Blog – Medical Research News and Interviews

27 Aug Why Influenza B Virus Exclusively Infects Humans

Posted at 19:07h in Flu - Influenza

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Texas at Austin have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight seasonal influenza epidemics caused by the common influenza B strain. Their discovery also helps explain how influenza B is limited to humans, and why...

19 Aug PET scans confirm effectiveness of estrogen-blocking drugs in breast cancer patients

Posted at 23:47h in Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Radiology

SEATTLE – For the first time, researchers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance have demonstrated the feasibility of using serial positron emission tomography (PET) scans, using a special estrogen-containing isotope, to confirm the relative effectiveness of estrogen-blocking and estrogen-depleting therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the research...

16 Aug Pegloticase aids gout patients not helped by standard treatments

Posted at 23:09h in Gout, JAMA

Injections of pegloticase, a modified porcine enzyme, can produce significant and sustained clinical improvements in 2 out of 5 patients with chronic gout that is resistant to conventional therapies, researchers report in the August 17, 2011, issue of JAMA. In two controlled clinical trials, pegloticase rapidly lowered high levels of uric...

16 Aug Breast Feeding & Breast Cancer in African-American women

Posted at 22:47h in Breast Cancer, Cancer Research

Investigators from the Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have reported findings that may shed light on why African American women have a disproportionately higher risk of developing more aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers, specifically estrogen and progesterone receptor negative (ER-/PR-) cancers. The study, which appears online in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &...

16 Aug Vitamin D and protection against the Advance of Colon Cancer

Posted at 22:36h in Colon Cancer, PLoS, Vitamin D

A study conducted by VHIO researchers confirms that a lack of vitamin D increases the aggressiveness of colon cancer The indication that vitamin D and its derivatives have a protective effect against various types of cancer is not new. In the field of colon cancer, numerous experimental and epidemiological studies show...

16 Aug Zinc Lozenges and Common Cold Duration

Posted at 22:24h in Author Interviews

Depending on the total dosage of zinc and the composition of lozenges, zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of common cold episodes by up to 40%, says Dr. Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki. For treating the common cold, zinc lozenges are dissolved slowly in the mouth. Interest in zinc...

11 Aug BI C. difficile strain found common in Chicago hospitals

Posted at 21:51h in C. difficile, Hospital Acquired

An outbreak strain of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the colon, is common in Chicago-area acute care hospitals, an investigation published in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology suggests. In response to Illinois Department of Public Health reports of rising rates...

11 Aug Team reports genetic sequences most common bladder cancer

Posted at 21:45h in Cancer Research, Nature

August 11, 2011 (Aurora, CO)--In an article published online this week in Nature Genetics, a University of Colorado Cancer Center team in partnership with universities in China and Denmark. Recognizing the genetic mutations that make bladder cancer cells different than their healthy neighbors may allow early genetic screenings for cancer and...

11 Aug Report: NSAIDS reduce the severity of postpartum breast cancers in animal models

Posted at 21:39h in Breast Cancer, Nature

Published online on Aug. 7, 2011, the journal Nature Medicine reports that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen reduce the severity of postpartum breast cancers in animal models. “We caution patients and providers that because a mother’s body is undergoing radical changes during this time, we can’t yet speak to the...

10 Aug Consumption of red processed meat may increase risk of type 2 diabetes

Posted at 21:26h in Diabetes

Boston, MA – A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers finds a strong association between the consumption of red meat—particularly when the meat is processed—and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The study also shows that replacing red meat with healthier proteins, such as low-fat...

10 Aug New Multiple Sclerosis Gene Associations Discovered

Posted at 21:22h in Genetic Research, Nature, Vanderbilt

An international team of scientists has identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis, providing key insights into the biology of an important and very debilitating neurological disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), one of the most common neurological conditions among young adults, affects around 2.5 million individuals worldwide. It is a...

07 Aug Sporadic Mutations cause more than half the cases of Schizophrenia

Posted at 20:21h in Mental Health Research, Nature, Schizophrenia

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have shown that new, or "de novo," protein-altering mutations—genetic errors that are present in patients but not in their parents—play a role in more than 50 percent of "sporadic" —i.e., not hereditary—cases of schizophrenia. The findings will be published online on August 7, 2011, in...

05 Aug Increase in Public Health Spending May Result in Healthier People

Posted at 19:31h in General Medicine

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 1, 2011) — A groundbreaking new study published in the journal, Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources. The study was co-authored by Glen P. Mays, the new F. Douglas Scutchfield Endowed Professor in Health Services...

04 Aug Compression Stockings May Reduce Sleep Apnea in Some Patients

Posted at 23:36h in Sleep Disorders

August 4 2011 Newswise — Wearing compression stockings may be a simple low-tech way to improve obstructive sleep apnea in patients with chronic venous insufficiency, according to French researchers. ”We found that in patients with chronic venous insufficiency, compression stockings reduced daytime fluid accumulation in the legs, which in turn reduced the...

04 Aug Making sperm from stem cells in a dish

Posted at 18:56h in Stem Cells

Researchers have found a way to turn mouse embryonic stem cells into sperm. This finding, reported in the journal Cell in a special online release on August 4th, opens up new avenues for infertility research and treatment. A Kyoto University team has coaxed mouse embryonic stem cells into sperm precursors,...

04 Aug Scientists map genetic mutations in the second-most common form of brain cancer, oligodendroglioma

Posted at 18:44h in Brain Cancer - Brain Tumors

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have completed a comprehensive map of genetic mutations occurring in the second-most common form of brain cancer, oligodendroglioma. The findings, reported in the Aug. 4 issue of Science, also appear to reveal the biological cause of the tumors, they say. To create the map, the...

04 Aug Poorly controlled asthma more than doubles healthcare costs

Posted at 18:37h in Asthma

Poorly controlled asthma more than doubles healthcare costs associated with the disease and threatens educational achievement through a dramatic increase in school absence, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. The research team reported in the August 2011 issue of The Archives of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology that children with...

03 Aug New Breast Cancer Strategies Presented at Conference

Posted at 20:24h in Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Nature

ORLANDO, Fla. — August 3, 2011 — In their lifetime, women have more than a 12 percent risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. 1 This week, research on novel approaches to breast cancer treatment is being presented at the Era of Hope (EOH) conference, a scientific meeting hosted by...

03 Aug Potential Links between Maternal Diet in Pregnancy and Breast Cancer in Daughters

Posted at 20:18h in Breast Cancer

ORLANDO, Fla. — August 3, 2011 — During pregnancy, women are counseled to refrain from consuming certain types of foods, beverages and medications in order to avoid jeopardizing the health and development of the fetus. In fact, the American Pregnancy Association has a list of a dozen items they recommend...

03 Aug Exploring Breast Cancer Mechanisms of Spread and Treatment Options

Posted at 20:15h in Breast Cancer

ORLANDO, Fla. — August 3, 2011 — Research into new methods to prevent and slow metastatic breast cancer will be presented this week at the Era of Hope conference, a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). Approximately 6 percent of women with breast...

03 Aug Study examines relapses after hospitalization for depression

Posted at 20:11h in Depression, Mental Health Research

For Immediate Release – August 3, 2011 – (Toronto) – Twenty-five percent of people who were hospitalized for depression were readmitted or visited an emergency room again for depression within 30 days of discharge, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The results...

03 Aug The power of positive thoughts and emotions to treat depression

Posted at 20:09h in Depression, Mental Health Research

New Rochelle, NY, August 3, 2011—Positive activity interventions (PAIs) offer a safe, low-cost, and self-administered approach to managing depression and may offer hope to individuals with depressive disorders who do not respond or have access to adequate medical therapy, according to a comprehensive review article in The Journal of Alternative...

03 Aug Simpler test to decide which lung cancer pts benefit from crizotinib

Posted at 01:10h in Lung Cancer

A relatively simple and inexpensive method may be used to determine whether a lung cancer patient is a candidate for crizotinib therapy, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official monthly journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer...

01 Aug Combining dasatinib with Tamoxifen, may overcome Tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer

Posted at 20:45h in Breast Cancer

August 1 20100 PHILADELPHIA—Taking a leukemia chemotherapy drug may help breast cancer patients who don't respond to tamoxifen overcome resistance to the widely-used drug, new research from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggests. Interestingly, researchers found that taxoxifen combined with dasatinib, a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reverses the chemo-resistance caused by cancer-associated...

01 Aug New brain imaging research reveals why autistic individuals confuse pronouns

Posted at 20:26h in Autism

PITTSBURGH—Autism is a mysterious developmental disease because it often leaves complex abilities intact while impairing seemingly elementary ones. For example, it is well documented that autistic children often have difficulty correctly using pronouns, sometimes referring to themselves as "you" instead of "I." A new brain imaging study published in the journal...

01 Aug Research Supports Upcoming Alzheimer’s Disease Guidelines

Posted at 20:11h in Alzheimer's - Dementia

Reston, Va.–Two new studies published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) provide insight intothe potential of positron emission tomography (PET) to differentiate between types of dementia and to identify pharmaceuticals to slow the progress of dementia. With proposed National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the...

01 Aug Young African American Men and “alternative” Tobacco Products

Posted at 10:48h in Smoking, Tobacco Research

Alexandria, VA — Tobacco related disease is a primary source of mortality for African American men. Recent studies suggest that "alternative" tobacco products may have supplanted cigarettes as the most common products used by young African Americans, according to new research published in the August 2011 issue of Otolaryngology –...

31 Jul National asthma genetics consortium releases first results

Posted at 23:45h in Asthma, Wake Forest

Discovers new asthma gene in African-Americans, replicates 4 others A new national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, according to a new scientific report. By pooling data from nine independent research groups looking for genes associated with asthma, the newly-created EVE Consortium...

29 Jul NIH awards researcher $1.7 million to study non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Posted at 13:01h in NIH

DETROIT – Kezhong Zhang, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular medicine and genetics and of immunology and microbiology in the School of Medicine at Wayne State University, was awarded $1.7 million by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to explore how...

29 Jul Study examines how blood protein levels change as breast cancer develops before it is clinically detectable

Posted at 01:38h in Breast Cancer, Nature

SEATTLE – Using a "systems biology" approach – which focuses on understanding the complex relationships between biological systems – to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer, researchers for the first time have identified a set of proteins in the blood that change in abundance long...