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Researchers find genetic switch for internal body clock

University of California, Irvine researchers have identified the chemical switch that triggers the genetic mechanism regulating our internal body clock.

13 Dec 2007

Variant of a tumor suppressor gene associated with aggressive prostate cancer

A variant of a tumor suppressor gene may be associated with an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer, according to a study published online December 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

13 Dec 2007

Female lower back has evolved to accommodate the weight of pregnancy

When a pregnant woman leans back, and shifts her weight to stand more comfortably, she is performing a motion that for millions of years has helped to compensate for the strain and weight of childbearing on the body.

13 Dec 2007

Australian researchers plan for a pandemic

Sydney researchers have produced useful food and nutrition guidelines for survival rations to be used in the event of a pandemic such as influenza which appear in this week's Medical Journal of Australia.

13 Dec 2007

Cell-tracking software speeds drug development

Time is money, especially in the race to discover new anti-inflammatory drugs and bring them to market.

13 Dec 2007

Caesareans births linked to increased risk of newborn respiratory problems.

Babies delivered by elective caesarean section around term carry up to a fourfold increased risk of breathing problems compared with babies delivered vaginally or by emergency caesarean section, concludes a study from Denmark published on bmj.com.

13 Dec 2007

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strips away immune system's defensive measures

When the alert goes out that a virus has invaded the body, cells that have yet to be attacked prepare by "armoring" themselves for combat, attaching specific antiviral molecules to many of their own proteins to help resist the invader.

13 Dec 2007

Nematodes provide clues to dopamine's role in human aging diseases

Research carried out with a paintbrush bristle, a metronome, smelly chemicals and thousands of microscopic worms called nematodes may reveal important information about human aging diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, thanks to a grant from the Ellison Medical Foundation awarded to a University at Buffalo neurobiologist.

13 Dec 2007

Statins taken after stroke may increase risk of hemorrhagic stroke

People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs such as atorvastatin after a stroke may be at an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain, a risk not found in patients taking statins who have never had a stroke.

13 Dec 2007

Secret lives of enzymes revealed

In a new study in Nature, Brandeis University Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Dr. Dorothee Kern and collaborators pull back the curtain on the secret lives of enzymes, the ubiquitous proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in the cell.

13 Dec 2007

Carbamazepine based drugs to include new advice for patients with Asian ancestry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the manufacturers of drugs containing the active ingredient carbamazepine have agreed to add to the drugs' labeling a recommendation that, before starting therapy with the drugs, patients with Asian ancestry get a genetic blood test that can identify a significantly increased risk of developing a rare, but serious, skin reaction.

13 Dec 2007

Cancer stem cells may be cause of brain tumors

Expert available for comment on "Cancer Stem Cells" symposium at American Society of Hemotology (ASH) meeting, led by Dr. Andrew Schafer, chairman of medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, and president, ASH.

13 Dec 2007

Can interacting pathogens explain disease patterns?

A new study into the way in which parasites interact with each other could help predict when infectious diseases are likely to break out.

13 Dec 2007

Telmisartan potent against stroke

Telmisartan, a drug widely used to help control blood pressure, may have uniquely potent activity in preventing stroke, according to a new study conducted in an animal model.

13 Dec 2007

Improving health care for older adults

Most older adults obtain their health care in the offices of busy primary care physicians or, in the case of those without physicians, in even busier hospital emergency departments.

13 Dec 2007

Extracts from fungi show potential as prostate cancer treatment

A new development in the fight against cancer: Recent research at the University of Haifa found that molecules found in common fungus Ganoderma lucidum aid in suppressing some of the mechanisms involved in the progression of prostate cancer.

13 Dec 2007

Accuracy of diagnostic mammograms varies by radiologist

For women with breast symptoms such as lumps, the ability of diagnostic mammograms to detect breast cancer accurately depends strongly on which radiologist reads them, according to a Group Health study published online on December 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

13 Dec 2007

Velcade, lenalidomide and dexamethasone combo show promise for multiple myeloma

A new combination of bortezomib (Velcade) and two other drugs is showing a very high response rate in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a team headed by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

13 Dec 2007

With obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease on the rise, more comprehensive guidelines needed

According to new survey results, when 2007 Cardiometabolic Health Congress participants were asked what guidelines they follow for treating patients with multiple cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, the largest group of respondents indicated that they didn't follow any particular set of guidelines and that better guidelines are needed.

12 Dec 2007

Cell trafficking finding may aid drug development

With findings highlighted on a recent cover of Developmental Cell , researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have shed important new light on key trafficking mechanisms within epithelial cells. Epithelial cells line the outside of nearly all organs.

12 Dec 2007