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Molecular evolution of limb length

In the January 15th issue of G&D, a research team led by Dr. Richard Behringer at MD Anderson Cancer Center reports that they have successfully switched the mouse Prx1 gene regulatory element with the Prx1 gene regulatory region from a bat - and although these two species are separated by millions of years of evolution - the resulting transgenic mice displayed abnormally long forelimbs.

15 Jan 2008

Medical error reporting by doctors to hospitals seems underused

Actual medical error reporting by doctors to hospitals seems to occur less than it should when compared to physicians' views on whether they should report such errors, University of Iowa researchers said in the Jan. 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

15 Jan 2008

Supplements of lipoic acid could reduce atherosclerosis, weight gain

A new study done with mice has discovered that supplements of lipoic acid can inhibit formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides, and reduce blood vessel inflammation and weight gain - all key issues for addressing cardiovascular disease.

15 Jan 2008

New auditory cortex research may bring better hearing aids and more effective speech recognition systems

Recognising people, objects or animals by the sound they make is an important survival skill and something most of us take for granted.

15 Jan 2008

New guidelines to improve palliative care at the end of life

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued new guidelines to improve palliative care at the end of life (EOL).

15 Jan 2008

2007's top U.S. patent assignees

IFI Patent Intelligence, a Wolters Kluwer Health business, today announced its annual compilation of the world's top-ranked U.S. patent winners.

15 Jan 2008

A modified carrot for increased calcium absorption

A specially developed carrot has been produced to help people absorb more calcium.

15 Jan 2008

Genetic differences may help explain response to multiple sclerosis treatment

By comparing the DNA of patients with multiple sclerosis whose symptoms are reduced by interferon beta therapy to the DNA of those who continue to experience relapses, researchers may have identified important genetic differences between the two, according to an article posted online that will appear in the March 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

15 Jan 2008

Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming others

Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming others, suggests a new review of evidence compiled by St. Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto researchers.

15 Jan 2008

FDA extends review of Genasense NDA appeal in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Genta Incorporated has announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended its review of Genta's appeal of the non- approvable decision for a New Drug Application (NDA) that proposed the use of Genasense (oblimersen sodium injection) plus chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

15 Jan 2008

Anti-retrovirals given daily before and after exposure to HIV prevent vaginal transmission AIDS virus

Prescription drugs now used to treat human immunodeficiency virus infection in adults may prevent the vaginal transmission of HIV, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

15 Jan 2008

Diets high in lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin E lower risk for cataracts

Women who have higher dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin—compounds found in yellow or dark, leafy vegetables—as well as more vitamin E from food and supplements appear to have a lower risk for developing cataracts, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jan 2008

Caraco Pharmaceutical Labs announces FDA approval to market generic Metaglip

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd., has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Glipizide/Metformin Hydrochloride Tablets, 2.5/250 mg, 2.5/500 mg and 5/500 mg (Glipizide/Metformin HCl).

15 Jan 2008

6,000 genes help determine body weight

Reporting in the online journal BMC Genetics, researchers from the Monell Center have for the first time attempted to count the number of genes that contribute to obesity and body weight.

15 Jan 2008

Bystander CPR - new efforts to improve quality

Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil, Clinical Research Director of Penn's Center for Resuscitation Science and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, says bystanders can play a critical role in saving lives by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the 150,000 cardiac arrests that occur each year outside of hospitals in the United States.

15 Jan 2008

Brain processes aggression as a reward

New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward - much like sex, food and drugs - offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football.

15 Jan 2008

Improving informed consent

New ways to make sure people are adequately informed about the risks and benefits of taking part in a clinical trial can be field-tested for effectiveness as vigorously as new medical treatments themselves, a study led by a Johns Hopkins bioethicist suggests.

15 Jan 2008

Type 2 diabetes explosion in Australia predicted

Health loss caused by type 2 diabetes will more than double in Australia by 2023, as health loss from most other major causes falls, according to new research by The University of Queensland's (UQ) School of Population Health.

15 Jan 2008

Uncovering the Achilles' heel of the HIV-1 envelope

New structural details illustrate how a promising class of antibodies may block human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection and reveal valuable clues for design of an effective HIV-1 vaccine.

15 Jan 2008

University of Minnesota researchers have created a beating heart in the laboratory

By using a process called whole organ decellularization, scientists from the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair grew functioning heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeding them with a mixture of live cells. The research will be published online in the January 13 issue of Nature Medicine.

15 Jan 2008