Novartis announced today that Prexige? (lumiracoxib), an oral selective COX-2 inhibitor anti-inflammatory drug, has been cleared for approval in the European Union as a new treatment option for patients suffering from osteoarthritis. This is the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of chronic pain[2].
Novartis announced plans to build an integrated biomedical Research & Development center in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park that will become an integral part of the Group’s global research and development network.
Rhinoceros horns have long been objects of mythological beliefs. Some cultures prize them for their supposed magical or medicinal qualities. Others have used them as dagger handles or good luck charms. But new research at Ohio University removes some of the mystique by explaining how the horn gets its distinctive curve and sharply pointed tip.
Prostate cancer patients treated with either radiation or surgery who use hormone therapy for longer than six months do not survive any longer than patients who use the treatment for a shorter amount of time, according to a study presented November 5, 2006, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 48th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
UCSD bioengineers report in the November issue of Nature Genetics rapid evolutionary changes in a bacterial genome, observed in near-real time over a few days. Scientists have previously published static “snapshots” of the genome sequences of more than 100 bacterial species, but this new report shows how these genomes are moving targets.
Six in 10 Americans rate the health care system as fair (28 percent) or poor (31 percent).
The stickiness of human neurons may have been a key factor in why the human brain evolved beyond the brains of our primate relatives. In a study comparing the genomes of humans, chimpanzees, mice and other vertebrates, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Joint Genome Institute (JGI) found a strikingly high degree of genetic differences in DNA sequences that appear to regulate genes involved in nerve cell adhesion molecules. Cell adhesion controls many aspects of brain development including growth and structure, and enables neurons to connect with other neurons and supportive proteins. Differences in the molecular connections of human neurons compared to the neurons of chimps, mice and other animals, could help explain why the human brain is capable of far more complex cognitive functions.
In a knowledge economy, people work increasingly with their heads instead of their hands. This makes mental health a crucial component of economic growth. However, the knowledge economy leads to high levels of stress and mental health problems. By damaging its “mental capital” the knowledge economy undermines the basis for its own success. These are some of the conclusions of the report “Mental Capital” by Rifka Weehuizen, researcher at UNU-MERIT in the Netherlands.
A growth factor known to be important for the survival of many types of cells stimulates rapid extension of corticospinal motor neurons — critical brain cells that connect the cerebral cortex with the spinal cord and that die in motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease).
A protein with the ironic name “Srcasm” can counteract the effects of tumor-promoting molecules in skin cells, according to new research by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Using animal models, the researchers discovered that Srcasm acts like a brake in epithelial cells, preventing uncontrolled cell growth caused by a family of proteins called Src kinases. This finding, published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, suggests a target for future gene therapy to treat skin, head, neck, colon, and breast cancers.