Biotech Week articles from January 2009

Biotech Week archives from January 2009

Eligibility criteria contribute to racial disparities in hospice use.
January 7, 2009... A new study finds that hospice servicesucare that is provided by physicians, visiting nurses, chaplains, home health aides, social workers and counselorsuhave restrictions that reduce usage by many patients who are most in-need, particularly...

Excessive police violence evident in emergency care cases, say US doctors.
January 7, 2009... Excessive police violence is evident in the types of injury and trauma emergency care doctors are treating in the US, indicates research published in Emergency Medicine Journal (see also BMJ-British Medical Journal). The findings are based...

Trends in sexual behaviors similar for teens who take few health risk and those who take many.
January 7, 2009... Adolescent health risk behaviors often occur together, suggesting that youth involvement with one risk behavior may inform understanding of other risk behaviors, but in a study to examine the association between involvement in non-sexual risk...

First experimental evidence for speedy adaptation to pesticides by worm species.
January 7, 2009... Scientists at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC) and the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon, in Portugal, have shown that populations of the worm Caenhorabditis elegans become resistance to pesticides in 20 generations, that...

Psychiatric patients have greater usage of mental health services in insurance parity health plans.
January 7, 2009... Following a psychiatric discharge, Medicare patients in insurance plans that provide equal cost sharing for mental health services have higher use of those services compared to patients in plans that require greater cost sharing, according to a...

Montana State study finds super dads, possible polygamists among dinos.(Report)
January 7, 2009... New research suggests that some meat-eating dinosaurs were super dads and possibly polygamists (see also Montana State University). A Montana State University study published in the Dec. 19 issue of Science says that males from three types...

Humans and chimps register faces by using similar brain regions.
January 7, 2009... Chimpanzees recognize their pals by using some of the same brain regions that switch on when humans register a familiar face, according to a report published online on December 18th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The studyuthe...

Why locusts abandon a solitary life for the swarm.
January 7, 2009... By applying an old theory that has been used to explain water flow through soil and the spread of forest fires, researchers may have an answer to a perplexing ecological and evolutionary problem: why locusts switch from an innocuous, solitary...

Premature babies have altered sensory responses in later life.(Report)
January 7, 2009... Premature infants who need intensive care or surgery are less sensitive to thermal (hot and cold) sensations later in life, according to research conducted at UCL (University College London). The study, published in the journal Pain, suggests...

New classification of spinal deformity defines range of normalcy.
January 7, 2009... A University of Cincinnati (UC) neurosurgeon who has spent his career helping people with severe spine problems stand up straight has spearheaded the creation of a new spinal deformity classification system. The system, published this fall in...

Avalon Pharmaceuticals Receives Extension of Time to Comply with NASDAQ Deficiency Notice.(Report)
January 7, 2009... Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVRX), announced that on December 18, 2008, it received a letter from The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC notifying the Company that it had been granted an extension of time for compliance with NASDAQ Marketplace...

New abscess data have been reported by R. Lopezrodriguez and co-authors.
January 7, 2009... "Pyomyositis is an acute pyogenic infection of skeletal muscle that is increasing its incidence in temperate climates. Multifocal affection is more frequent in immuno-compromised patients; patients with multiple lesions but without predisposing...

New acromegaly research reported from University of Brescia.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Italy, "During the course of acromegaly, cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic co-morbidities contribute to enhanced mortality. In 2002, the Pituitary Society and the European Neuroendocrine Association...

Research from R. Attanasio and co-researchers in the area of acromegaly published.
January 7, 2009... "Development of gallstones (GS) is reported during the use of somatostatin analogs (SA) that are at present the mainstay for the medical treatment of acromegaly. To review the prevalence and clinical and biochemical correlates of GS in...

Studies from University of Glasgow describe new findings in acute osteomyelitis.
January 7, 2009... "A case of an implant periapical lesion (IPL) proceeding to acute osteomyelitis is presented, most likely due to surface contamination of the implant. Five weeks post placement of two anterior mandibular implants, symptoms of acute pain from...

Studies from University of California update current data on addiction medicine.
January 7, 2009... "Drug addiction is a state of altered brain reward and self-regulation mediated by both neurotransmitter and hormonal systems. Although an organism's internal system attempts to maintain homeostasis when challenged by exogenous opiates and...

Research from University of Karachi provides new data on adenoma.
January 7, 2009... "Recent evidence indicates that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Cox-2 gene may modulate the risk of colorectal adenoma development. We explored possible associations between Cox-2 polymorphisms and risk of adenoma development in...

New adverse drug reactions data have been reported by researchers at University of Newcastle.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Australia, "The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors of adverse events in five surgical procedures. Retrospective record review was used to determine adverse events and risk factors of 1177...

New adverse drug reactions study findings have been reported by K. Wei and co-researchers.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to define the incidence of severe adverse events after exposure to ultrasound contrast agents. Data between January 1, 2001, and September 30, 2007,...

Research results from Miguel Hernandez University update understanding of adverse drug reactions.
January 7, 2009... In this recent report published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, researchers in Alicante, Spain conducted a study "To determine the incidence and incidence density of adverse events (AEs) in Spanish hospitals (including the...

Researchers' work from University of Technology focuses on adverse drug reactions.
January 7, 2009... "To explore patients' and family members' perceptions of Open Disclosure of adverse events that occurred during their health care. We interviewed 23 people involved in adverse events and incident disclosure using a semi-structured, open-ended...

Studies from S.L. Miller and colleagues provide new data on adverse drug reactions.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "Medication errors during hospitalization can lead to adverse drug events. Because of preoccupation by health care providers with life-threatening injuries, trauma patients may be particularly prone to medication errors," scientists in the...

Findings in aggression reported from J. Volavka and co-researchers.
January 7, 2009... "Kendler's seminal essay listed 8 major propositions outlining a philosophical framework for the entire field of psychiatry [Kendler (American Journal of Psychiatry 162:433-440, 2005)]. These propositions have grounded psychiatric research on a...

New data from A.B. Araujo et al illuminate research in aging.(Survey)
January 7, 2009... "To examine the association between aging and physical function in men by testing a theoretically based model of aging, hormones, body composition, strength, and physical function with data obtained from men enrolled in the Boston Area...

Reports from Banaras Hindu University describe recent advances in aging.
January 7, 2009... "Ayurveda is the oldest system of Medicine in the world, its antiquity going back to the Vedas. It adapts a unique holistic approach to the entire science of life, health and cure," investigators in Varanasi, India report (see also Aging). ...

Researchers at McMaster University publish new data on aging.
January 7, 2009... "Physical inactivity in an aging, population is a major contributing factor to the rising numbers of older persons with chronic illnesses and disabilities. The purpose of this article is to review the relationship between physical inactivity...

Studies from G. Petrosillo and co-researchers yield new data on aging.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Bari, Italy, "Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered a key factor in brain aging process. Complex I of the mitochondrial respiration chain is an important site of ROS production and hence a potential...

Studies from Liberty University add new findings in the area of aging.
January 7, 2009... "As individuals age, they face many choices to promote healthy aging. One important consideration relates to nutritional choices," investigators in the United States report (see also Aging). "It is easy to become overwhelmed with the...

Studies from Louisiana State University reveal new findings on aging.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "The dietary essential PUFA docosahexaenoic acid [DHA; 22:6(n-3)] is a critical contributor to cell structure and function in the nervous system, and deficits in DHA abundance are associated with...

Studies from University of Liege add new findings in the area of aging.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Liege, Belgium, "Deficits in inhibitory abilities are frequently observed in normal aging. However, few studies have explored the generality of these deficits in a single group of participants." "Here, we...

Study results from University of Caen broaden understanding of aging.
January 7, 2009... Researchers in Caen, France conducted a study "To investigate the effects of 17 beta-estradiol (E2), Peganum harmala extract (PHE) and caloric restriction (CR) on various testis parameters during aging. Twelve-month-old male rats were treated...

New alcoholism study findings have been reported by J.S. Locastro and colleagues.
January 7, 2009... "The current study compared alcoholics who entered treatment for the first time with those who had reported one or more prior treatment experiences using a large sample (N = 1,362) of alcoholics who entered the National Institute on Alcohol...

Studies from McLean Hospital provide new data on alcoholism.(Clinical report)
January 7, 2009... "The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of the effect of placebo medication plus accompanying medical management in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism COMBINE (Combining...

Investigators at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases target allergies.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "T helper (Th)17 cells have been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is now well established that although transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta alone...

New findings reported from Ruhr University describe advances in allergies.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "Objectives The purpose of this study was to develop a quantification assay to measure airborne concentrations of obeche wood allergen at workplaces. Specific polyclonal antibodies to obeche wood were produced in rabbit and used to develop an...

Findings from J.J. Pei and co-researchers advance knowledge in Alzheimer disease.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Huddinge, Sweden, "Purpose of review Great progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of neurofibrillary degeneration in Alzheimer's disease brains in the last two decades. In this review we...

Research findings from R.O. Sanchezmejia et al update understanding of Alzheimer disease.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Neuronal expression of familial Alzheimer's disease-mutant human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) and hAPP-derived amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides causes synaptic dysfunction, inflammation and...

Research from University of British Columbia in the area of Alzheimer disease published.
January 7, 2009... In this recent report published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, researchers in Vancouver, Canada conducted a study "To compare the temporal and spatial expression patterns of amyloid precursor protein (APP),...

Research on Alzheimer disease discussed by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, College of Medicine.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, "Cell cycle markers have been shown to be upregulated and proposed to lead to apoptosis of postmitotic neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Presenilin (PS) plays a critical...

Study data from University of California provide new insights into Alzheimer disease.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Impaired degradation of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides could lead to A beta accumulation, an early trigger of Alzheimer's disease (AD). How A beta-degrading enzymes are regulated remains...

Study results from National Institutes of Health in the area of Alzheimer disease published.(Clinical report)
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Adiposity status and change are potential risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The authors used data on 2,322 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to analyze the...

Reports from Johns Hopkins University, Medical Department describe recent advances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
January 7, 2009... "Cellular abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not limited to motor neurons. Astrocyte dysfunction also occurs in human ALS and transgenic rodents expressing mutant human SOD1 protein (SOD1(G93A))," scientists in the United...

Findings from Duke University advance knowledge in anatomy.
January 7, 2009... "The medial collateral ligament provides valgus stability to the elbow. The purpose of the present study was to describe the pathoanatomy of acute traumatic medial collateral ligament ruptures and to report the rationale and results of direct...

Recent studies by S.A. Nissman and co-authors add new data to aneurysm findings.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal Ophthalmic Surgery Lasers & Imaging, "A 94-year-old monocular woman with a posterior communicating artery aneurysm developed a compressive third nerve palsy with complete blepharoptosis and...

Reports summarize aneurysm research from St. Mary's Hospital.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the use of endovascular technology in the management of peripheral infected aneurysms in high-risk patients as a temporary measure or definitive solution. Five cases underwent successful...

Research on aneurysm detailed by A.F. Heredero and co-authors.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Madrid, Spain, "Aortouniiliac stent grafts allow the endovascular treatment of complex anatomy aortoiliac aneurysms. The main drawback is the need for femoro-femoral crossover bypass, with its complications and...

Research on aneurysm detailed by scientists at Shimane University, Medical Department.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Izumo, Japan, "We report a case of false aneurysm of a proper digital artery of the thumb in a 16-year-old baseball player." "Resection of the aneurysm and end-to-end anastomosis resulted in relief of the...

Studies conducted at J.K. Kim et al on aneurysm recently published.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Internal iliac artery aneurysms are rarely discovered by examination and may consequently present with rupture in a patient without an established diagnosis." "Ruptured internal iliac aneurysms...

Studies from Y. Matsuno et al add new findings in the area of aneurysm.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "Gastroduodenal artery aneurysms are uncommon. The majority of them are false or pseudoaneurysms, often seen in the setting of inflammation, specifically with pancreatitis," researchers in Gifu, Japan report (see also Aneurysm). "True...

New angiography study findings recently were published by researchers at Wright State University.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAI) have a high mortality rate. For survivors, chest X-ray (CXR) findings are used to determine the need for further diagnostic testing with chest computerized...

Studies from University of Erlangen reveal new findings on angiography.
January 7, 2009... "In coronary CT angiography (CTA), both high-grade stenoses and total occlusions of a coronary artery may appear as a complete interruption of the contrast-enhanced lumen. Parameters to differentiate between occlusions and stenoses have not...

Data from University of Colorado advance knowledge in angiology.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "The objective of this study was to determine the outcome of femoral vein (FV) access as either a FV thigh transposition or upper extremity FV translocation. This is a retrospective review of all end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who...

Data from University of Malaga advance knowledge in angiology.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Malaga, Spain, "It has been generally assumed that the outflow tract of the chondrichthyan heart consists of the conus arteriosus, characterized by cardiac muscle in its walls. However, classical observations,...

Findings in angiology reported from University of Rochester.
January 7, 2009... In this recently published article, scientists in the United States conducted a study "To examine the evolving roles of endovascular and open approaches in treatment of symptomatic innominate artery (IA) disease. Patients treated for...

Investigators at University of Miami zero in on angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "The uncommon presentation of an arterioportal fistula (APF) involving the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) associated with a pseudoaneurysm represents a therapeutic challenge. We present the...

New angiology research reported from G.G. Feng and co-authors.(Report)
January 7, 2009... "1. Naofen, a novel WD40 repeat domain-containing protein, has recently been found in the intracellular compartment," investigators in Japan report (see also Angiology). "The aim of the present study was to determine whether naofen affects...

New findings reported from M.G. Davies and co-authors describe advances in angiology.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Endoluminal therapy for superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease for claudication is commonplace, but the implications of tibial vessel runoff on long-term outcomes of these...

Reports summarize angiology study results from M.J. Bean and co-researchers.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal Radiographics, "Indications for and experience with placement of endovascular stent-grafts in the thoracic aorta are still evolving. Common pathologic conditions of the thoracic aorta that...

Research reports from University of Basel provide new insights into angiology.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Basel, Switzerland, "Isolation of the pulmonary veins has emerged as a new therapy for atrial fibrillation. Pre-procedural magnetic resonance (MR) imaging enhances safety and efficacy; moreover, it reduces...

Researchers from University of Texas discuss findings in angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Body fluid hyperosmolality has long been known to elicit homeostatic responses that range from drinking to inhibition of salt appetite to release of neurohypohyseal hormones (i.e. vasopressin and...

Scientists at University of Freiburg report research in angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Freiburg, Germany, "Pronounced anatomic variations of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) can be found in 5% to 6% of the general population. An aberrant ICA is at risk of injury during routine pharyngeal...

Studies from C. Beirne and co-authors have provided new information about angiology.
January 7, 2009... "Vertical groin incisions (VGIs) have been used to access femoral vessels, but reports allude to wound complications. Our aim was to compare VGI with transverse groin incision (TGI) for femoral artery exposure," investigators in Galway, Ireland...

Studies from New York University in the area of angiology published.
January 7, 2009... "Recent reviews of device-specific complications using neuroprotection have addressed technical difficulties during delivery as well as adverse outcomes, intraoperative and 30-day. Little has been written, however, regarding the relevance of...

Study results from A. Komemushi and colleagues broaden understanding of angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Shinmachi, Japan, "The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of gas retention in the renal vein following carbon dioxide intraosseous venography in the prone position and, while citing...

Study results from B.J. Mcaree and colleagues broaden understanding of angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from North Ireland, "Since its first description in 1879, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome remains a debilitating condition, which frequently affects young active people. Increased awareness of popliteal artery...

Study results from Okayama University provide new insights into angiology.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Okayama, Japan, "A disadvantage of transarticular and C2 pedicle screws is vertebral artery (VA) injury as a result of screw misplacement. If unilateral occlusion of the VA is present, VA injury of the dominant...

Research reports on angioplasty from M. Wiesmann and colleagues provide new insights.
January 7, 2009... "Stent-protected angioplasty of carotid artery stenosis may be an alternative to surgical endarterectomy. Results published so far are indecisive, with evidence both in favour of and against this procedure," researchers in Munich, Germany...

Studies from L. Gerbaud and colleagues yield new information about angioplasty.
January 7, 2009... "Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) is an invasive technique that is costly and involves the risk of complications and renal failure. The ability of PTRA to reduce the administration of antihypertensive drugs has been...

Studies from Tri-Service General Hospital yield new data on angioplasty.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Taipei, Taiwan, "Retrograde aortocoronary dissection is a rare but devastating complication of coronary angioplasty." "It occurs most frequently in the right coronary artery, rarely in the left. This is a case...

New findings from Cumhuriyet University in the area of angiotensins described.
January 7, 2009... "In this experimental study, our aim was to determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blockade affect the apoptotic changes in contralateral testis following unilateral testicular...

Research results from C. Aumeran and co-authors update knowledge of anti-infectives.
January 7, 2009... "We describe the control of a hospital-wide vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) outbreak in a 2,000-bed university hospital located on three different sites in Clermont-Ferrand, France. From January 2004 to April 2007, 220 VRE cases...

Studies from Federal University of Minas Gerais yield new information about anti-infectives.
January 7, 2009... "Many in vitro and fewer in vivo studies have shown that tetracyclines present anti-inflammatory activity. We investigated if a novel non-antibacterial, non-chelating hydroxypyrazoline derivative of minocycline, 12S-hydroxy-1,12-...

Recent studies from University of Malaysia add new data to antibiotics.
January 7, 2009... 'During our studies on Malaysian Laurencia species, brominated metabolites, tiomanene, acetylmajapolene B, and acetylmajapolene A were isolated from an unrecorded species collected at Pulau Tioman, Pahang along with known majapolene B and...

Research from University of Szeged broadens understanding of antibiotics.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Szeged, Hungary, "Although antibiotic utilization data expressed in defined daily doses (DDDs)/1000 inhabitants/day are often available for a given period and area, the actual antibiotic exposure of the population is...

Studies from P. Davey and co-researchers update current data on antibiotics.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Scotland, "We compared community antibiotic use in the four administrations of the UK with that in other European countries. A cross-sectional analysis of 24 European countries and UK administrations in 2005...

New antibody libraries research from C.C. Yin et al outlined.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Beijing, People's Republic of China, "The randomization scheme of hypervariable region takes crucial role in construction of a synthetic antibody library. The codon bias and inevitable stop codon of...

Data from Catholic University provide new insights into antifungals.(Report)
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Rome, Italy, "The role of Candida glabrata in fungaemia is attributed in part to its reduced susceptibility to azoles, usually due to altered expression of genes encoding drug efflux pumps. The aims of this study were...

Investigators at Shanxi University release new data on antifungals.
January 7, 2009... "The antifungal properties of 25-azalanosterol was investigated," scientists writing in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases report (see also Antifungals). "Compared to normal antifungal reagents,...

Report summarizes antifungals study findings from University of Western Australia.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Crawley, Australia, "QSAR analysis of a set of 96 heterocyclics with antifungal activity was performed. The results reveals that a pyridine ring is more favorable than benzene as the 6-membered ring, for high...

Research from University of Porto, Medical Department has provided new information about antifungals.
January 7, 2009... "Antifungal stress conditions affect fungal germination and growth. The assessment of oxygen consumption resulting from the challenge of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia with antifungal agents might be predictive of the susceptibility of this...

Researchers at University of Glasgow target antifungals.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Scotland, "Aspergillus fumigatus undergoes morphological transition throughout its growth and development. These changes have direct implications for the effectiveness of antifungal treatment." "Here we report the...

Study findings from University of Pisa provide new insights into antifungals.
January 7, 2009... According to recent research from Pisa, Italy, "In light of the need for new antifungals, we compared the in vitro antifungal activity of two peptides derived from human lactoferrin (hLF), i.e., hLF(1-11) and hLF(21-31), two analogs of histatin...

New antimicrobials study findings recently were reported by researchers at University of Giessen.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from Giessen, Germany, "Most insects mount a potent antimicrobial defence upon contact with microbes or microbe-associated pattern molecules. Using a combined set of methods for analysis of insect innate immunity, we report...

Reports outline antimicrobials study findings from S.R. Benoit and colleagues.
January 7, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "To describe antimicrobial prescribing patterns in nursing homes. Retrospective, observational study. Total of 73 nursing homes in four U.S. states; study period was from September 1, 2001, through...