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Health :: Key mechanism by which lethal viruses ebola and marburg cause disease

Researchers in the Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Caribbean Primate Research Center have discovered a key mechanism by which the Filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg, cause disease. The identification of an amino acid sequence in Filoviruses that results in the rapid depression of immunological response is described in the December 2006 issue of The FASEB Journal. Using this information, researchers can begin to develop new drugs to stop these devastating diseases.

Asthma :: Asthma and soot from diesel trucks in bronx linked

Soot particles spewing from the exhaust of diesel trucks constitute a major contributor to the alarmingly high rates of asthma symptoms among school-aged children in the South Bronx, according to the results of a five-year study by researchers at New York University’s School of Medicine and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Cancer :: Berkeley cancer genome center to study tumor genomics

The newly established Berkeley Cancer Genome Center, led by members of the Life Sciences Division in the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is one of seven Cancer Genome Characterization Centers to receive awards from the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute. Earlier today the two institutes, both part of the National Institutes of Health, announced a three-year, $35 million project which will seek to identify important genetic changes involved in lung, brain, and ovarian cancers through genome analysis.

HIV :: HIV exploits competition among t-cells

A new HIV study shows how competition among the human immune system’s T cells allows the virus to escape destruction and eventually develop into full-blown AIDS. The study, which employs a computer model of simultaneous virus and immune system evolution, also suggests a new strategy for vaccinating against the virus – a strategy that the computer simulations suggest may prevent the final onset of AIDS.

Diabetes :: Novartis GALIANT study – clinical trials for diabetes drug Galvus – vildagliptin

Novartis announced the start of GALIANT, a significant clinical trial set to involve more than 7,500 people in the United States comparing the investigational oral type 2 diabetes medication Galvus? (vildagliptin) with commonly prescribed anti-diabetic oral medicines called thiazolidinediones (TZDs).

Diet :: Broccoli work to prevent cancer

After all these years, mom was right. She knew broccoli was good for you, she just didn’t know it was this good. “Everyone knows broccoli is good for you and that it contains compounds known to lessen the occurrence of some types of cancer. We want to know how these compounds work and what their specific targets may be,” says Janet V. Cross, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Health :: Prescription pain medication abuse on surprising increase, with unexpected geographic distribution

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center found prescription pain medication (PPM) abuse is a rapidly growing problem with surprising and often unpredictable distribution patterns. The research was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Anesthesiologists in Chicago, October 13, 2006.

Smallpox :: Mass vaccination unnecessary in the event of a large bioterrorist US smallpox attack

Mass vaccination would not be necessary in the event of a large-scale smallpox bioterrorist attack in the United States, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that appears online in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Cancer :: Methoxyamine – new cancer therapy reverses resistance to chemotherapy

Case Western Reserve University’s Technology Transfer Office has entered a worldwide exclusive licensing agreement with TRACON Pharmaceuticals of San Diego, Calif., to develop Methoxyamine, a new cancer therapeutic that reverses cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. Methoxyamine is a “first in class” drug that targets a specific DNA repair pathway.

Allergy :: Food allergies could be fought with friendly bacteria in alcoholic milkshake

Feeding babies alcoholic milk may help to protect against some food allergies. Kefir, a traditional fermented drink, is consumed in Eastern Europe as a health food, and is often used to wean babies, as it is easily digested. Food allergy prevalence is especially high in children under the age of three, with around 5-8% of infants at risk. Currently the only treatment is avoidance of the problematic food.