Earlier treatment of perinatal HIV associated with decreased HIV progression, better outcomes
...were associated with improved survival. "There are few data to guide time to initiation and selection of therapy among young children with perinatal HIV infection. Our novel finding of improved outcomes even with mono/dual ART begun by age 2 months vs. 3 to 4 months, though limited by the small sample si...Leprosy genome tells story of human migrations, French researchers report in Science
...ree spots where useful SNPs occurred. "Finding so few SNPs is pretty unusual. It's the least number of SNPs I'm aware of in any bacterium," Cole said. At each of the three SNP locations, one of four different nucleotides can be substituted, making for a possible 64 different combinations in the genetic ...Penn study shows liver receptor key to diet-dependent differences in blood lipid levels
...s (for Liver X Receptors) have emerged in the last few years as crucial regulators of cholesterol and lipid metabolism. "The conventional wisdomborne out of drug-development studies done before this paperwas that LXRs are good in terms of decreasing atherosclerosis and bad in terms of increased triglycer...Novel stem cell trial in heart failure patients to begin
...t in performing clinical studies. While relatively few such studies have been conducted, and most have been done abroad, preliminary results have shown that blood flow and heart function improve in patients receiving the stem cell therapy. However, to date, there has been no research in humans that helps...Older adults with insomnia report falling asleep faster with ramelteon
...rience one or more symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights per week. "Improving sleep in older adults is a very important health issue. Far too often, older adults and their physicians accept the myth that poor sleep is a fact of life that it comes with aging," said Thomas Roth, PhD, director of the...Tamoxifen shows no benefit, risk for breast cancer survivors' heart health
...s on radiotherapy's heart impact. "Within the past few years, studies have shown the value of a new class of drugs, the aromatase inhibitors, in preventing breast cancer's recurrence among postmenopausal women. Tamoxifen, though, continues to be an important tool for improving prognosis and reducing risk...Surgery to treat vocal-cord spasms shows high success rate
...x injections into the vocal cords. Required every few months, these treatments temporarily relieve the symptoms, but not the disorder. At up to $2,000 a pop, the shots are pricey as well as uncomfortable and time-consuming. Some patients also can develop Botox resistance. In 1993, Dr. Gerald Berke, ch...Study finds Herceptin may have role in bladder cancer treatment
...eptin could be used safely for bladder cancer with few serious adverse effects related to Herceptin. The most common problems were low blood counts. Bladder cancer affects more than 63,000 people each year and causes about 13,000 deaths per year. It strikes men three times as often as women. In addition ...Investigating the appropriateness of current alcohol-use disorder criteria for adolescents
...d to respondents 18 years and older. "There are a few national surveys which include both adolescents and adults, but sample sizes as well as the DSM-IV AUD assessments for adolescents are limited. This study draws upon a recent national survey with large sample sizes for both adolescents and adults an...Neuroimaging confirms the greater vulnerability of women's brains to alcohol
... vulnerable to chronic drinking than men are. Yet few studies have looked at gender differences in alcohol's effects on the brain. A study in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research addresses this gap in research, using computed tomography (CT) to examine brain atrophy in the br...Integrated chemical-dependency and mental-health treatment best for adolescents
...-treated." "While this may seem like common sense, few alcohol and other drug (AOD) programs for adolesce... not receiving those services. "This is one of the few studies that explicitly demonstrates that providing psychiatric services during AOD treatment dramat...Presence of high-risk prostate cancer can be predicted without a biopsy, new study says
...on diagnosis, it is a deadly disease in relatively few men. One in 6 men will develop prostate cancer dur...aid. "Knowing a patient's age and the results of a few simple clinical tests is all the information we need to accurately predict tumor grade without perfo...Radioactive isotope is effective against neuroblastoma
...hers achieved a high number of responses with very few side effects. John M. Maris, M.D., a pediatric oncologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, reported on a phase 2 trial of MIBG in a presentation today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Maris w...Multiple views from CT scans may improve diagnosis
...well as accuracy." Wake Forest Baptist is one of a few centers in the country routinely viewing pediatric CT scans in all three planes. Barnes's co-researchers are Evelyn Anthony, M.D., Michael Chen, M.D., Louise Milner, M.D., and Susan Lie-Nelson, M.D., all from Wake Forest Baptist....Study demonstrates longest reported survival rate for locally advanced lung cancer patients
...a rate that has improved only slightly in the last few years. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women: More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Interim results of a follow-up Phase III trial were also reported at the meeting. R...Heart scan surprises: CT reveals many non-heart problems, too
...scanners that can image the entire chest in just a few seconds, allowing even the fast-moving heart muscle and arteries to be seen clearly. The simultaneous rapid increases in the precision and utilization of CTCA, says Patel's co-author Ella Kazerooni, M.D., makes it important to study the rate at which...American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for May 2005 (second issue)
...ar levels, and stomach bleeding, to mention only a few specific problems. In the study, every eight weeks, researchers checked 40 children with stable asthma who were eligible for inhaled steroid reduction. If clinically indicated, their steroid dose was halved. At each subsequent visit, in an effort to...New class of drugs may treat lung tumors resistant to Iressa and Tarceva
...nsitive to these irreversible inhibitors, but very few NSCLC cells treated with these new drugs ever become resistant to the new drugs. One of the irreversible EGFR inhibitors used in this study HKI-272, manufactured by Wyeth is already in a phase 1 clinical trial. And MGH Cancer Center researchers a...Changing medication packages could help patients follow prescriptions, study suggests
...ho received their medications in a bottle. While a few patients complained that the blister packaging was too difficult to open, no other adverse events were noted. "If people can tell whether or not they have taken their medication on a particular day, it improves the chance that they will take the medi...Biologic therapies for bowel disease show promise in clinical trials
...encouraging news for a patient population that has few treatment options."...