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The Lead
Ohio Boy Saved with 3-D 'Printed' Airway
May 22, 2013 | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | Comments
In a medical first, doctors used plastic particles and a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. It's the latest advance from the booming field of regenerative medicine, making body parts in the lab.
Protein Fusion May Yield Universal Influenza Vaccination
May 23, 2013 11:47 am | Comments
A new approach for immunizing against influenza elicited a more potent immune response and...
Enzyme Discovery Holds Possible Adavances for Stuttering
May 23, 2013 11:10 am | Comments
Scientists have determined the 3-D structure of the chemically active part of an enzyme involved...
Largest Sequencing Study of Autoimmune Diseases Completed
May 23, 2013 10:56 am | Comments
Researchers have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the...
Lymphoid Cells Control T-cell Response to Bacteria
May 23, 2013 11:47 am | CommentsThe human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria– “good” microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye.
Depression Linked to Telomerase
May 23, 2013 10:41 am | CommentsThe first symptoms of major depression may be behavioral, but the common mental illness is based in biology— and not limited to the brain. In recent years, some studies have linked major, long-term depression with life-threatening chronic disease and with earlier death, even after lifestyle risk factors have been taken into account.
FDA panel backs experimental Merck insomnia drug
May 22, 2013 5:46 pm | by MATTHEW PERRONE - AP Health Writer - Associated Press | CommentsA federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving. A majority of Food and Drug Administration panelists voted...
Glaxo, US partnering to develop new antibiotics
May 22, 2013 2:26 pm | by HZL-LAJ - By The Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsGlaxoSmithKline PLC says it's starting an unusual collaboration with the U.S. government to develop several antibiotics for both bioterrorism threats and bacterial infections resistant to current medicines. Antibiotic resistance will become a global crisis, experts predict, because most drug...
Addiction-blocking Drug Under Development
May 22, 2013 12:50 pm | CommentsResearchers have unraveled the molecular foundations of cocaine’s effects on the brain, and identified a compound that blocks cravings for the drug in cocaine-addicted mice. The compound, already proven safe for humans, is undergoing further animal testing in preparation for possible clinical trials in cocaine addicts.
Radioactive Nanoparticles Target Cancer Cells
May 22, 2013 11:15 am | CommentsCancers of all types become most deadly when they metastasize and spread tumors throughout the body. Once cancer has reached this stage, it becomes very difficult for doctors to locate and treat the numerous tumors that can develop. Now, researchers have found a way to create radioactive nanoparticles that target lymphoma tumor cells wherever they may be in the body.
Researchers Closer to Alzheimer's Prevention, Treatment
May 22, 2013 11:10 am | CommentsImagine a pharmaceutical prevention, treatment or even cure for Alzheimer’s disease. It is almost impossible to overstate how monumental a development that would be and how it would answer the prayers of millions. Though science isn’t there yet, a new study offers a tantalizing glimpse of potential solutions.
Pfizer plans offering to pare Zoetis stake
May 22, 2013 10:52 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsDrugmaker Pfizer Inc. plans to start selling its remaining stake in the animal health business Zoetis Inc. through a voluntary exchange offer with Pfizer shareholders. Pfizer said Wednesday its shareholders will be able to trade their Pfizer holdings for Zoetis shares at a discount, depending on...
More doctors, hospitals using electronic records
May 22, 2013 10:45 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Obama administration says more doctors and hospitals are embracing technology as adoption of computerized medical records reaches a "tipping point" in America. A report Wednesday from Health and Human Services says more than 50 percent of doctors' offices and 4 in 5 hospitals have...
One-step Genetic Engineering Technology Developed
May 22, 2013 10:06 am | CommentsA new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. The method paves the way for more rapid development of designer microbes for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities.
Life-saving face transplant performed in Poland
May 22, 2013 12:37 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsDoctors in Poland say they have performed an urgent total face transplant on a 33-year-old man whose face was torn off in an accident which also crushed his jaws. Doctors at the Oncology Center in Gliwice said the 27-hour operation was performed May 15, just weeks after the accident.
Biogen submits new MS drug for FDA approval
May 21, 2013 3:13 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsSpecialty drugmaker Biogen Idec said Tuesday it submitted a new injectable multiple sclerosis drug to the Food and Drug Administration for U.S. market approval. The drug, called Plegridy, is intended to treat patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, a disease of the immune system in...
RNA 'Transcriptome' Sequenced in Immune Cells
May 21, 2013 2:22 pm | by Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard | CommentsWhen studying any kind of population — people or cells — averaging is a useful, if flawed, form of measurement. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American household size in 2010 was 2.59. Of course, there are no homes with exactly 2.59 people.
France: Drugmaker on trial, suspected in deaths
May 21, 2013 1:35 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people went on trial Tuesday, facing charges they misled the public about the product's safety. But after years of delays in one of France's biggest recent health scandals, the proceedings could still be pushed...
Vitamin C Kills Drug-resistant TB
May 21, 2013 12:00 pm | by Einstein | CommentsResearchers have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture. The finding suggests that vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design.
