Laboratory | Page 104 of 116

HIV :: New way to fight HIV / AIDS

For years researchers have been trying to understand how a few HIV-infected patients naturally defeat a virus that otherwise overwhelms the immune system. Last year, a research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center confirmed that such patients, called long-term non-progressors, maintain higher than normal levels of the enzyme called APOBEC-3G (A3G) in their white blood cells, which function to stave off infections. Now, the same group has teamed up with a structural biologist to provide the first look at the A3G structure. Such information represents an early step toward the design of a new class of drugs that could afford to all the same natural protection enjoyed by few, according to a study published today in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Stroke :: Two-Week Regimen Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Arm Control

In the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind to date, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed clinical improvements out to one year when stroke survivors who had lost function in one arm were given a unique, two-week rehabilitation regimen.

Arthritis :: Botox can treat Knee Pain

Mayo Clinic seeks adults who are age 40 or older and have knee pain that has not responded to medicines, exercise or physical therapy for a research study. The purpose of this research study is to find out what effects (good and bad) the botulinum toxin (Botox) has on patients with knee arthritis. Eligible participants will have been diagnosed with knee arthritis that can be confirmed by x-ray.

Cancer :: Harnessing the Measles Virus to Attack Cancer

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has opened a new clinical study using a vaccine strain of the measles virus to attack recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a largely untreatable brain tumor. This is the second of several pending molecular medicine studies in patients using measles to kill cancer.

Breast Cancer :: Oral Contraceptives linked to Breast Cancer

A meta-analysis published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings indicts oral contraceptives as putting premenopausal women at significantly increased risk for breast cancer, especially women who use them prior to having a child.

Hepatitis :: Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Baraclude, entecavir suppressed viral load to undetectable levels

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced data from a three-year cohort (ETV-022/901, n=119), which showed BARACLUDE? (entecavir) suppressed viral load to undetectable levels in 90 percent of nucleoside-na?ve chronic hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) positive patients at week 144 who continued on-treatment from week 96. In this cohort, undetectable HBV DNA levels were defined as less than 300 copies per mL of blood as measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Suppression of viral load to undetectable levels is one of several measures of antiviral treatment response; a sustained, undetectable viral load is an important goal of chronic hepatitis B treatment. The results of this three-year cohort were presented today at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

Macular Degeneration :: Photoswitches could restore sight to blind retinas

A research center newly created by the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) aims to put light-sensitive switches in the body’s cells that can be flipped on and off as easily as a remote control operates a TV. Optical switches like these could trigger a chemical reaction, initiate a muscle contraction, activate a drug or stimulate a nerve cell – all at the flash of a light.

Lymphoma :: Berlex Oncology Evaluating Combination Therapy for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Berlex Oncology, a business unit of Berlex Laboratories, a U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, Germany (FSE: SCH; NYSE: SHR), today announced that a national clinical study is underway investigating a new approach to treating follicular B-cell lymphoma, a sub-type of non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma (NHL). NHL is the fifth most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 56,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Follicular B-cell lymphoma is an indolent, or slow-growing, type of NHL that comprises approximately 30% of all diagnosed cases.

Salmonellosis :: CDC investigating salmonella outbreak in US – 171 cases, 19 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with state departments of health and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is investigating an outbreak of infections caused by a type of Salmonella called Salmonella Typhimurium.

Bronchiolitis :: Antibiotics, steroids, or bronchodilators to treat bronchiolitis not required

In a new clinical practice guideline, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines recommendations for diagnosing and managing bronchiolitis, the most common lower respiratory infection in children under age 2. The symptoms of bronchiolitis often mirror those of asthma or bacterial pneumonia, resulting in misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.