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Source - EurekAlert - Biology:
Public Release: 30-Dec-2009
Short-term school closures may worsen flu pandemics, Pitt study finds <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/uops-ssc123009.php>
Closing schools for less than two weeks during a flu pandemic may increase infection rates and prolong an epidemic, say University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published online in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The findings, developed from a series of computer simulations based on U.S. census data, indicate that schools may need to be closed for at least eight weeks in order to significantly decrease the spread of infection.
Contact: Clare Collins
CollCX@upmc.edu <mailto:CollCX@upmc.edu>
412-352-2886
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences <http://www.upmc.com/communications/newsbureau>
Public Release: 30-Dec-2009
Assessing lead time of selected ovarian cancer biomarkers <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/jotn-alt122309.php>
Concentrations of the biomarkers CA125, human epididymis protein 4, and mesothelin began to rise three years before clinical diagnosis of ovarian cancer, according to a new study published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the biomarkers became substantially elevated only in the last year prior to diagnosis. The stage of the cancer at the time of marker elevation is not known.
Contact: Steve Graff
jncimedia@oxfordjournals.org <mailto:jncimedia@oxfordjournals.org>
301-841-1285
Journal of the National Cancer Institute <http://jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org/>
Public Release: 29-Dec-2009
Scripps research team develops technique to determine ethnic origin of stem cell lines <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/sri-srt122909.php>
An international team of scientists led by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute has developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells. The team's analysis of a variety of human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use in research laboratories around the world found that these cells originated largely from Caucasian and East Asian populations, with little representation from populations originating in Africa.
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu <mailto:kmckeown@scripps.edu>
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute <http://www.scripps.edu/>
Public Release: 29-Dec-2009
Rapid flu testing <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/ajop-rft122909.php>
Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Children's Research Institute, and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin have developed a rapid, automated system to differentiate strains of influenza. The related report by Beck et al., "Development of a rapid automated influenza A, influenza B, and RSV A/B multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay and its use during the 2009 H1N1 swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) epidemic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin," appears in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Contact: Angela Colmone, Ph.D.
acolmone@asip.org <mailto:acolmone@asip.org>
301-634-7953
American Journal of Pathology <http://ajp.amjpathol.org/>
Public Release: 29-Dec-2009
New research could advance research field critical to personalized medicine <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/gumc-nrc122709.php>
It's the ultimate goal in the treatment of cancer: tailoring a person's therapy based on his or her genetic makeup. While a lofty goal, scientists are steadily moving forward, rapidly exploiting new technologies. Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center report a significant advance in this field of research using a new chip that looks for hundreds of mutations in dozen of genes.
Contact: Karen Mallet
km463@georgetown.edu <mailto:km463@georgetown.edu>
215-514-9751
Georgetown University Medical Center <http://gumc.georgetown.edu/>
Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.
Small Molecules Found to Protect Cells in Multiple Models of Parkinson's Disease <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152344.htm>
December 31, 2009 — Several structurally similar small molecules appear capable of protecting cells from alpha-synuclein toxicity, a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152344.htm <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152344.htm>
New RNA Interference Technique Can Silence Up to Five Genes <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152346.htm>
December 31, 2009 — Researchers report that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152346.htm <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228152346.htm>
Gene Increases Effectiveness of Drugs Used to Fight Cancer and Allows Reduction in Dosage <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124103611.htm>
December 31, 2009 — The gene in question is a suicide gene, called "gene E," which leads to the death of tumor cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and prevents their growth. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124103611.htm <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124103611.htm>
Cardiovascular Devices Often Approved by FDA Without High-Quality Studies, Study Suggests <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091229164936.htm>
December 30, 2009 — Pre-market approval by the FDA of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies that lack adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, according to a new study. Researchers found that of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091229164936.htm <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091229164936.htm>
'Fountain of Youth' for Stem Cells? <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228120153.htm>
December 29, 2009 — Stems cells used for transplantation in the nervous system to provide neural regeneration are fragile, but can be kept "forever young" during implantation through the use of self-assembling nanofiber ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228120153.htm <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228120153.htm>
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Dec. 31, 2009 <http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=634544>
- Ammoniated Beef Treatment Questioned
- FDA to Tighten Standards on Human Trials
- U.S. Cocaine Laced With Deadly Horse Drug
- N.H. Woman Swallowed Anthrax, Perhaps From Drum
Health Care Reform, Swine Flu Top Health News for 2009 <http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=634512>
Furor over cancer screening changes and lifting of embryonic stem cell ban also grabbed
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Biotech stocks buck market's rally, slide in 2009 <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/industry/news/mostpop/*http:/biz.yahoo.com/ap/091231/us_biotechnology_2009_performance.html?.v=1> - AP - 50 minutes ago
Biotech stocks took a turn for the worse in 2009 as the major players dealt with regulatory, manufacturing and political issues as well as a deep recession, but their fortunes could turn in 2010 if they get added patent protection.
Source - Google Health News:
Furry friends can boost health <http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.holyokeenterprise.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D1546:furry-friends-can-boost-health%26catid%3D34:local-news%26Itemid%3D34&ct=ga&cd=6SL82h-mCCk&usg=AFQjCNG5IoeuF3qQQ>
Holyoke Enterprise
Thanks to this research, gene therapy now has been developed to treat young people with the disease. This kind of connection between canine and human ...
The top South stories for 2009 <http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09365/1024864-55.stm&ct=ga&cd=6SL82h-mCCk&usg=AFQjCNGOI7jrOtCosLkmU9SVtGFEEsd_wg>
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
There is no known cure, and insurance has denied a gene therapy trial for one of the boys at Cornell University. WHAT HAPPENED: We checked back on the ...
Flu Inc.: How vaccines became big business <http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1414474.html&ct=ga&cd=_CUOJcxT9os&usg=AFQjCNHl_pJQHryrMlOlKtd5XhxYfcUU2g>
CTV.ca
And perhaps most surprisingly, the Swiss were buying again, despite having spent millions on H5N1 vaccine it never used. This, Mr. Witty explained, ...
Source - Medical News Today:
Virtual Humans And The Future Of Personalized Healthcare <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174927.php>
Imagine this future of personalized healthcare: you have been diagnosed with a disease for which there are five different treatments, your doctor feeds your genetic details into a computer, and the virtual human in the machine suggests which of the five is likely to be most effective and have fewer side effects for you personally. Or what about this: you are standing in front of 12 choices of painkiller in your local drugstore, you pull out your smartphone or other personal internet device, log onto a personalized healthcare site that is already loaded with your personal genetic information, feed in your symptoms and the choices in front of you, and the virtual human tells you which product is most likely to get rid of your headache <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/73936.php> without side effects.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174927.php <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174927.php>
More Brain Donors Needed For Parkinson's Research, UK <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174893.php>
More brain donors are needed to help research into Parkinson's disease says a leading UK charity, and younger donors especially. Last week the Parkinson's Disease Society revealed that a campaign earlier this year has helped to more than double the number of donors on the Parkinson's Brain Donor Register, but more brains are still needed.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174893.php <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174893.php>
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