Medical | Page 376 of 472 | SpiritIndia.com

Parkinson’s Disease :: Boehringer Ingelheim’s pramipexole, mirapexin/sifrol to improve depressive and motivational symptoms

New data presented today from a meta-analysis* of nearly 1,300 Parkinson?s disease (PD) patients, indicate that pramipexole (Mirapexin?/Sifrol?) has a beneficial effect on depressive and motivational symptoms in PD.1 This confirms findings from previously published clinical trials,2,3,4 and is in addition to its established efficacy in controlling motor symptoms. These findings are of particular interest as mood symptoms in PD can affect up to 50 percent of the patient population.1,5 The data were presented at the 10th International Congress of Parkinson?s Disease and Movement Disorders (MDS) in Kyoto, Japan.

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.

Health :: UC San Diego Supercomputers Help Speed High-Tech Drug Design

The high-stakes task of designing new drugs relies on high-tech tools, especially computerized, three-dimensional simulations of proteins. Researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), contributing their massive computational capabilities to a collaboration with colleagues at the University of Washington (UW) and IBM, have helped to achieve the largest-ever protein-structure prediction – and completed the complex simulation in less than three hours.

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.

Hepatitis :: Glaxo eltrombopag improved platelet count in hepatitis C patients with thrombocytopenia

GlaxoSmithKline plc [NYSE:GSK, LSE:GSK] announced results from a global Phase II study of eltrombopag, an investigational non-peptide oral platelet growth factor. In this study of 74 hepatitis C patients with thrombocytopenia, (a condition where the blood has low platelet levels) more than 95% (p< 0.001) of patients treated with the highest dose of eltrombopag (75mg) had increased platelet counts. In addition, 71% - 91% of patients in all treatment groups were able to initiate antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon-α (IFN) and ribavirin, and 65% were able to be maintained on therapy.1 Full results from this Phase II study are being presented today at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cholesterol :: Pfizer’s torcetrapib/atorvastatin clinical trials – raising good cholesterol HDL

Pfizer Inc provided an update on the preliminary results of its torcetrapib/atorvastatin clinical trials in connection with the release of an American Heart Association abstract of a Phase 3 study in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) that shows the drug significantly raising ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol (56 percent) and additionally lowering ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol (27 percent) versus patients taking atorvastatin alone.

Baby Care :: Defective serotonin pathways in the brainstem may increase infants’ vulnerability – SIDS

New autopsy data provide the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a “mystery” disease but has a concrete biological basis. In the November 1 issue of JAMA, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston document abnormalities in the brainstem — a part of the brain that regulates breathing, blood pressure, body heat, and arousal — in babies who died from SIDS. The term cot death is often used in the United Kingdom, and crib death in North America.

Health :: Payment for Telephone Care – medical advice and care provided by telephone

Pediatricians may seek payment in some instances for medical advice and care provided by telephone, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement.

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.

Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer gene offers promising target for drugs

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have for the first time described how multiple copies of a gene are responsible for metastases in early-stage breast cancer and poor prognosis for patients. In a study published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gene, called uPAR, offers a promising target for therapeutic drugs to stop or slow the progression of the disease and could serve as a screening tool for assessing which types of drugs a patient will respond to.