadly form of bacteria. The findings, which will appear in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, not only bring scientists closer to understanding how these antibiotics work but also how the bacteria become resistant to their effects.

19 Aug 2008

New discovery may lead to new drugs to regulate sleep

A team of scientists from Oxford University in the UK have discovered the reason why people feel drowsier in dim lighting and more alert in bright white light.

19 Aug 2008

Stanford develop method to overcome multiple drug resistant diseases

Many drugs once considered Charles Atlases of the pharmaceutical realm have been reduced to the therapeutic equivalent of 97-pound weaklings as the diseases they once dispatched with ease have developed resistance to them.

18 Aug 2008

Mosquitoes smell DEET and stay away

Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

18 Aug 2008

Symmetry the key to sexual appeal

Scientists say when it comes to searching for a partner, the attraction of a potential mate is all about symmetry.

18 Aug 2008

What makes the human body attractive?

A study by Dr William Brown and colleagues in Brunel University's School of Social Sciences and School of Engineering and Design, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has revealed an explanation for the correlation between attractiveness and bodily characteristics like height, breast size, long legs, broad shoulders or a curvy figure.

18 Aug 2008

Researchers warn of heart risks from energy drinks

Recent research from both Australia and the United States has raised questions about energy drinks and says they may be harmful to some people.

17 Aug 2008

Hyaluronic hydrogels provide scaffolding for growth of bone cells

Hyaluronic hydrogels developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers may provide a suitable scaffolding to enable bone regeneration.

17 Aug 2008

Cancer signatures uncovered

A new systematic analysis of the relationship between the neoplastic and developmental transcriptome provides an outline of trends in cancer gene expression. The research, published recently in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, describes how cancers can be divided into three groups distinguished by disparate developmental signatures.

17 Aug 2008