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Breakthrough in search for new anti-malarial drugs

Scientists at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia have made a significant discovery in the fight against malaria. Drexel researchers, along with a research group at the University of Washington, have determined a critical molecular structure of the cellular motor that allows the malaria parasite to invade human cells.

4 Apr 2006

Promising new targets for Alzheimer's drug therapies

An enzyme previously associated with preventing the dementia of Alzheimer's disease now appears to play an even bigger role in safeguarding against the disease, bringing the promise of new targets for drug therapies.

4 Apr 2006

Dysregulation of the Hedgehog pathway in human hepatocarcinogenesis

The unchecked activity of a cell signaling pathway crucial in embryonic development and the liver's response to injury leads to liver cancer, researchers from Duke University Medical Center and John Hopkins University School of Medicine have found.

4 Apr 2006

Multi-site vaccinations could protect against all four dengue viruses

An innovative new study explains, for the first time, the failure of previous attempts to vaccinate against the four known Dengue viruses, and it suggests a very simple solution - injecting the four vaccines simultaneously at different locations on the body.

4 Apr 2006

People with very agile minds tend to have a very agile cortex

Youth with superior IQ are distinguished by how fast the thinking part of their brains thickens and thins as they grow up, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered.

4 Apr 2006

College girls practice unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking or skipping breakfast, to lose weight

Eighty-three per cent of college girls surveyed diet to lose weight, regardless of their current body weight.

4 Apr 2006

Robotic device appears to be more precise than conventional catheter ablation devices for atrial fibrillation

A remotely-controlled catheter device guided by magnetic fields provides a safe and practical method for delivering radio frequency ablation treatment in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a new study in the April 4, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Apr 2006

Shape and function of the heart improves with apnea treatment

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have enlarged and thickened hearts that pump less effectively, but the heart abnormalities improve with use of a device that helps patients breathe better during sleep, according to a new study in the April 4, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Apr 2006

Three-dimensional ultrasound probes poised to advance minimally invasive surgery

Three-dimensional ultrasound probes built by researchers at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering have imaged the beating hearts of dogs. The engineers said their demonstration showed that the probes could give surgeons a better view during human endoscopic surgeries in which operations are performed through tiny "keyhole" incisions.

4 Apr 2006

Majority of young people with ADHD use their medications appropriately

A major concern regarding the use of stimulant medications to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents and young adults has been the risk that they will be misused or diverted to those for whom they have not been prescribed.

4 Apr 2006

Skin cancer facts

Up to two-thirds of all cancers may be prevented through dietary and lifestyle changes. In the case of skin cancer, this could not be more true.

4 Apr 2006

Pigs help study of links between polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Despite the exaggerated, wrinkly snout and long, coarse, spiky hair reminiscent of the 1980s television space alien ALF, some very special swine are helping researchers at Purdue and Indiana universities understand human infertility, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

4 Apr 2006

HOXB13 and IL17BR genes predict outcome for breast cancer patients

The 2-gene expression profile of HOXB13 and IL17BR in a woman's breast cancer predicts risk of recurrence in node-negative patients treated with tamoxifen.

4 Apr 2006

Mayo Clinic discover cellular secret that may explain how certain cancers move and spread

If the mechanism that drives cancer movement - also called metastasis - can be understood well enough to manipulate it, new and better treatments can be developed for patients with metastatic cancers.

4 Apr 2006

Antioxidant therapy will be useful for women with pre-eclampsia

The antioxidant tempol prevents the onset of pre-eclampsia in pregnant mice, a finding that further implicates oxidative stress in the illness, which is widespread among pregnant women.

4 Apr 2006

Enzymes that harm brain immediately after stroke may be beneficial days later

Insights from the study could change the way stroke is treated, extending the window for effective treatment from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. The results may suggest new ideas for drug development.

4 Apr 2006

New mouse model technology in cancer vaccine tool-box

Cancer vaccines are being investigated in early-phase clinical trials around the world, with many of those trials recruiting patients with melanoma.

4 Apr 2006

Link between lead and osteoporosis strengthens

Bolstered by recent laboratory findings, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are embarking on a National Institutes of Health-funded clinical study to better understand the deceptive role environmental lead exposure plays in bone maturation and loss.

4 Apr 2006

Responding to AIDS, TB, Malaria and emerging infectious diseases in Burma

Government policies in Burma that restrict public health and humanitarian aid have created an environment where AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria and bird flu (H5N1) are spreading unchecked, according to a report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

4 Apr 2006