New study may explain Vioxx side-effects
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Vioxx and related pain medications were taken off the market in 2004 because they caused dangerous heart problems in some people. A group of scientists, led by Timothy Hla at the University of Connecticut, may now have figured out how these drugs trigger these life-threatening side-effects. The new study will be published online in the The Journal of Experimental Medicine on August 27.
The target of these drugs is an enzyme called COX-2, which is produced in response to infection or injury and releases pain- and fever-inducing byproducts.
New cancer fighter may help ICU patients beat infections
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HSP 90 inhibitors, which are finding favor in fighting cancer, may also help battle overwhelming infection in intensive care patients, researchers say.
Studies in an animal model of sepsis, a major cause of ICU patient death, indicate HSP 90 inhibitors help degrade proteins perpetuating inflammation, says Dr. John D. Catravas, director of the Medical College of Georgia Vascular Biology Center.
“Fat Eggs” Likely Cause of Infertility in Obese Women
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A researcher at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has discovered scientific evidence that obesity is a key factor in infertility – because of how it affects women’s eggs.
While obesity has long been thought to be a major factor in couples’ inability to conceive, this is the first time the effects of obesity on the egg have been discovered.
Being overweight may raise women’s psoriasis risk
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Women who are overweight or obese may face a higher risk of developing the psoriasis, a common skin condition, a large study suggests.
Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that, in most cases, causes patches of skin to become red, itchy and covered in silvery scales. It’s caused by an abnormal immune system reaction that accelerates the growth of new skin cells.
Potential New Therapy for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Conditions
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Researchers have provided new information about how communication among neurons may be prevented from deteriorating in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The new results, which appear in the August issue of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (http://www.mcponline.org/), may lead to new therapies for the treatment of not only AD but also motor neuron diseases and prion diseases.
Most current research efforts to find a treatment for AD and similar conditions focuses on what happens to the main part – or body – of a neuron, but recent studies have examined how neuronal communication is impaired in human diseases such as AD.
Infectious diseases spreading faster than ever
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Infectious diseases are emerging more quickly around the globe, spreading faster and becoming increasingly difficult to treat, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.
In its annual World Health Report, the United Nations agency warned there was a good possibility that another major scourge like AIDS, SARS or Ebola fever with the potential of killing millions would appear in the coming years.
Asia must step up HIV/AIDS fight, experts say
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Asian countries must work hard to keep their HIV/AIDS prevalence rates low compared to that in Africa by tackling root causes like poverty, gender inequality and marginalization, experts said on Thursday.
Human trafficking into prostitution, intravenous drug use and conflict continue to spread HIV in Asia, experts warned as the eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific wrapped up in the Sri Lankan capital.
Skin-care industry skipping out on science?
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The multi-billion-dollar global cosmetics and skin-care-product industry sometimes is beset by a me-too mindset in which research and development focuses on matching the competition rather than applying sound science to improve products, a scientist told the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
As a result, it could be missing a golden opportunity to provide consumers with more effective products, according to a Stig E. Friberg, Ph.D. a chemist who studies cosmetic ingredients.
Diabetes control a must before heart surgery
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Diabetic patients undergoing heart bypass surgery can markedly reduce their risk of serious complications by keeping their blood sugar levels in check before the operation, Argentine researchers reported here at the XXXII Argentine Congress of Cardiology.
The study focused on how well patients controlled their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar control.
High blood pressure often missed in kids
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Most cases of high blood pressure in children and teenagers are not recognized or treated, investigators report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. David C. Kaelber and associates reviewed medical records for patients 3 to 18 years of age treated in clinics affiliated with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and identified 14,187 patients who had three or more well-child care visits between 1999 and 2006.
Indonesia confirms 2nd bird flu death on Bali
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An Indonesian woman from the popular tourist resort of Bali has died of bird flu, a health ministry official said on Wednesday, the second confirmed death from the H5N1 virus on the island.
Joko Suyono of the ministry’s bird flu centre in Jakarta said the woman, who died on Tuesday in a hospital in Bali’s capital Denpasar, tested positive for H5N1 after a second test.
New intestinal bacteria linked to Crohn’s disease
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An increase in the intestinal levels of a new type of infectious Escherichia coli bacteria, along with a depletion of Clostridium bacteria, appears to be involved in the development of Crohn’s disease, according to a report in The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology.
Dr. Kenneth W. Simpson, from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and colleagues used DNA analysis to compare the intestinal microbial flora in patients with Crohn’s disease and in healthy subjects.
Too fat? Common virus may be to blame: study
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A common virus causes human adult stem cells to turn into fat cells and could explain why some people become obese, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The research builds on prior studies of adenovirus-36, a common cause of respiratory and eye infections, and it may lead to an obesity vaccine, they said.
Gamers’ world reveals secrets of the next pandemic
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A “plague” carried around the world by travelers, pets and curious teen-agers may show that experts have not taken everything into account when planning for an outbreak of disease, researchers said on Monday.
Luckily, the world involved is an Internet game.
Preventive migraine therapy raises quality of life
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The results of a study published in the medical journal Cephalalgia indicate that preventive migraine therapy with nadolol or topiramate significantly improves the quality of life of patients with migraine, although their quality of life still remains below the average level.
Nadolol, sold in the U.S. under the trade name Corgard, is a beta-blocker that is used to treat high blood pressure and angina (chest pain). The drug works by slowing the heart rate and relaxing the blood vessels. Topiramate, sold under the trade name Topamax, is used to treat seizures in patients with epilepsy.
