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State proposals for universal health insurance unlikely to succeed

Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) recently released a universal health care proposal that incorporates "the bad idea of raising taxes on employers and forcing individuals to purchase insurance," but before "others get carried away with this model, they should take a look at its most recent manifestation in Massachusetts," Sally Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

27 Feb 2007

NASA undersea mission to test space medicine concepts

NASA will send a flight surgeon, two astronauts and a Cincinnati doctor under the ocean off the Florida coast May 7-18 to test space medicine concepts and moon-walking techniques. It is the first undersea mission to include a NASA flight surgeon.

26 Feb 2007

DNA 'cages' to deliver drugs

By combining DNA macromolecules with polymers containing iron, molecular 'cages' can be made: porous structures capable of carrying and delivering drugs or DNA-fragments.

26 Feb 2007

FDA approves antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition that affects more than 6.5 million American adults in a given year.

26 Feb 2007

Stimuvax investigational lung cancer vaccine phase III study starts

Merck KGaA today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its global Phase III clinical study, START (Stimulating Targeted Antigenic Responses To NSCLC), assessing the efficacy and safety of Stimuvax (BLP25 liposome vaccine) as a potential treatment for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

26 Feb 2007

Publication of the National Mesothelioma Framework

People with a chest cancer related to exposure to asbestos will receive a boost today, as a new framework for improving their care is launched by Britain's Health Minister Rosie Winterton.

From Asthma + Lung UK 26 Feb 2007

GAVI Alliance contributes US$139 million to UN Foundation to tackle measles

The United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) announced today that it has received a US$139 million contribution from the GAVI Alliance to support the worldwide effort by the Measles Initiative to reduce measles deaths by 90 percent by 2010.

26 Feb 2007

New bird flu vaccine not such a sure bet

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S., in clinical trials the nation's first bird flu vaccine is not as effective as was initially expected.

26 Feb 2007

Financial interest of drug industry influences research results

According to the latest research breast cancer studies funded by drug companies are more likely to come up with positive findings than those without pharmaceutical industry backing.

26 Feb 2007

High exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes detected in Baltimore bars

Workers and patrons of Baltimore bars are exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke, according to two studies conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

26 Feb 2007

Medics in Libyan HIV sham now accused of slander

In the latest development in the cases of the foreign medics sentenced to death in Libya for supposedly deliberately infecting children at a hospital with HIV, the six are now being subjected to a slander trial.

26 Feb 2007

Quantum dots detect metastatic lesions

By injecting quantum dots into tumors, investigators at Carnegie Mellon University have been able to image sentinel lymph nodes in animals using near-infrared light. These results could lead to a simple, non-invasive method for detecting metastasis.

26 Feb 2007

siRNA delivery into human T cells and primary cells with carbon-nanotube transporters

Short pieces of RNA, known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), have the potential to become a new class of anticancer drugs if researchers can solve the problem of how to deliver these fragile molecules to cancer cells.

26 Feb 2007

Quantum rods and dots image cancer cells

Brightly fluorescent quantum dots and quantum rods are quickly becoming important tools for identifying specific molecules and cells in living systems. Two new reports demonstrate some of the ways in which cancer researchers are using these nanoscale imaging agents.

26 Feb 2007

Perfluorocarbon nanoparticles track living cells

Stem cell therapy, primarily bone marrow transplantation, plays a key role in treating leukemia and other types of cancer.

26 Feb 2007

Genetically caused deafness may be reversible by compensating for a missing protein

Emory University researchers have found that in mice, increasing the amount of the protein connexin26 in the ear's cochlea compensates for an absence of another protein, connexin30.

26 Feb 2007

Trial of Aspirin to aid conception

Researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Utah are beginning a clinical trial to test whether aspirin can improve a woman's chances of becoming pregnant and of maintaining a pregnancy to term.

26 Feb 2007

Living in green neighborhoods or close to grocery stores associated with reduced risk of being overweight

...according to a study of more than 7,000 children ages 3 to 18 conducted by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine; the Department of Geography, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; and the University of Cincinnati.

26 Feb 2007

Androgen deprivation therapy may increase risk of death from heart disease in older men

Androgen deprivation therapy - one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer - may increase the risk of death from heart disease in patients over age 65, according to a new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital and other institutions.

26 Feb 2007

Diet rich in black soya beans could help control weight, lower fat and cholesterol levels

Yellow soya has already been hailed for its cholesterol lowering capabilities; this is one of the reasons why frozen food manufacturer Birds Eye has added the beans to its range. However, a team of Korean researchers has shown that black soya may be even more potent in rats, and also prevents weight gain.

26 Feb 2007