UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) researchers are investigating whether a common but usually harmless virus can be used to treat a particularly devastating type of brain tumor called malignant glioma. The virus — respiratory enteric orphan virus, or reovirus — inhabits the lungs and intestines of humans. By adulthood, most humans have been exposed to it but demonstrate no illness or effects from the infection.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that the results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS004 (CCR5 mAb) demonstrate that it was well tolerated and exhibited antiviral activity in patients who are infected with HIV-1, the retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The results were reported in San Francisco in an oral presentation at the American Society for Microbiology’s 46th Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
Benzimate is the lead compound selected from a series of compounds known as benzimidazoles. The anti-cancer and anti-viral activity of the benzimidazoles was originally investigated by the Proctor & Gamble Company (P & G) beginning in the 1990’s.
If you someday become diagnosed with skin cancer and survive, one of the most worrisome issues you will face will be preventing a recurrence of the cancer. After successful treatment, your doctor will continue to schedule regular follow-up appointments to ensure that you remain skin cancer-free. Even regular medical attention is no substitute for exercising good skin care habits.
Children who are overweight as toddlers or preschoolers are more likely to be overweight or obese in early adolescence, report researchers in a collaborative study by the NIH and several academic institutions. The researchers periodically collected height and weight measurements of a sample of children, beginning at age 2 and continuing until age 12. Their analysis, appearing in the September Pediatrics, provides some of the strongest evidence to date that overweight in early childhood increase the chances for overweight in later life.
New research supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, shows that prevention programs conducted in middle school can reduce methamphetamine abuse among rural adolescents years later. Because methamphetamine addiction leads to problems with social interactions and a wide range of medical conditions, research into early interventions such as this is critical to protecting the nation?s youth. The paper is published in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
An ointment containing the antibiotic mupirocin does not speed healing or prevent infection when applied to clean surgical wounds before the wound is sealed, research suggests. In fact, the ointment may increase the risk of skin edge necrosis (death), an Australian research team found.
There is no association between the use of carbonated beverages and risk of subsequent development of cancer of the esophagus as assessed 20 years after the exposure, according to a large population-based study.
Holding an ice pack on a sprained ankle for no more than 10 minutes at a time is more effective for easing pain than icing for a longer stretch of time, researchers report.
For hikers, campers and others who enjoy the outdoors, summer can bring concerns about tick bites and related illnesses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Researchers are investigating the role that antioxidants — alpha-lipoic acid and potentially others like green tea and vitamins C and E, for example – might play in preventing or treating the deadly rickettsia bacteria.