ZAMP Bionews

Ovarian Cancer Cells Destroyed By New Platinum-Phosphate Compounds

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:48:15 +0000

A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The compounds could be less harmful than current cancer treatments on the market such

Jumonjd3: A Molecular Key For Unlocking Neuronal Stem Cell Fate

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:51:13 +0000

A protein called Jumonjd3 has been identified by scientists at the IFOM-IEO Campus, Milan, Italy, as the molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells. The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by Giuseppe Testa, Director of the Stem Cell Epigenetics Programme at

More Than 100 Scientific Abstracts Presented By GU/GUMC Researchers At Neuroscience 2008

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:50:35 +0000

Research highlights include how we see faces in our dreams, understanding how young and old adults learn, helping stroke survivors speak using fMRI, an explanation about autism and facial recognition and ways to possibly forestall Parkinson’s disease. Researchers from Georgetown University and Georgetown University Medical Center’s departments of neuroscience, psychology, physiology and biophysics presented more than

Investigational Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Treatment, TMC435 - Promising Study Results

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:49:38 +0000

New clinical data demonstrate the safety and antiviral activity of TMC435, an investigational protease inhibitor (PI) being developed by Tibotec BVBA for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Tibotec presented findings recently from three TMC435 studies, including a late-breaker poster on the proof-of-principle phase IIa trial, OPERA-1

Technology May Provide Means Of Testing Anti-Aging Drugs

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:48:49 +0000

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have identified for the first time biomarkers of aging which are highly predictive of both chronological and physiological age. Biomarkers are biochemical features that can be used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment. The research involves nematode worms, microarrays which measure changes

Tibotec Begins European Enrollment For Phase 3 Trial Of Telaprevir In HCV Patients Who Failed Prior Treatment

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:48:05 +0000

Tibotec BVBA today announced that it has begun enrolling patients in its phase III study of telaprevir (VX-950), an investigational protease inhibitor (PI), in patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) for whom the current standard treatment has not been successful. Tibotec is managing the global trial, which is

NHS Sight Tests Top 11 Million After 14 Per Cent Rise Since 2002-03, Report Shows, England

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:47:17 +0000

Just over 11 million NHS sight tests took place in England in 2007-08, nearly 1.4 million more than in 2002-03, new figures from The NHS Information Centre show. The report, General Ophthalmic Services, Activity Statistics for England and Wales, Year Ending 31 March 2008, also shows there were nearly 330,000 of these sight tests at a

2nd Annual Stem Cell Symposium At UNSW, Australia

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:46:34 +0000

Friday 28 November, 2008 Edumund Blacket Building, Prince of Wales Hospital Cost: Free for UNSW staff and students; others $80 / $30-students This full day symposium shows the breadth of stem cell research being carried out across various stem cell disciplines at the University of New South Wales and affiliated institutions such as the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia,

Physicians Should Closely Monitor Elderly Patients With Kidney Damage And Look For Signs Of Organ Failure

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:45:59 +0000

Acute kidney injury (AKI) - which is often caused by trauma, illness, or surgery - predisposes elderly individuals to the most serious form of chronic kidney disease (CKD), known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The

During Global Crisis Brits Rate Pets’ Health Above Their Own

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:45:21 +0000

New research commissioned by dental payment plan provider, Denplan, has revealed that we prioritise the health of our pets above our own healthcare. The survey shows that while only 11 per cent of UK pet owners would stop paying for their pet insurance if the credit crunch affected their wallet,

Peripheral Fat Breakdown Undermined By Bad Cholesterol

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:44:33 +0000

The so called bad cholesterol (LDL) inhibits the breakdown of fat in cells of peripheral deposits, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The discovery reveals a novel function of LDL as a regulator of fat turnover besides its well-established detrimental effects in promoting atherosclerosis. The study, which is a collaboration of

Potential To Improve Heart And Stroke Treatments Following Enzyme Discovery

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:43:47 +0000

A Queen’s University study sheds new light on the way one of our cell enzymes, implicated in causing tissue damage after heart attacks and strokes, is normally kept under control. Led by Biochemistry professor Peter Davies, the research team’s discovery will be useful in developing new drug treatments that can aid recovery in stroke and heart

Increase Focus On Disability, Or Targets For Millennium Development Goals Will Not Be Met, Says Global Health Expert

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:43:03 +0000

"Disability has to be addressed if the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved," says Beth Fuller, Disability Program Coordinator of the University of Melbourne’s Nossal Institute for Global Health. Ms Fuller will present the issue alongside other Australian and global health experts at the 4th annual Nossal Institute Global Health Forum held today at the

A Healthy Diet On A Slim Food Budget - Tips From Rush University Medical Center

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:41:44 +0000

In lean economic times, we may need to tighten our food budgets, but it is important to do so wisely. Processed foods are definitely cheap. A dollar buys 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips, but only 250 calories of carrots; or 875 calories of soda, but only 170 calories of orange juice. Filling up

How Brain Interprets Natural Scenes: Carnegie Mellon Theory Of Visual Computation

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:41:02 +0000

Computational neuroscientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a computational model that provides insight into the function of the brain’s visual cortex and the information processing that enables people to perceive contours and surfaces, and understand what they see in the world around them. A type of visual neuron known as simple cells can detect lines,

Discovery Of Extensive Use Of Illicit Alcohol

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:40:14 +0000

The consumption of illicit or noncommercial alcohol is widespread in many countries worldwide and contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, according to a new report released by the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). The report focuses on the use of noncommercial alcohol, defined as traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited

Diabetes I And II In Mouse Model Treated By Garlic Chemical Tablet

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:39:05 +0000

A drug based on a chemical found in garlic can treat diabetes types I and II when taken as a tablet, a study in the new Royal Society of Chemistry journal Metallomics says. When Hiromu Sakurai and colleagues from the Suzuka University of Medical Science, Japan, gave the drug orally to type I diabetic mice, they

Stem Cell Collection For Parkinson’s Disease Therapy: Jefferson Researchers Define Ideal Time

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:38:22 +0000

Researchers have identified a stage during dopamine neuron differentiation that may be an ideal time to collect human embryonic stem cells for transplantation to treat Parkinson’s disease, according to data presented at Neuroscience 2008, the 38th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., professor and interim director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences

Genfit: New Phase I Clinical Trials With High-Dose Confirm The Excellent Tolerance Of GFT505 In Healthy Volunteers

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:37:37 +0000

GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111), a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of research and development of drugs, focusing on early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the first data of a new Phase I clinical trials of GFT505, a drug candidate for the treatment of atherogenic dyslipidemia associated with pre-diabetes

New Medicare Advantage Marketing Rules Will Help People Make More Informed Healthcare Choices, Allsup Says

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:36:52 +0000

Medicare beneficiaries trying to sort through their healthcare options for 2009 should welcome new rules designed to protect them against overly aggressive marketing tactics by some insurance companies and their agents, according to Allsup, a leading provider of Social Security disability, financial and healthcare-related services to people with disabilities. "People need information to make an informed

AMSA Receives Grant From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation To Empower New Generation Of Primary Care Leaders

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:36:14 +0000

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation’s oldest and largest, independent association for physicians-in-training, today announced that it has received approximately $50,000 in support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to empower the next generation of primary care leaders over the next five years with the goal of strengthening primary care in the

Trailblazing Scheme Celebrates Quarter Century Of Funding The Best Science

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:35:35 +0000

A groundbreaking funding scheme which has supported more than 900 leading scientists in the UK is today celebrating a quarter of a century since its launch. Past and present holders of the Royal Society University Research Fellowships will gather at an event in London tonight to mark the 25th anniversary of the Society’s flagship grant

Medtronic Launches New Medical Device In U.S. To Improve Treatment Of Aortic Aneurysms

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:34:46 +0000

Adding to its recent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) innovations, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the U.S. launch of the Talent Abdominal Stent Graft on the Xcelerant Hydro Delivery System. EVAR is a treatment for aortic aneurysm, a dangerous bulge or weakening in the body’s main artery that can rupture with fatal consequences if

Who Owns Your Genes? Expert Debate At National Scientific Meeting

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:34:04 +0000

Genetic science’s potential to save lives may be compromised by anachronistic patent laws, according to a leading genetic cancer specialist and a patents lawyer who will make their case at a groundbreaking debate in Sydney today (20/11). Doctors, lawyers, industry representatives and healthcare consumers will debate the topical question of ‘Who owns your genes?’ at a

Older People Should Have The Flu Jab This Winter, Warn Experts - British Medical Journal

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:33:20 +0000

Despite recent doubts about its effectiveness, the influenza vaccine does give valuable protection against illness, hospital admission and death caused by influenza, and people over 65 should have the flu jab this winter, say experts on bmj.com today. Several prominent media articles have suggested that the flu vaccination programme for the over 65s is not worthwhile.

The Government’s Obesity Strategy, More Of The Same Rhetoric - British Medical Journal

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:32:30 +0000

Nigel Hawkes chronicles a decade of the UK Government’s attempts to tackle obesity, including its latest bid to turn the tide on obesity "which is so smothered in jargon" that it is hard to understand. He says: "The danger of wrapping an issue such as obesity up in the language of sociology and systems analysis is

Implementing A Ban On Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity Trends

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:31:45 +0000

A ban on fast food advertisements in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent, according to a new study being published this month in the Journal of Law and Economics . The study also reports that eliminating the tax deductibility associated with television advertising would result

Biomedical Research Profits From The Exploration Of The Deep Sea

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:30:50 +0000

A study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE highlights how the exploration of the ocean depths can benefit humankind. This is the story of a voyage of discovery, starting with marine animals that glow, the identification of the molecules responsible and their application as marker in living cells. Many marine organisms

Pocket-Sized Echocardiograph Provides Quick And Qualitative Assessment

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:30:06 +0000

The European Journal of Echocardiography* recently published a paper studying the performance of Siemens’ ACUSON P10™ ultrasound system at the Morriston Cardiac Centre in Swansea. Results revealed that the P10 was, within a four minute examination, able to assess the size and function of the left ventricle in more than three quarters of cardiac patients. Images

Adults Need Vaccines Too

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:29:23 +0000

Many adults are unaware of the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases, the need for booster doses to maintain maximum protection, and the availability of newer vaccines. The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have released a joint statement on the importance of adult vaccination against an increasing number of

Benefits Of Early HIV Testing And Treatment For Infected Infants

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:28:33 +0000

Testing very young babies for HIV and giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately to those found infected with the virus dramatically prevents illness and death, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine . The study found that giving ART to HIV-infected infants beginning at an average age of 7 weeks made them