Throat :: Deakin University research finds diesel exhaust kills throat cells
Researchers at Deakin University have found that diesel exhaust is far more damaging to our health than exhaust from biodiesel, the plant-based fuel.
University
Kidney :: Lowering homocysteine levels does not improve outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease
Patients with end-stage kidney disease treated with high doses of folic acid and B vitamins to lower homocysteine levels did not have improvement in survival or reductions in the incidence of vascular events, according to a study in the Sept. 12 issue of JAMA.
Heart Failure :: Drug used for treatment for heart failure in adults may not be beneficial for children and teens
Preliminary findings indicate a heart failure medication used by adults, carvedilol, may not significantly improve heart failure outcomes for children and adolescents, according to an article in the Sept. 12 issue of JAMA.
Stem Cell :: Embryonic stem cell strategy advanced with UCSF finding
UCSF scientists are reporting what they say is a significant improvement in the technique for genetically reprogramming mouse cells to their embryonic state, a process that transforms the cells, in essence, into embryonic stem cells.
Diabetes :: Long-term use of diabetes drug increases heart attack risk by more than 40 percent
An analysis of four studies involving more than 14,000 patients found that long-term use of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) increased the risk of heart attack by 42 percent and doubled the risk of heart failure, according to a new report from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues. There was no effect on death from cardiovascular causes.
Heart :: SCAI and ACC announce new interventional cardiology meeting
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and the American College of Cardiology announced today that they will hold a unified interventional cardiology meeting in Chicago, March 29-April 1, 2008. The meeting will be known as “The SCAI Annual Scientific Sessions in Partnership with ACC i2 Summit.” It will be held concomitantly with the ACC Annual Scientific Session.
Eye :: Shape encoding may start in the retina
New evidence from the University of Southern California suggests that there may be dedicated cells in the retina that help compile small bits of information in order to recognize objects. The research was conducted by Ernest Greene, professor of psychology in the area of brain and cognitive sciences at USC. The study is published in the Public Library of Science journal, PLoS ONE.
Drug :: Welch Foundation gives $1.6 million for drug discovery research
Thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the Welch Foundation, a coalition of six Gulf Coast institutions is launching a new initiative to develop innovative computational and chemical techniques intended to speed the development of new drugs and molecular tools for biomedical science.
Health :: United States continues to have highest level of health spending
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Princeton University report that the United States continues to spend the most on health care when compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.
Prostate Cancer :: Finasteride unlikely to induce high grade prostate cancers
An increase in high-grade prostate cancer among men taking the drug finasteride is likely caused by an increased detection of cancers, and not by the development of more high-grade cancers, according to two studies published online September 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.