Biotech Week articles from December 2008

Biotech Week archives from December 2008

Does growth hormone drug slow Alzheimer's disease?(Report)
December 3, 2008... A new study shows that a drug that increases the release of growth hormone failed to slow the rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease in humans. The new research is published in the November 18, 2008, print issue of Neurology[R], the medical...

Traffic pollution worsens symptoms in asthmatic children.(Clinical report)
December 3, 2008... Traffic pollution, especially in cities, adversely affects respiratory health in children with asthma. A study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research has found that in this vulnerable group, worsening of...

UK study shows kids are active but not eating their '5-a-day'.
December 3, 2008... Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current Government recommendations, according to the SPEEDY study (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour:...

Biomarkers used to predict chronological and physiological age.(Chronology)
December 3, 2008... Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have identified for the first time biomarkers of aging which are highly predictive of both chronological and physiological age. Biomarkers are biochemical features that can be used to measure...

Mitochondria could be a target for therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease patients.
December 3, 2008... A study in the Sept. 21 on-line edition of Nature Medicine describes the function and interaction of a critical molecule involved in cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients. These new findings reveal that blocking this molecule, called...

Prehistoric pelvis offers clues to human development.
December 3, 2008... Discovery of the most intact female pelvis of Homo erectus may cause scientists to reevaluate how early humans evolved to successfully birth larger-brained babies. "This is the most complete female Homo erectus pelvis ever found from this time...

How cockroaches keep their predators 'guessing'.
December 3, 2008... When cockroaches flee their predators, they choose, seemingly at random, amongst one of a handful of preferred escape routes, according to a report published on November 13th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication (see also Research). ...

New bacteria discovered in raw milk.
December 3, 2008... Raw milk is illegal in many countries as it can be contaminated with potentially harmful microbes. Contamination can also spoil the milk, making it taste bitter and turn thick and sticky. Now scientists have discovered new species of bacteria...

Adult crime linked to childhood anxiety.
December 3, 2008... Being nervous, socially isolated, anxious or neurotic during childhood protects young men from becoming criminal offenders until they enter adulthood, but the protective effect seems to wear off after the age of 21. These are the findings of...

How often will you use that treadmill?(Report)
December 3, 2008... Why not buy that treadmill? You'll be exercising every day, right? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines why our expectations of our behavior so often don't match reality (see also University of Chicago Press Journals). ...

Necessary lattes? People short on self-control categorize more items as necessities.
December 3, 2008... Why do so many of us give up on those New Year's resolutions to lose weight or curb luxury spending? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it has to do with the way our goals intersect with our natures (see also University of...

Study findings on abscess are outlined in reports from D.A. Braude and colleagues.
December 3, 2008... "Routine emergency department care for uncomplicated peritonsillar abscess involves needle aspiration or incision and drainage," researchers in the United States report (see also Abscess). "Standard technique involves use of a tongue blade...

Findings in acid reflux disease reported from Toyama University.
December 3, 2008... " Impaired salivary secretion has been reported to cause abnormal acid clearance from the oesophagus in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, few studies have explained the differences between non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and...

Research from W.C. Orr and co-authors reveals new findings on acid reflux disease.
December 3, 2008... "it is not uncommon in a sleep laboratory to encounter individuals who have complaints of disturbed sleep, but who do not meet the criteria for a sleep disorder when evaluated by polysomnography. Because gastroesophageal reflux is known to...

Research on acne vulgaris published by J.K.L. Tan et al.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Windsor, Canada, "Previous smaller studies suggest that age, gender, and duration of acne may individually be associated with clinical acne severity and quality of life (QoL) impact. Our purpose was to...

New acromegaly research reported from Tohoku University.
December 3, 2008... In this recent study, researchers in Sendai, Japan conducted a study "To investigate morphological changes in the dental arches of acromegaly-like rats recently developed by means of exogenous IGF-1 administration. Human recombinant lGF-I (640...

New acute pancreatitis study findings have been reported by G. Garcea and co-researchers.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Leicester, the United Kingdom, "Early Warning Scores (EWS) is a widely used scoring system monitoring patient progress, which we have previously shown to predict outcome from acute pancreatitis. This study examined EWS...

Reports by X.P. Zhang and co-researchers describe recent advances in acute pancreatitis.
December 3, 2008... In this recently published article, scientists in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China conducted a study "To study the protecting effects of dexamethasone on ileum mucosa injury of rats with severe acute pancreatilis (SAP). The SAP rats were...

Research results from S.T. Ward and colleagues update understanding of acute pancreatitis.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from the United Kingdom, "Most patients admitted with acute pancreatitis undergo arterial blood gas sampling (ABG) to calculate the modified Glasgow score (MGS) and serum amylase and liver function tests (LFTs) are...

New addiction medicine study findings recently were reported by researchers at Kyoto University.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Kyoto, Japan, "Several lines of evidence suggest the involvement of the raphe-serotonergic neurons in addiction to psychostimulants and some recreational drugs. In this study, we established rat organotypic...

New findings from University of Manchester in the area of adverse drug reactions described.(Survey)
December 3, 2008... In this recent report, researchers in Manchester, the United Kingdom conducted a study "To develop a validated measure of professionals' attitudes towards clinical adverse event reporting (CAER). Cross-sectional survey with follow-up." ...

New findings from University of Washington in the area of african trypanosomiasis described.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, "Development of a safe, effective, and inexpensive therapy for African trypanosomiasis is an urgent priority. In this study, we evaluated the validity...

Investigators at National Hospital Organization have published new data on aging.
December 3, 2008... "Recently, it has been demonstrated that aortic stiffness is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The objective of the present study was to accurately evaluate the aortic stiffness relative to the changes in aging using...

New aging data have been reported by scientists at Brigham Young University.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Research on Aging, "An analysis of declines in health and the onset of disability and their links to marital quality using longitudinal data revealed that decreases in health were associated...

New data from University of California illuminate research in aging.(Report)
December 3, 2008... "In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) was used to examine the relationship between two leading hypotheses of cognitive aging, the inhibitory deficit and the processing speed hypothesis. We show that older adults exhibit a selective...

Recent studies by J. White and co-authors add new data to aging findings.
December 3, 2008... "Sperm aging is known to be detrimental to reproductive performance. However, this apparently general phenomenon has seldom been studied in an evolutionary context," scientists in Vienna, Austria report (see also Aging). "The negative...

Reports summarize aging study results from L.I. Fedoreyeva and co-researchers.
December 3, 2008... "Endonuclease WEN2 with an apparent molecular mass 21.5 kD was isolated from subcellular vesicular fraction obtained from aging apoptotic coleoptiles of 8-day-old etiolated wheat seedlings and partially characterized. Similar to wheat...

Research from Seoul National University, Medical Department in the area of aging published.
December 3, 2008... "Hippocampal interneurons are local circuit neurons which are responsible for inhibitory activity in the hippocampus. Parvalbumin (PV) is one of useful markers for GABAergic interneurons, not for principle cells, in the hippocampus," scientists...

Research reports from F. Furukawa and co-authors provide new insights into aging.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Japan, "The structure and function of the epidermis is maintained by cell renewal based on epidermal turnover. Epidermal turnover is delayed by aging, and it is thought that the delay of the epidermal turnover is a...

Scientists at State University of New York target aging.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "This study examined the relationship between aging and regular physical activity. The moderating effects of education and the extent to which employment and health status influence physical activity...

Studies from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital have provided new information about aging.
December 3, 2008... "Progressive herniation of lower eyelid fat has generally been accepted as a part of the aging process in the lower eyelid. Numerous theories have been proposed for the mechanism of periorbital aging, but to the best of the authors' knowledge,...

Studies from University of Kansas in the area of aging described.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Old age is associated with enhanced Susceptibility to and poor recovery from brain injury. An exacerbated microglial and astrocyte response to brain injury might be involved in poor outcomes...

Research from E. Nguyenkhac and co-researchers in the area of alcoholism described.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Amiens, France, " Systematic screening for liver fibrosis in heavy-drinking patients is a challenge. To assess Fibroscan for non-invasive diagnosis of asymptomatic liver fibrosis in alcohol abuse patients, to...

New allergies study findings have been reported by researchers at Medical University of Vienna.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Vienna, Austria, "More than 95% of mugwort pollen-allergic individuals are sensitized to Art v 1, the major allergen in mugwort pollen. Interestingly, the CD4 T cell response to Art v 1 involves only one single...

New allergies study findings have been reported by researchers at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.(Reprint)
December 3, 2008... "T cell populations derived from naive mice produce very small amounts of interleukin 4 (IL-4) in response to stimulation on anti-CD3-coated dishes. IL-4 production by such cells is mainly found among large- and intermediate-sized T cells and...

New Alzheimer disease research from University of Freiburg outlined.
December 3, 2008... "Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who are at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), or those with early AD, exhibit noradrenergic degeneration in the locus coeruleus. In MCI patients, upregulations of cholinergic and serotonergic...

New Alzheimer disease research reported from Y. Wang and co-authors.
December 3, 2008... "We have reported that activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) by ventricle injection of wortmannin (WT) and GF-109203X (GFX) induces Alzheimer-like memory deficit in rats [Liu et al., J. Neurochem. 87 (2003), 1333]. To further explore...

New physiology research reported from Pennsylvania State University.
December 3, 2008... "The olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) and behavioral responses of hybrids between the Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis, and the E-strain European corn borer (ECB(E)), Ostrinia nubilalis were examined and compared to the parental...

Recent findings in Alzheimer disease described by researchers from Edith Cowan University.
December 3, 2008... "Inflammatory changes are a prominent feature of brains affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Activated glial cells release inflammatory cytokines which modulate the neurodegenerative process," scientists writing in the Journal of...

Research from Stockholm University reveals new findings on Alzheimer disease.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Stockholm, Sweden, "The amyloid beta peptide (A beta) with 39-42 residues is the major component of amyloid plaques found in brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, and soluble oligomeric peptide aggregates...

Researchers from Brown University report on findings in Alzheimer disease.
December 3, 2008... In this recent report, researchers in the United States conducted a study "To examine the relationship between psychiatric symptoms, cognitive performance, functional capacity and quality of life in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and change in the...

Research from Ege University, Medical Department yields new findings on amebiasis.(Report)
December 3, 2008... "Amoebiasis is a common and life-threatening disease. The discrimination of the pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica from the non-pathogenic Entamoeba dispar could be done by advanced methods such as enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and PCR," scientists in...

New amyotrophic lateral sclerosis study results from H. Ito et al described.
December 3, 2008... "Edaravone is a free-radical scavenger, an agent being widely used for cerebral ischemia in Japan. To evaluate its efficacy for possible treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we performed a randomized blind trial in ALS model mice,"...

Report summarizes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis study findings from University of Ulm.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Ulm, Germany, "Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a promising source of biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Using the two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2-D-DIGE), we compared CSF...

Reports by F.S. Silva and co-researchers describe recent advances in anaphylactic shock.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Lisbon, Portugal, "ANAPHYLACTIC REACTIONS ARE life-threatening situations, with sudden onset, that can happen at any time during anesthesia. Muscle relaxants are the most frequently involved drugs, causing 60%...

Findings from M.W. Pombo et al in anatomy reported.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "The anatomic approach to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been a growing trend in orthopaedics. Progress made over the last 7 years has led to a greater understanding of...

New anatomy study findings have been published by scientists at University of Liverpool.
December 3, 2008... "We provide quantitative anatomical data on the muscle-tendon architecture and geometry of the pelvic limb of an elite sprint athlete, the racing greyhound. Specifically, muscle masses, muscle lengths, fascicle lengths, pennation angles and...

Research in the area of anatomy reported from Mayo Clinic.
December 3, 2008... "Recent modifications in total knee prosthesis design theoretically better accommodate the anatomy of the female femur and thereby have the theoretical potential to improve clinical results in TKA by more accurately restoring femoral posterior...

Researchers at Western Michigan University target anatomy.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543), by the Belgian anatomy master Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), represents one of the most advanced surgical revolutions in history. The creation of an anatomy book...

Scientists at University of Texas target anatomy.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Osteological cranial features, such as foramina, assist in phylogenetic and ecological interpretations of fossil mammals. However, the validity of using foramina in these interpretations when their...

Studies conducted at University of Liverpool on anatomy recently published.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Liverpool, the United Kingdom, "We provide quantitative muscle-tendon architecture and geometry data for the racing greyhound thoracic limb. Muscle mass, belly length, fascicle lengths, pennation angles and moment arms...

Data from H. Sato and colleagues advance knowledge in anesthesia.
December 3, 2008... In this recent article published in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology, scientists in Sapporo, Japan conducted a study "To investigate the effect of urinary flow rate on the urinary bladder temperature, we compared the accuracy and...

Data on anesthesia discussed by researchers at University of Rostock.
December 3, 2008... "Over the last 15 years, there has been growing interest in the noble gas xenon as a new inhalational anesthetic. This is due to its favorable pharmacological properties such as short onset and offset, as well as its hemodynamic suability,"...

Researchers at Vanderbilt University target anesthesia.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research, "Anesthesia provider models were characterized based on responsibilities and technique privileges and the distribution of clinical resource and process variables...

Researchers from Chung-Ang University provide details of new studies and findings in the area of anesthesia.(Report)
December 3, 2008... "This study compared emergence and recovery characteristics after either enflurane anaesthesia or crossover from enflurane to desflurane anaesthesia. At an estimated 1 h prior to the end of operation, enflurane was either reduced (group E, n =...

Studies from Y. Fu et al provide new data on anesthesia.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Kunming, People's Republic of China, "Pentobarbital and ketamine are commonly used in animal experiments, including studies on the effects of aging on the central nervous system. The electroencephalogram is a sensitive...

Findings from E.R. Gizewski and co-authors provide new insights into aneurysm.(Report)
December 3, 2008... "A controversial discussion concerning treatment of aneurysms in elderly patients exists. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical outcome in patients older than 65 years harboring intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment,"...

New aneurysm research has been reported by J.G. Romano et al.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "The determinants of ischemic complications in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are not well defined. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of microemboli in SAH-related cerebral...

Reports outline aneurysm study findings from N. Anzalone and colleagues.
December 3, 2008... "Our aim was to compare contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) and 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MRA at 3T for follow-up of coiled cerebral aneurysms. Fifty-two patients treated with Guglielmi detachable coils for 54 cerebral aneurysms were...

Research on aneurysm described by V.L. Rayz and colleagues.(Report)
December 3, 2008... "Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods can be used to compute the velocity field in patient-specific vascular geometries for pulsatile physiological flow. Those simulations require geometric and hemodynamic boundary values," researchers in...

Research on aneurysm discussed by M. Kroon and co-researchers.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Stockholm, Sweden, "Saccular aneurysm growth in a human middle cerebral artery is modeled. The aneurysm growth model was presented in a companion paper by Kroon and Holzapfel (''A Model for Saccular Cerebral Aneurysm...

Researchers from University of Toronto provide details of new studies and findings in the area of aneurysm.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Toronto, Canada, "A substantial percentage of coiled aneurysms are associated with persistent filling of an aneurysmal component due to incomplete initial treatment or re-growth. Traditionally follow-up of...

New angina data have been reported by researchers at University of Toronto.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, "Chronic stable angina (CSA) is a major debilitating health problem in Canada. A paucity of relevant cardiovascular data sets has precluded a detailed examination of...

Research from O. May et al broadens understanding of angiography.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Herning, Denmark, "The aim on the study was to examine whether moving during a 2-hour observation period in bed after coronary angiography was associated with a higher incidence of bleeding complications compared to a...

Research on angiography discussed by scientists at University of Melbourne.(Clinical report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Parkville, Australia, "The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap is increasingly used for autologous breast reconstruction, with low donor-site morbidity cited as a major advantage of this operation....

Data on angiology discussed by R. Pearson and colleagues.
December 3, 2008... "Blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI) is part of a spectrum of diseases termed acute aortic syndrome that accounts for 20% of road traffic accident related deaths. The injury has a complex aetiology with a number of putative mechanisms...

Ghent University reports research in angiology.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, "Converting the latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap to a thoracodorsal artery perforator flap has been reported-for breast reconstruction. The goal of...

New angiology findings from G.H. Mun and co-researchers published.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, "The preoperative localization of thoracodorsal artery perforators has been a challenge because of their topographic variation. From November of 2005 to...

New angiology research from D.A. Herrera and co-researchers described.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Medellin, Colombia, "There are a few reports regarding the treatment of traumatic vertebral arteriovenous fistulas and pseudoaneurysms. Our aim was to describe the clinical and angiographic results of endovascular...

New angiology research reported from University of Wisconsin.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Despite a lack of level I evidence, endovascular stent grafting is frequently used for the treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injury. The Purpose of this study is to compare, the outcomes between...

New angiology study findings have been reported by researchers at Aarhus University.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of Neuroimaging, "Ischemic stroke is mainly caused by embolism. Vascular emboli can be solid or gaseous and can be non-invasively registered by transcranial Doppler ultrasound as...

Recent findings from J.M. Gardin and co-authors highlight research in angiology.
December 3, 2008... "Mexican-Americans (MA) exhibit increases in various cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors compared to non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), yet are reported to have lower CVD mortality rates. Our aim was to help explain this apparent paradox by...

Reports from Carnegie Mellon University highlight recent research in angiology.
December 3, 2008... In this recent report published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, researchers in the United States conducted a study "To assess in vitro performance of four embolic protection filters (EPFs) with a varying mass of...

Reports summarize angiology research from University of Western Ontario.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from London, Canada, "Atherosclerosis at the carotid bifurcation resulting in cerebral emboli is a major cause of ischemic stroke. Most strokes associated with carotid atherosclerosis can be prevented by lifestyle/dietary...

Research reports from I.C. Stojanovic and co-authors provide new insights into angiology.
December 3, 2008... "The residual aortic prosthetic valve paravalvular space beneath the left coronary artery is very difficult and risky to repair," investigators in Serbia report (see also Angiology). "To improve visualization of this area, we transected the...

Researchers at Wonkwang University release new data on angiology.
December 3, 2008... "The dissection of the intracranial vertebral artery (VAD) is a common cause of young age brain stem stroke. VAD can be detected by conventional angiography, but there is yet no agreement on the most effective tool to use for the detection of...

Scientists at Ohio State University describe research in angiology.
December 3, 2008... "Stroke is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 780,000 Americans affected by a new or recurring stroke each year. Although a variety of therapeutic approaches have shown promise in small-animal...

Studies from Y. Tateishi and co-researchers yield new data on angiology.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Sakamoto, Japan, "The aim of this study is to assess contrast-enhanced transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (CE-TCCS) diagnosis of basilar artery (BA) stenosis. CE-TCCS and cerebral angiography were performed in...

Study data from H. Uemura and co-authors update knowledge of angiology.(Report)
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from London, the United Kingdom, "This study was conducted to determine a morphologic spectrum of ventriculoarterial connection in double inlet left ventricle and implications for surgical procedures. Examined were...

Reports outline angioplasty study findings from W.P. Daugherty and colleagues.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "This report describes the cases of 2 patients with failed retrieval of an AngioGuard distal protection device after carotid stent placement with rescue retrieval by use of a vertebral...

New annuloplasty study findings have been published by scientists at University of Catania.
December 3, 2008... "A technique for tricuspid annuloplasty is presented, using a flexible 50 mm tong band, where the annular circumference is reduced to a fixed value of 78.5 mm (circumference of #25 mm sizer). From June to February 2007, 15 consecutive patients...

New findings reported from K. Chan and co-authors describe advances in anoxia.
December 3, 2008... "A lack of oxygen can force many organisms to enter into recoverable hypometabolic states. To better understand how organisms cope with oxygen deprivation, our laboratory previously had shown that when challenged with anoxia, both the nematode...

New findings from B.P. Howden and co-authors in the area of anti-infectives published.
December 3, 2008... According to a study from Heidelberg, Australia, "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), once restricted to hospitals, is spreading rapidly through the wider community. Resistance to vancomycin, the principal drug used to treat...

Reports outline anti-infectives research from Mumbai University.
December 3, 2008... According to recent research from Mumbai, India, "A rapid and sensitive LC-MS-MS method has been developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of abacavir (ABA) and lamivudine (LAM) in human plasma. The analytes were extracted from human...