Body

Statin use associated with reduction in prostate specific antigen levels

Use of cholesterol-lowering statins is associated with a statistically significant decline in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, according to a report in the October 28 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Previous studies examined whether statin use was associated with a reduction in prostate cancer risk. The results, however, have been inconsistent. Few studies have examined the association between statins and PSA level.

Study confirms amphibians' ability to predict changes in biodiversity

Biologists have long suspected that amphibians, whose moist permeable skins make them susceptible to slight changes in the environment, might be good bellwethers for impending alterations in biodiversity during rapid climate change.

Now two University of California biologists have verified the predictive power of this sensitive group of animals in a global study of species turnover among amphibians and birds. The study appears this week in the advance online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Study rules out inbreeding as cause of amphibian deformities

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Although research has linked inbreeding with elevated rates of deformity in a wide variety of animals, a new study finds it plays no part in the high incidence of malformation among salamanders.

New topical approach to treating nail fungus circumvents problems with current therapy

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 27, 2008) — A novel topical therapy for nail fungus, NB-002, has demonstrated a new topical approach to healing nail fungus by penetrating skin pores and diffusing through the skin that surrounds the entire nail plate, according to a study conducted by NanoBio Corporation.

First results from hospital trials testing

NEW YORK, NY (October 28, 2008) – The first stage of the U.S. Department of Defense-funded clinical trials exploring the role of hospital touch surfaces in the transmission of infectious pathogens has been completed and the researchers reported their findings in a poster session at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, October 28. The data presented describe the first results of a three phase study where the bioload found on stainless steel, plastic and aluminum objects in intensive care unit rooms were measured.

New intranasal influenza vaccine triggers robust immunity with significantly less antigen

Washington, DC (October 26, 2008) —A single administration of a novel, nasally delivered influenza vaccine elicited immune responses in ferrets that were more than 20 times higher than those generated by two injections of the currently approved vaccines, according to a study by NanoBio Corporation. The new vaccine used only half the standard antigen dose to produce this effect.

A need for improved efficiency in nanomanufacturing

Washington, DC – New research shows that environmental gains derived from the use of nanomaterials may be offset in part by the processes used to manufacture them. Research published in a special issue of the Journal of Industrial Ecology, a peer-reviewed journal owned by Yale University and headquartered at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, highlights the need for improved efficiency in the manufacturing of nanoscale materials to reduce energy use, emissions, solid waste, and the use of toxic input materials.

Researchers apply systems biology and glycomics to study human inflammatory diseases

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- An innovative systems biology approach to understanding the carbohydrate structures in cells is leading to new ways to understand how inflammatory illnesses and cardiovascular disease develop in humans. The work was described in two recent publications by University at Buffalo chemical engineers.

Media coverage of lung cancer is increasing, and increasingly negative, new report shows

NEW YORK (October 28, 2008) – CancerCare today announced that despite an overall increase in news reporting on lung cancer, the overall tone of lung cancer media coverage has become significantly more negative. "How the U.S. Media Report on Cancer," an analysis of lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer coverage, was an independent report conducted by CARMA International Inc. for CancerCare; previous analyses were issued in 2000 and 2004.

K-State physics lab becoming a frontrunner in ultrafast laser research

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- For decades, the J.R. Macdonald Laboratory at Kansas State University has been known worldwide as a center for atomic collision physics using particle accelerators. Now, researchers at the lab are working toward making it known for ultrafast laser science.

Iowa State researcher develops new treatment method for canine eye diseases

AMES, Iowa -- An Iowa State University researcher is exploring a new method of getting medicine to the eyes of infected dogs that is more effective and reliable than using eye drops.

Dr. Sinisa Grozdanic, an assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine, is working with a drug manufacturer to develop a method of implanting biodegradable medicine into the tissue surrounding a dog's eyes. The medicine releases gradually and treats the infected eye for an entire year.

Majority of voters say election outcome will make a great deal of difference on key issues

As part of the ongoing poll series, Debating Health: Election 2008, the Harvard Public Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive conducted a new survey focused on whether voters believe the results of this presidential election will make "a great deal of difference" in the state of the nation's health care and other key policy areas.

Highly specialized, minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer allows patient to go home sooner

Philadelphia -- Minimally-invasive surgery for lung cancer called video-assisted thoracic surgery or VATS is a relatively new procedure performed almost exclusively at academic centers. Now, a preliminary study to be presented this month at the annual CHEST meeting in Philadelphia is giving surgeons an early look at its benefits.

Topical treatment for cold sores achieves efficacy of oral drugs; represents paradigm shift

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 28, 2008) — Scientists at NanoBio Corporation have demonstrated for the first time in humans that a novel topical treatment for cold sores (herpes labialis), NB-001, speeds healing of lesions as effectively as the leading oral systemic drugs but without safety or toxicity concerns.

Virtual screening leads to real progress in drug design

Around 150,000 people per year get African sleeping sickness, a disease spread by the biting tsetse fly and caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Unless treated, the illness is invariably fatal. And the only available medicines are either difficult to administer, expensive, or toxic. The widely used drug melarsoprol, for example, is essentially arsenic dissolved in antifreeze.