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Fewer doses of HPV vaccine still results in reduced risk of STD

Although maximum reduction in the risk of genital warts (condylomata) was seen after 3 doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, receipt of 2 vaccine doses was associated with considerable reduction in risk, particularly among women who were younger than 17 years at first vaccination, according to a study in the February 12 issue of JAMA.

Study examines legislative challenges to school immunization mandates

From 2009-2012, 36 bills introduced in 18 states sought to modify school immunization mandates, with the majority seeking to expand exemptions although none of the bills passed, according to a study in the February 12 issue of JAMA.

Three doses of HPV vaccine recommended against genital warts

Two doses of vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) provide good protection against genital warts, but three doses is better according to an extensive register study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The results are published in the scientific periodical JAMA.

Slim pickings for 2 weight-loss drugs?

LEBANON, NH (Feb. 10, 2014) – Options are limited in America's battle of the bulge. While diet and exercise can help in the short term, they are frustratingly ineffective in the long run.

And, even the search for a magic weight-loss pill is falling short, said Drs. Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

NIH-funded researchers use antibody treatment to protect humanized mice from HIV

NIH-funded scientists have shown that boosting the production of certain broadly neutralizing antibodies can protect humanized mice from both intravenous and vaginal infection with HIV. Humanized mice have immune systems genetically modified to resemble those of humans, making it possible for them to become HIV-infected.

Targeting tumors: Ion beam accelerators take aim at cancer

EVENT: Advances in the design and operation of particle accelerators built for basic physics research are leading to the rapid evolution of machines that deliver cancer-killing beams. Hear about the latest developments and challenges in this field from a physicist, a radiobiologist, and a clinical oncologist, and participate in a discussion about cost, access, and ethics at a symposium organized by the U.S.

Nanoparticles treat muscular dystrophy in mice

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have demonstrated a new approach to treating muscular dystrophy. Mice with a form of this muscle-weakening disease showed improved strength and heart function when treated with nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug recently found to improve recycling of cellular waste.

The study appears online in The FASEB Journal.

I smoke, but I'm not a smoker

While smoking among California adults has dramatically declined in recent decades, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report there is a surprisingly large number of people who say they use cigarettes, but don't consider themselves to be "smokers."

Dartmouth study provides first global evidence that foreign aid boosts public opinion

A study by Dartmouth and Australian researchers provides the first empirical evidence using data from a variety of countries that foreign aid can greatly improve foreign public opinion of donor countries.

Game changer: Biomarker identified for noncancerous pancreatic cysts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a highly accurate, noninvasive test to identify benign pancreatic cysts, which could spare patients years of nerve-racking trips to the doctor or potentially dangerous surgery.

The findings are reported in "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, a Novel and Highly Accurate Pancreatic Fluid Biomarker for Serous Pancreatic Cysts" online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

New target isolated for leukemia drug development

SAN ANTONIO (February 11, 2014) – There are potentially effective treatments for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but they only work in 20 to 40 percent of cases. In a paper published today in Leukemia, a Nature journal, a UT Health Science Center researcher has pinpointed a protein that could play a key, previously unknown role in the development of pediatric AML — promising new information in the quest to treat and cure childhood leukemias.

Data on today's youth reveal childhood clues for later risk of STDs

Here's yet another reason to focus on kids' early years. Children who grow up in well-managed households, enjoy school, and have friends who stay out of trouble report fewer sexually transmitted diseases in young adulthood, according to a new analysis.

The findings, from University of Washington longitudinal surveys of nearly 2,000 participants, suggest that efforts to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases should begin years before most people start having sex.

Hacking the environment: bringing biodiversity hardware into the open

New technologies are changing the way we collect biodiversity data. Data that once required taking expensive, bulky and fragile equipment on field trips can now be collected on cheap, compact and robust devices. In a recent paper in the Biodiversity Data Journal the construction of an environmental data-logger using the Arduino platform is described.

Exon skipping prevents formation of toxic protein fragments in Huntington's disease

New Rochelle, NY, February 11, 2014—An innovative therapeutic strategy for reducing the levels of toxic protein fragments associated with Huntington's disease uses a new approach called exon skipping to remove the disease-causing component of the essential protein, huntingtin. Proof of concept using antisense oligonucleotides to "skip over" the specific exon in a mouse model of Huntington's disease is reported in an article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Study: Resilience in parents of children undergoing stem cell transplant

A child's illness can challenge a parent's wellbeing. However, a study recently published in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation shows that in the case of a child's stem cell transplant, parents feel increased distress at the time of the procedure, but eventually recover to normal levels of adjustment.