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Pancreatic Cancer :: Jefferson scientists find protein may be key in developing deadly form of pancreatic cancer

A tumor-blocking protein previously implicated in prostate and breast cancer development may also be behind the most aggressive type of pancreatic cancer. Researchers have discovered that the protein pp32 — which normally applies the brakes on a cancer-causing gene — is missing in an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Though the work is preliminary, the scientists say, the absent protein could eventually become a marker for the disease and a potential drug target.

Health :: Quick technique to identify adenoviruses can improve patient care

Grantees of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have adapted a rapid and accurate new molecular typing strategy and used it to conduct one of the most comprehensive studies of adenoviruses ever performed in the United States.

Prostate Cancer :: Prostate cancer increases hip fracture risk by eight times in 50 to 65 year-olds

Men who have prostate cancer are on average four times more likely to suffer a hip fracture, with rates rising to eight times in men aged 50 to 65, according to a study of more than 60,000 men published in the October issue of the urology journal BJU International. Danish researchers looked at 62,865 men aged 50 and over, with an average age of just under 67.

HIV :: Lack of HIV prevention for male sex workers in the Caribbean could fuel AIDS epidemic

Male sex tourists, largely from the United States and Europe, may be fueling an HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, and efforts to stop the epidemic will be severely hampered unless HIV prevention dollars are diverted to help male prostitutes, a new study suggests.

Portal Hypertension :: Ultra-low-dose aspirin might decrease bleeding severity in portal hypertension

In rats with portal hypertension, ultra¨Clow-dose aspirin has shown a normalizing effect of platelet-endothelial cell alterations and bleeding time. Further, this effect is mediated by Cyclooxygenase 2 inhibition.

Acupuncture :: B.C. to add acupuncture as a supplementary benefit

Acupuncture treatments will be included for the first time in Canada as a supplementary benefit for Medical Services Plan (MSP) premium assistance recipients by April 2008, Health Minister George Abbott announced.

Chocolate :: Vintage Chocolates recalling Soy Milk Chocolate Bars

Vintage Chocolates Inc. of Elizabeth, New Jersey is recalling 4,455 bars of soy milk chocolate, because it may contains undeclared traces of milk. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this soy milk chocolate bar.

Cholesterol :: MIT links gene to cholesterol

MIT researchers have discovered a link between a gene believed to promote long lifespan and a pathway that flushes cholesterol from the body. The finding could help researchers create drugs that lower the risk of diseases associated with high cholesterol, including atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and Alzheimer’s disease.

Pregnancy :: Maternal mortality ratio falling too slowly to meet goal

The world’s maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100 000 live births) is declining too slowly to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which aims to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015.

Health :: $100 million for innovative research in global health by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it is committing $100 million over five years to create a new fast-track grants initiative to support innovative global health research.