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Targeted screening of high-risk groups for genital herpes may prevent disease transmission

Identifying asymptomatic people with genital herpes infection through targeted screening of high-risk groups may prevent disease transmission. However, widespread screening of pregnant women is unlikely to reduce the occurrence of herpes in newborns, according to an article in the January 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

13 Dec 2004

Celecoxib may regulate a cell's use of estrogen - might help explain the drug's anticancer properties

Six months of treatment with celecoxib (Celebrex) in women at risk of developing breast cancer results in the reduction of estrogen receptor expression in breast cells, a research team at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has found.

13 Dec 2004

Short course of radiation therapy following lumpectomy

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have presented preliminary results of a clinical trial in which women received a two-week shorter course of radiation therapy than the current standard following a lumpectomy.

13 Dec 2004

Novel anti-rejection protocol should allow major improvement efficacy and quality of life after intestinal and multivisceral transplants

Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute have dramatically improved intestinal transplant graft survival, and reduced rejection and infection rates by successfully using a novel immunosuppression minimization protocol, thus improving patients' overall quality of life and avoiding the use of several anti-rejection drugs, which can cause serious infections and major complications.

13 Dec 2004

Importance of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway to breast cancer development

Because up to 75 percent of breast cancer patients have an abnormality in a specific cell signaling pathway, drugs that target different molecules along that pathway may be especially effective for treating the disease, says a researcher from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

13 Dec 2004

Study sheds light on how bacteria persist despite antibiotics

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Rockefeller University in New York have demonstrated the constant presence of antibiotic-tolerant "persistent cells" within bacteria colonies and have shown, through mathematical modeling, how these cells develop into "normal" cells following their survival of even heavy dosages of antibiotics.

13 Dec 2004

Key molecular signal allows malarial parasites to target human red blood cells

Northwestern University researchers have identified a key molecular "signal" that allows malarial parasites to release virulence proteins inside human red blood cells.

13 Dec 2004

Understanding what causes narcolepsy

Results of a preliminary study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest a step forward in our understanding of the processes behind narcolepsy; there appears to be an underlying autoimmune process for people with a certain genetic profile. Future diagnostic testing of people with this profile should lead to substantial improvements in disease treatment.

13 Dec 2004

Childhood cancer slowly increasing over the past 3 decades

Research from 19 European countries in this week’s issue of THE LANCET documents how childhood cancer, while still rare, has been slowly increasing over the past 3 decades.

13 Dec 2004

A decade of neglect has weakened UNICEF and threatened the future of child survival

As a high-level forum assessing the progress on global health in relation to the millennium development goals concluded in Abuja, Nigeria, last week, the rhetoric of success repeated by those charged with ending the needless deaths of millions of the world's children masks their own deep-seated failure to grapple with critical institutional weaknesses in their own ranks.

13 Dec 2004

Model may explain how alcohol stimulates tumor growth

The investigators found that compared to the saline control group, the embryos exposed to ethanol experienced increases in tumor size, tumor blood vessel density, cancer cell infiltration of blood vessels, and VEGF levels.

13 Dec 2004

Silent risk of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer

Men being treated for prostate cancer using hormone therapy maybe under-recognized for their risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a new study.

13 Dec 2004

PCT waste fears as patients shun new treatment centre

Patients prefer to wait nine months for orthopaedic operations rather than be treated within ten weeks by a new independent treatment centre, a referral centre has found.

13 Dec 2004

Cell replacement therapy offers a novel and powerful medical technology

Cell replacement therapy offers a novel and powerful medical technology. A type of embryonic stem cell, called a neural crest stem cell, that persists into adulthood in hair follicles was recently discovered by Maya Sieber-Blum, Ph.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milos Grim, MD Ph.D., of Charles University Prague, and their collaborators.

13 Dec 2004

Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those who don't experience migraines

In the first review of its kind, researchers in Canada and the US looked at 14 studies which investigated an association between stroke and migraine. They found that the risk of stroke for migraine sufferers was 2.16 times that for non-sufferers.

13 Dec 2004

Labelling unhappy children as depressed may be harmful

Unhappiness among children seems to be rising, but labelling it as depression and prescribing antidepressants is ineffective and possibly harmful, warns a child psychiatrist in the BMJ.

13 Dec 2004

Folate supplementation during pregnancy may increase a mother's long-term risk of breast cancer

Preliminary data published in the BMJ suggest that folate supplementation during pregnancy may increase a mother's long-term risk of breast cancer. Although this may be a chance finding, the results require confirmation, say the authors.

13 Dec 2004

Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug discovery companies are increasingly turning their attention to cell-based assays

Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug discovery companies are increasingly turning their attention to cell-based assays, as these assays offer a more accurate representation of the real-life cell model than the traditional enzyme- or antibody-based assays.

13 Dec 2004

Discovery of key immune system molecules that helps determine how effectively a person resists HIV infection

A team of researchers based partly in South Africa has identified a key set of immune system molecules that helps determine how effectively a person resists infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

8 Dec 2004

Excellent news for the many people who suffer from high blood pressure

An international trial comparing blood-pressure lowering treatments has been stopped early due to the significantly better performance of one of the treatments in the trial.

8 Dec 2004

Medical News

Targeted screening of high-risk groups for genital herpes may prevent disease transmission

Celecoxib may regulate a cell's use of estrogen - might help explain the drug's anticancer properties

Short course of radiation therapy following lumpectomy

Novel anti-rejection protocol should allow major improvement efficacy and quality of life after intestinal and multivisceral transplants

Importance of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway to breast cancer development

Study sheds light on how bacteria persist despite antibiotics

Key molecular signal allows malarial parasites to target human red blood cells

Understanding what causes narcolepsy

Childhood cancer slowly increasing over the past 3 decades

A decade of neglect has weakened UNICEF and threatened the future of child survival

Model may explain how alcohol stimulates tumor growth

Silent risk of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer

PCT waste fears as patients shun new treatment centre

Cell replacement therapy offers a novel and powerful medical technology

Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those who don't experience migraines

Labelling unhappy children as depressed may be harmful

Folate supplementation during pregnancy may increase a mother's long-term risk of breast cancer

Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug discovery companies are increasingly turning their attention to cell-based assays

Discovery of key immune system molecules that helps determine how effectively a person resists HIV infection

Excellent news for the many people who suffer from high blood pressure

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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