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UT Southwestern looks at promising new medication that reduces the severity and frequency of asthma attacks

UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of a handful of top research institutions evaluating a promising new medication researchers hope can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in inner-city children, a population known to have a high prevalence of severe asthma.

20 Oct 2006

An enzyme that regulates ether lipid signaling pathways in cancer annotated by multidimensional profiling

Using a combination of enzyme activity and metabolite profiling, we determined that this protein-whose function was previously unknown-serves as a key regulator of a lipid signaling network that contributes to cancer," said Benjamin F. Cravatt, a Scripps Research professor and a member of its Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology who led the study.

20 Oct 2006

Blood clotting protein appears to also play a role in fertility

A protein known to play a role in blood clotting and other cell functions is also critical for proper sperm formation in mice, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

20 Oct 2006

Researchers discover new method of mapping how bacteria spread within the body

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a new, more accurate, method of mapping how bacteria spread within the body, a breakthrough that could lead to more effective treatments and prevention of certain bacterial infections.

20 Oct 2006

People living in highly Black concentrated neighborhoods more likely to report their health as poor

In a study examining the relationship between racial/ethnic neighborhood concentration and self-reported health, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that individuals living in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Blacks were twice as likely to report poor health when compared to their counterparts living in neighborhoods with a lower concentration of Blacks.

20 Oct 2006

Study shows women need and want to protect themselves against violence as they get older

Forget fearing old age, it seems as women grow older those on lower incomes are more likely to fear the threat of violence, a Queensland University of Technology nationwide study has found.

20 Oct 2006

New Purdue biochip may speed drug development

Purdue University researchers have developed a biochip that measures the electrical activities of cells and is capable of obtaining 60 times more data in just one reading than is possible with current technology.

20 Oct 2006

Scientists discover why some bacteria are naturally magnetic

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Purdue University have shed light on one of microbiology's most fascinating mysteries--why some bacteria are naturally magnetic.

20 Oct 2006

Eating lots of bread associated with increased risk of renal cell carcinoma

A case-control study of more than 2300 Italians has found a significant association between high bread consumption and renal cell carcinoma. Eating a lot of pasta and rice may also raise the risk, while eating many vegetables may lower the risk.

20 Oct 2006

FFTC and FDA act against internet vendors of fraudulent diabetes treatments

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), working with government agencies in Mexico and Canada, have launched a drive to stop deceptive Internet advertisements and sales of products misrepresented as cures or treatments for diabetes.

19 Oct 2006

$74 million allocated to study environmental causes of disease

As part of the new Exposure Biology Program, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a component of the National Institutes of Health, today announced $74 million in grant opportunities for the development of new technologies that will improve the measurement of environmental exposures that contribute to human disease.

19 Oct 2006

Columnist explores reasons for discrepancy in U.S., foreign health spending, related life expectancies

The answer to why many countries spend less on health care than the U.S. and have higher life expectancies is "fantastically complicated -- but also fantastically important," New York Times columnist David Leonhardt writes.

19 Oct 2006

Idaho woman files lawsuit over Ortho Evra patch

A woman in Idaho who said she developed a blood clot disorder after using the birth control patch Ortho Evra -- made by Ortho-McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson -- has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the companies, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

19 Oct 2006

UN program teaches AIDS orphans farming and life skills

A U.N. program is helping Kenyan children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related illnesses learn basic agricultural techniques and other life skills, PlusNews reports.

19 Oct 2006

Former FDA Administrator Crawford pleads guilty to conflicts of interest

Lester Crawford, who resigned as FDA commissioner in September 2005, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges of false reporting and conflicts of interest related to ownership of stocks in companies that are regulated by the agency, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Bridges, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

Antiretroviral drug discounts should be extended for countries classified as 'middle-income'

Pricing antiretroviral drugs and other "lifesaving" medications based on a country's gross national income per capita "seems particularly arbitrary -- and even cruel" -- given that HIV-positive people often have incomes "well below what might be considered a country's 'average' income," Jorge Saavedra Lopez.

19 Oct 2006

FDA advisory panel recommends adding warning label to Tamoxifen

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday recommended that a warning label be added to tamoxifen, an agency-approved drug for treating and preventing breast cancer, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Bridges, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

French policies subsidizing generous maternity leave, child-care allowances fuel rising birth rate

French policies subsidizing generous maternity leave for women, tax credits for large families and other benefits are fueling one of the highest birth rates in Europe, the Washington Post reports (Moore, Washington Post, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

Black women in Chicago more likely to die from breast cancer than white women

Black women living in Chicago are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women in the city, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Sinai Urban Health Institute, the Chicago Tribune reports (Peres et al., Chicago Tribune, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

African Union adopts reproductive health rights policy

African Union health ministers meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, last week adopted a policy framework to address sexual and reproductive health and rights but did not agree on how to address the issue of unsafe abortions, resolving to allow each member state to handle the issue separately, Lilongwe's Chronicle/AllAfrica.com reports.

19 Oct 2006