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Molecules developed at UB boost vaccine potency

Two novel proteins studied by a University at Buffalo professor of microbiology and immunology appear to have the potential to enhance the production of antibodies against a multitude of infectious agents.

5 Feb 2008

New cancer center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center has created an expanded cancer program dedicated to advancing research, prevention and treatment of the disease. The new Cancer Center is led by renowned cancer physician-scientist Dr. Andrew Dannenberg.

5 Feb 2008

Experimental drug shows promise for cystic fibrosis

An experimental drug that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy also works for cystic fibrosis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

5 Feb 2008

Taking more than one NSAID may lead to complications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat arthritis, which affects one-third of all adults.

5 Feb 2008

Study of successful drug targets could hasten development of new medications

Guidance from an innovative computational approach could speed up the process and cut down the cost of new drug development, researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and Columbia University suggest in a study to be published in the February 2008 issue of Genome Research, available early online.

5 Feb 2008

Increase in survival rates of extremely premature infants at London hospital

Survival rates for the most premature babies at a top London hospital have more than doubled over a 20 year period, according to research published in the latest edition of the journal Acta Paediatrica.

5 Feb 2008

Study finds widespread vitamin and mineral use among cancer survivors, although benefits of such use remain unclear

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, despite inconclusive evidence that such use is beneficial, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Feb 2008

Parental drinking and parenting practices influence adolescent drinking

Adolescence is a critical time of development on many different levels, but especially concerning the initiation and escalation of alcohol use. For example, the proportion of American adolescents who regularly drink alcohol roughly doubles during secondary-school years. New findings show that parental drinking both directly influences adolescent drinking, as well as indirectly through adolescent perceptions of parenting, especially monitoring and discipline received.

5 Feb 2008

Parenting program does not prevent toddler behavior problems

A study of the first universal parenting programme, designed to prevent early child behaviour problems, shows that it has little impact on toddler behaviour.

5 Feb 2008

Two new studies examine non-invasive ways to determine liver fibrosis and cirrhosis

An enhanced version of the Original European Liver Fibrosis panel was found to have good diagnostic accuracy for fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Conversely, transient elastography was unreliable for detecting cirrhosis in patients with acute liver damage. The studies are published in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The articles are also available online at Wiley Interscience.

5 Feb 2008

Clinical patient safety interventions reduce errors in obstetrical care

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have implemented patient safety enhancements to dramatically reduce errors and improve the staff's own perception of the safety climate in obstetrical care.

5 Feb 2008

iPods shown not to interfere with pacemakers

A report in the open access journal BioMedical Engineering OnLine refutes claims that portable music players, such as Apple's iPod, interfere with cardiac pacemakers.

5 Feb 2008

Experimental biomarker test beats PSA in detecting prostate cancer

An experimental biomarker test developed by researchers at the University of Michigan more accurately detects prostate cancer than any other screening method currently in use, according to a study published in the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

5 Feb 2008

Enbrel shown to significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein

Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth have announced findings from a retrospective analysis, which demonstrated that ENBREL reduced C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis following 12 weeks of treatment. Median reduction in CRP levels was 10 times greater in the ENBREL treated group compared to the placebo treated group.

5 Feb 2008

New vaccine for malaria under trial

Trials are underway, funded by the Wellcome Trust, for a new vaccine to combat the most deadly form of malaria.

5 Feb 2008

Larynx preservation preferred over total laryngectomy

Patients with locally advanced laryngopharyngeal cancers who receive radical chemoradiation have significantly better voice outcomes during the 12 months following treatment when compared with patients who have undergone a total laryngectomy and surgical voice restoration, according to a study in the February 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

5 Feb 2008

Precise geometry and energy of protein structures holds key to cures

Your mother always told you to do your geometry homework, and for scientists seeking new treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, this advice turns out to be right on the mark.

5 Feb 2008

The obesity epidemic - does the evidence stack up?

Last week, the UK health secretary declared that we are in a grip of an obesity epidemic, but does the evidence stack up? Researchers in this week's BMJ debate the issue.

5 Feb 2008

Chemists track how amantadine drug changes, blocks flu virus

An anti-virus drug attacks influenza A by changing the motion and structure of a proton channel necessary for the virus to infect healthy cells, according to a recently published research paper by two Iowa State University chemists.

5 Feb 2008

Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 gene increase risk of preterm birth

Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene appear to have significant association with inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences report at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

5 Feb 2008