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Campral, first new treatment for alcoholism in ten years

Forest Laboratories announced that Campral (acamprosate calcium) Delayed- Release Tablets are now available to physicians, patients and pharmacies nationwide.

12 Jan 2005

Likelihood of a large number of future cases of vCJD remains small

According to research published today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the team believe there will be around 70 future cases of vCJD arising from the consumption of BSE-infected beef. At most this could rise to a total of around 600 deaths, although the researchers feel this is unlikely.

12 Jan 2005

Recent study correlates human cord blood cells with reduced animal heart attack damage

Researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) and James A. Haley Veterans Hospital have reported in the journal "Cell Transplantation" that stem cells from umbilical cord blood effectively treated heart attacks in an animal study.

12 Jan 2005

School strategies to combat obesity epidemic

Skyrocketing obesity among young children and the ways in which schools can help address the epidemic, as well as educating students about healthy lifestyles, is the focus of the newest edition of the State Education Standard, the journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education.

12 Jan 2005

Molecular Devices introduces fatty acid uptake assay to target metabolic diseases

Molecular Devices Corporation announced the launch of its QBT Fatty Acid Uptake Assay Kit, the first assay kit that addresses the need for a single-step, homogenous in vitro assay for fatty acid uptake for use in high- throughput screening and metabolic disease research.

12 Jan 2005

Elevated blood sugar levels and diabetes are risk factors for developing several types of cancer and mortality

The researchers followed over 1.2 million Koreans for 10 years, tracking new cancer cases and deaths from cancer. Study participants with diabetes, as well as those without diabetes and higher fasting blood sugar levels, were more likely to develop cancer or to die from cancer.

11 Jan 2005

New publication on adolescent health

The Pan American Health Organization has just released a new publication on adolescent health and positive behavior change greatly enhances the knowledge base on this important public health issue. It presents the firstever systematic collection and reporting of the application of behavioral change theories and models specifically to adolescents.

11 Jan 2005

Gold is rewriting the script

Pen strokes of the rich and famous and remote-controlled drug delivery systems of the future have been given the golden treatment in a new technology being developed at the University of Melbourne.

11 Jan 2005

Corticosteroids can be beneficial in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Corticosteroids can be beneficial in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and can be offered as a treatment option, according to the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society in a new practice guideline published in the January 11 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jan 2005

Patient education on aerosol therapy key to effective asthma control

New evidence-based guidelines for the selection of aerosol medication devices conclude that health-care providers should avoid basing device selection exclusively on device efficacy. Instead, the choice should be based on other patient-related factors.

10 Jan 2005

Novel vaccine that uses immune cells as factories to produce Her2/neu protein may offer a way to treat some breast cancers

Based on successful animal studies, a novel vaccine that uses immune cells as factories to produce Her2/neu protein may offer a way to treat some human breast cancers, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

10 Jan 2005

Medical recommendations can conflict with a patient’s religious beliefs

Physicians may encounter situations in which their medical recommendations conflict with a patient’s religious beliefs, according to an article in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jan 2005

Weight, fitness and lifestyle are important factors contributing to metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome, a group of several abnormalities, including obesity and high blood pressure, in one individual was identified in 10.4 percent of 36-year-old study participants, according to an article in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jan 2005

Obese and overweight patients in a study group reported sleeping less

Insufficient sleep causes neurocognitive changes such as excessive daytime sleepiness, altered mood, and increased risk for work-related injury and automotive accidents, according to background information in the article. It has been reported that the average American is currently getting less sleep than they did a century ago.

10 Jan 2005

Weight loss may be an early sign of dementia

Dementia-associated weight loss begins before the onset of the definite dementia symptoms and accelerates by the time of the diagnosis, according to a study in the January issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Jan 2005

Fundamental question of cell death answered

Chunying Du, Ph.D., Assistant Investigator at the Stowers Institute, has published findings that reveal a previously unknown pathway of Bruce, the gene encoding a protein that inhibits apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

10 Jan 2005

Shakespeare may have had syphilis

Shakespeare’s name usually inspires thoughts of kings, fairies, lovers, wars and poetic genius--not syphilis. However, some passages in his plays and sonnets indicate that the Bard may have suffered from one or more venereal infections, according to an article in the Feb. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

10 Jan 2005

Lack of sleep could make you fat

Lack of sleep could make you fat. In an editorial published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, two Northwestern University researchers stress the need to better understand the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States by studying how loss of sleep alters the complex metabolic pathways that control appetite, food intake and energy expenditure.

10 Jan 2005

Modafinil may be a possible medicinal treatment for cocaine dependence

Cocaine dependence is a major public health problem affecting thousands of people around the globe. Despite years of active research there are still no approved medications for the treatment of this life-shattering addiction.

10 Jan 2005

Plant research may help understand cancer

The development of cancer is a complex process with a number of different causes. The root problem is loss of control in the cell division process. A fundamental biological process, cell division can be studied in many organisms.

10 Jan 2005