Novel therapy tested in mice could chase away cat allergies
A molecule designed to block cat allergies successfully prevented allergic reactions in laboratory mice, as well as in human cells in a test tube, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers report in the April issue of Nature Medicine, available online now. In the future, the investigators say, these promising results could lead to a new therapy not only for human cat allergies, but...Can you read my mind? W.M. Keck Foundation funds innovative brain research at Carnegie Mellon
PITTSBURGH--The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded Carnegie Mellon University a $750,000 grant to support research into how the human brain deciphers language, which could one day yield advances in the treatment of neurological disorders such as autism and dyslexia.... This multidisciplinary research is being conducted by Marcel Just, the D.O. Hebb Professor of Psychology, and Tom Mitchell, the Ed...Scientist works on innovative treatments for brain tumors
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. With a five-year, $1.25 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researcher will continue his quest to offer new treatments for one of the deadliest types of brain tumors.... ...Waldemar Debinski, M.D., Ph.D., a nationally recognized physician-scientist who pioneered a method to destroy malignant brain tumor cells witho...Epidemiologist Trichopoulos receives $5.8 million Department of Defense 'Innovator Award'
Boston, MA - A renowned cancer epidemiologist, HSPH Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos has received a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) "Innovator Award" to explore fetal and early-life factors associated with adult breast cancer, including whether exposure to hormones such as estrogens and insulin-like growth factors while in the womb may cause the disease years later....... The grant, for $5.8 mil...IADR & GSK announce 2005 Innovation in Oral Care Awards
Alexandria, VirginiaThe International Association for Dental Research and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare today announced the winners of the IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards for 2005. These awards are intended to inspire innovative and novel research in oral care with a direct impact on the quality of human life....... A large number of applications was received from teams of researche...Innovation prize finalists announced in 'Science of Better'
Hanover, MD, March 2, 2005 The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) today announced six finalists in its competition to win the 2005 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences. The annual contest highlights innovations in organizations that are profit and non-profit, in the U.S. and across the world, and frequently id...Diagnosis of prions in patients should utilize novel strategy, team says
A technique for detecting prions in tissue, developed in recent years by UCSF scientists, is significantly more sensitive than the diagnostic procedures currently used to detect the lethal particles in samples of brain tissue from patients, according to a study performed by a UCSF team....... The finding indicates that the diagnostic technique, known as the conformation-dependent immunoassay (CDI...Other highlights in the November 5 issue of JNCI
...Factory workers who are routinely exposed to the industrial chemical formaldehyde may have an increased risk of leukemia and lung cancer, according to two large studies that followed U.S. and British factory workers for an extended period of time. ...Formaldehyde is used extensively in the production of common items including photographic film, plywood, and wrinkle-free clothing. It is also...Novartis receives FDA approval for Starlix, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes
. . . . .EAST HANOVER, N.J., December 22, 2000 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation today received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Starlix (nateglinide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, a disease with serious consequences that is increasing at an alarming rate among Americans. Starlix, a D-phenylalanine (amino-acid) derivative, is the first in a new...New math model of heart cell has novel calcium pathway
Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed the first mathematical model of a canine cardiac cell that incorporates a vital calcium regulatory pathway , with implications for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats. ...Thomas J. Hund, Ph.D., post-doctoral researcher in Pathology ( in Dr. Jeffrey Saffitz laboratory) at the Washington University School of...Rice's CNST awards Smalley/Curl funds for innovation
HOUSTON, Feb. 7, 2005 Rice University's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) today awarded its first grants from the Smalley/Curl Fund for Innovation to faculty members Michael S. Wong, Rebekah Drezek and Jason Hafner....... The one-year, $15,000 grants are designed to provide faculty with the seed funds they need to develop novel ideas that have the potential of impacting all area...NIAID begins enrolling volunteers for novel HIV vaccine study
A large clinical trial of a novel HIV vaccine has begun enrolling volunteers at sites in North America, South America, the Caribbean and Australia. Organizers are seeking 1,500 participants....... The trial is co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc. Merck develo...Innovative WSU graduate program deals with mental health, deafness
A training program in mental health and deafness at the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology (SOPP) that is unique in American higher education is planning to expand to other locations in Ohio, according to Miami Valley clinical psychologist Robert Basil, Psy.D.... ..."We know of no other program in America with the dual purpose of training mental health professionals to work...Novartis announces collaboration with Bayer for EMSELEX
Basel, 17 December 2004 Novartis Pharma AG announced today the start of a collaboration between Novartis Pharma GmbH and Bayer Vital AG for the commercialization and distribution of EMSELEX (darifenacin hydrobromide), 7.5 mg and 15 mg in Germany. The collaboration is effective following an agreement between Bayer Vital AG and Novartis Pharma GmbH. EMSELEX, a new once-daily M3 selective receptiv...Novel antibiotic shows promise in shortening treatment duration of tuberculosis
December 9, 2004 - Scientists at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (J&JPRD) have identified a novel anti-tuberculosis (TB) compound that works better and faster than the current standard of care in mouse models of TB infection. Also, preliminary studies in healthy human volunteers show that the drug is safe. The findings are published in the December 9 issue of Science Ex...Novel p53 gene-based therapy boosts immune system and reduces tumor size
SAN ANTONIO - Use of a novel gene-based therapy before breast cancer surgery reduced tumor size by nearly 80 percent on average, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium meeting. ... ... The therapy, known as Advexin, also showed evidence that the p53 protein it was delivering was actually being replaced in the...Scientists stalk PPAR-gamma, find novel cancer connection
In laboratory tests on multiple myeloma cells, University of Rochester researchers found that this type of cancer expresses a protein that makes it an easy target for an existing class of diabetes drugs. After more investigation, they hope the discovery will lead to a new, targeted therapy for myeloma patients.... ... "To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has shown that multiple myelo...Innovative take-off system could lead to safer, cleaner air travel
A new approach to aircraft scheduling that uses computer models could allow a safe increase in airport throughput and reduce pollution. ...... The system under development would, for the first time, provide runway controllers with advice, based on state-of-the-art computer models, on the most efficient, safe sequence in which aircraft can take-off. Currently, runway controllers carry out their d...Novel drugs help solve Gleevec resistance
SAN DIEGO - Two different novel targeted therapies can produce strong responses in patients who have become resistant to Gleevec(tm), the standard therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are reporting....... Researchers say the benefits offered by these drugs, BMS-354825 and AMN107, appear to be promising for treatment of rel...November/December 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...A report published today as an online supplement to the November/December 2004 issue projects that implementation of the New Model of care recommended in the recently released "Future of Family Medicine" report would enhance the financial viability of family medicine practices, many of whose survival is endangered by their place on the front lines of a failing health care system. The report...Molecular tailoring of chemotherapy with novel imaging techniques
(Philadelphia, PA) Researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania are applying a host of imaging techniques to develop better ways to look noninvasively at the molecular characteristics of tumors. The experiments, now in human cell cultures and mouse models, are aimed at better forecasting early response to chemotherapy so that treatment choices can be adjusted. .......Iris Murdoch's last novel reveals first signs of Alzheimer's disease
The last novel written by author Iris Murdoch before she died reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the latest online issue of Brain.... ...As part of their on-going research into the effects of Alzheimer's disease on language, scientists at University College London and Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit decided to c...Novel imaging technique shows abnormal brain anatomy in children with ADHD
CHICAGO Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display anatomical brain abnormalities beyond chemical imbalance, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Stimulant medications prescribed to balance brain chemistry appear to normalize some of these brain irregularities, a second study reported. ... ..."We fo...Annals of Internal Medicine, tip sheet, Nov. 16, 2004
...... Researchers identified articles on health disparities in 10 leading health journals in 2002 and 2003 and selected 11 with potential to lessen these disparities (Update, p. 805)....... They divided the must-read articles into studies that documented disparities and studies that explained the disparities at the patient, physician and system levels. ...... Unfortunately, the researchers say...American Thoracic Society journal news tips for November 2004 (second issue)
RISK FACTORS FOR EARLY RELAPSE OF TUBERCULOSIS... ...In a large study of tuberculosis patients, researchers found that disease relapse was associated with a thrice weekly versus a daily drug therapy regimen and with the presence of cavitation (cavities) on the individual's chest X-ray at diagnosis. Researchers studied 12,183 patients who completed antituberculosis treatment between January 1, 1...Studies from the November issue of The Archives of Dermatology, a theme issue on facial rejuvenation
...... A procedure that uses a carbon dioxide laser passed over the surface of the skin, improves the look of skin that has been damaged by the sun. The study, involving 28 patients aged 48 to 78 years old, found that the laser resurfacing produced changes in the skin's composition and that it was "clearly efficacious in producing cosmetic improvements in patients' skin." ...... ...... Higher...News tips for Wednesday, November 10, 2004
To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by the American Heart Association's Public and Media Relations from more than 3,600 abstracts. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. Times are indicated with each entry; however, all embargoes will lift by 4 p.m. CST each day. For more information Nov. 7 10, call Carole Bullock, B...News tips for Tuesday, November 9, 2004
To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by the American Heart Association's Public and Media Relations from more than 3,600 abstracts. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. Times are indicated with each entry; however, all embargoes will lift by 4 p.m. CST each day. For more information Nov. 7 10, call Carole Bullock,...News tips for Monday, November 8, 2004
To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by the American Heart Association's Public and Media Relations from more than 3,600 abstracts. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. Times are indicated with each entry; however, all embargoes will lift by 4 p.m. CST each day. For more information Nov. 7 10, call Carole Bullock, B...News briefs from the Journal CHEST, November 2004
...... Dental plaques (DPs) may often house respiratory pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Of 49 critically ill nursing home residents who required intensive care treatment, researchers found that 28 subjects (57%) had aerobic pathogens in their DPs, including Staphylococcus aureus and e...News tips for Sunday, November 7, 2004
...... To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by the American Heart Association's Public and Media Relations from more than 3,600 abstracts. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. Times are indicated with each entry; however, all embargoes will lift by 4 p.m. CST each day. For more information Nov. 7 10, call Carole Bu...GSA confers 2004 Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award to W. Ontario's Connidis and McMullin
The Gerontological Society of America has chosen Dr. Ingrid Connidis and Dr. Julie McMullin of the University of Western Ontario's Sociology Department as the 2004 recipients of the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award. This distinguished honor recognizes insightful and innovative publications on aging and life course development in the behavioral and social sciences.... ...The award prese...Emory cardiologists present research at AHA scientific sessions in New Orleans, Nov. 7 - 10
Could an enzyme produced by white blood cells in response to inflammation reveal hidden heart disease in patients with no symptoms? Do women referred for angioplasty have more symptoms and physical limitations due to angina than their male counterparts? Could the stress of every day life be linked to autonomic dysfunction and contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS)? ......How...American Thoracic Society journal news tips for November 2004 (first issue)
... ...Treatment with melatonin significantly improved subjective sleep quality in 12 women with mild to moderate asthma, as compared with 10 asthmatic women who took placebo. Although the investigators found improved sleep quality in the melatonin-treated women, their results showed no change in asthma symptoms, use of relief medication, or daily peak expiratory flow rate. (Melato...Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Nov. 2, 2004
Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the American College of Physicians, an organization of 116,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. These highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. For an embargoed copy of an article, call 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2656, or 215-351-2656. Leave fax or e-mail and article topics. ...... ...... A study of t...DepoDur found to be innovative option for postoperative pain relief
CHADDS FORD, Pa., October 26, 2004 Data from two clinical trials presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this week support the safety and efficacy of DepoDur will be commercially available in the U.S. by the end of 2004.... ...DepoDur was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2004 for the treatment of pain following major s...Two novel agents work synergistically to treat lung cancer in animal experiment
HOUSTON - Two different agents that have little individual effect on lung cancer when tested in low doses in the lab and in animals have a synergistic impact when combined together, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer. They say this new therapeutic recipe might show potential in disarming the nation's leading cancer killer.... ...The study, published in the October...Novel drug-antidote strategy provides greater control of drug action
DURHAM, N.C. In a discovery that could give physicians more control over the actions of medications, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed a novel drug pair a potent anti-coagulant with a matched "antidote."... ...Using this combination pharmaceutical on-off switch, whose unique properties were demonstrated in animal models, researchers could quickly and effectively ne...National Academies advisory: Nov. 4-6 Frontiers of Science meeting in Irvine, Calif.
National Academies Advisory: Nov. 4-6 Frontiers of Science Meeting in Irvine, Calif.... ...The 16th annual Beckman Frontiers of Science symposium, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, brings together outstanding young scientists to engage in cross-disciplinary discussions. This year's symposium will feature presentations on topics such as aging; the role of ice sheets in determining se...Barbed sutures, wrinkle fillers give patients more innovative, non-surgical options
PHILADELPHIA Patients without time for a facelift or intimidated by surgery now have more minimally invasive options that produce effective results. Barbed sutures, ultrasonic body contouring and soft tissue fillers, three emerging trends in the plastic surgery industry, offer patients faster results without the downtime of surgery, according to a program held today at the American Society of Pl...