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Japanese study raises concerns for childhood health issues

The number of children suffering from mental disorders and health problems such as allergies and asthma has risen sharply over the past decade in this country. The United States and European countries are also facing the increasingly serious problems of premature births and childhood obesity, in addition to allergic reactions. Many experts say the rise in health problems involving children is related to the use of chemicals in our daily lives and the impact of medical treatment provided to the children's mothers.

22 Mar 2004

Mouse antibodies neutralise SARS virus

The mouse immune system develops antibodies capable of single-handedly neutralizing the SARS virus, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Virology, now available online. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

22 Mar 2004

Fruits and vegetables promote stronger bones in girls

Although calcium usually gets top billing when it comes to bone health, fruits and vegetables may also promote stronger bones in girls, new study findings suggest.

22 Mar 2004

Research suggests the orlistat drug could be used to fight cancer and obesity

The Burnham Institute’s Jeffrey Smith, Ph.D., has discovered that orlistat, commonly prescribed as an anti-obesity drug, has a positive side-effect: it inhibits cancer growth. Dr. Smith made this discovery using an activity-based proteomics screening technique developed in his laboratory that makes it possible to identify active targets and simultaneously screen for their inhibitors.

22 Mar 2004

Breast-feeding may lower children's blood pressure later in life

The researchers found that for every 3 months of breast-feeding, the children had a 0.2-mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure.

22 Mar 2004

Side Effects of Diabetes Drugs Involve Unsuspected Brain Region

A brain region involved in emotional and intellectual processes appears to also play an unsuspected role in the body’s visceral response to dangerously low blood sugar levels, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. Low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, is a common and dangerous side effect of drugs that control insulin levels in people with diabetes.

22 Mar 2004

Lupus Discovery May Lead To Improved Drugs

In an important development in the treatment of lupus as well as certain cancers, scientists at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University have discovered how autoimmune lupus T cells stave off programmed cell death and drive production of autoantibodies directed against the body’s own DNA.

22 Mar 2004

Improvements needed in breast cancer treatment

Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a group of abnormal cells confined to the breast ducts, varies widely in the United States. Treatment ranges from potential over-treatment with aggressive surgical therapy to possible under-treatment by not providing radiation.

22 Mar 2004

New microchip manipulates DNA and protein molecules

A Johns Hopkins undergraduate has constructed a new type of microchip that can move and isolate DNA and protein molecules. He believes that by linking the chip with analysis equipment, a user could identify medical ailments, monitor a patient's health or detect viruses and other biohazards before they spread.

22 Mar 2004

Government, industry, and academia focus on obesity

Amid shifting scientific data on nutrition and obesity, experts from government, industry, and academia converged on Harvard Medical School last week to discuss obesity's causes and how to craft a coherent public nutritional message.

22 Mar 2004

New optical glucose sensor could mean help for diabetics

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed a novel optical glucose sensor that could be used to provide continuous monitoring of glucose levels in diabetics and hospitalized patients. Recently published studies showed that the sensor detects glucose under physiological conditions, giving a reversible fluorescent signal that changes intensity in response to changes in the concentration of glucose.

22 Mar 2004

New therapies that may treat cancers

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found mutations in a gene linked to the progression of colon and other cancers. The research findings, may lead to new therapies and diagnostic tests that target this gene.

22 Mar 2004

Bacteria Live in the Esophagus!

The esophagus isn't merely a tube for food traveling from the mouth to the stomach, it also provides an environment for bacteria to live, according to a new study by NYU School of Medicine scientists that overturns the general belief that the esophagus is free of bacteria.

22 Mar 2004

Largest marketing campaign for a single drug to date

The cardiovascular market, one of the most hotly contested therapeutic areas of the pharmaceutical industry, continues to expand. Together, drugs that lower blood pressure and cholesterol treat 303 million potential patients worldwide. Nevertheless, companies that develop fourth or fifth to market drugs will struggle to compete, according to research by business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information.

22 Mar 2004

Researchers find link that could aid in treatment of kidney cyst diseases

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have uncovered a link between two cyst-forming diseases that affect the kidneys, a finding that could lead to treatments for both a rare form of diabetes and a common kidney disease.

22 Mar 2004

Treatment for ovarian cancer by gene targeting

Targeting and inactivating a key gene could be a subtle and effective treatment for certain types of ovarian cancer, Scottish researchers suggest in a study published in Clinical Cancer Research.

22 Mar 2004

New treatment for heart attacks

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a potential new treatment for heart attacks. The therapy inhibits fluid leakage from cardiac blood vessels following a heart attack and thereby significantly prevents long-term heart damage and improves survival.

22 Mar 2004

Tablet of Modafinil may improve a schizophrenics memory

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge recently identified a method of improving cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia, without the side-effects traditionally found with cognitive enhancers. Ms. Danielle Turner, together with colleagues from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Prof. Barbara Sahakian, undertook research to explore the potential for a memory drug to improve cognition in patients with schizophrenia. The project received funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. The work was published online on March 10 2004 at The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology website and is now in press in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

22 Mar 2004

£76 million research centre to make the UK a global centre of excellence for clinical imaging

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Imperial College London today announce a unique research collaboration in medical imaging. GSK will contribute funding of £28m for the construction of a new Clinical Imaging Centre, next to Hammersmith Hospital in West London, UK. Research will focus on cancer, stroke, neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis and psychiatric diseases. In association with the Clinical Imaging Centre, GSK and Imperial have entered into a 10-year research agreement for medical imaging.

22 Mar 2004

Scientists identify blood development gene which may aid the fight against cancer and leukemia

Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have pinpointed a crucial gene on which the normal development of the body's entire blood system depends. If the gene is absent, even the most basic blood stem cells cannot be generated. In a mutated form, this gene can cause a rare and devastating form of leukemia.

22 Mar 2004