http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress) -- Patients with a range of common inflammatory diseases that also have genetic variations leading to low levels of a particular enzyme in their bodies are at greater risk of suffering side-effects from the widely-used drug azathioprine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-genetic-screening-trial-drug-side-effects.html Genetics Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:37:47 EST news228112518 Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are honing in on the development of what may be the first non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men. Tests of low doses of a compound that interferes with retinoic acid receptors (RARs), whose ligands are metabolites of dietary vitamin A, showed that it caused sterility in male mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-birth-pill-men-horizon.html Medical research Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:35:55 EST news226406131 (Medical Xpress) -- Multiple sclerosis (MS) appears to be associated with loss of bone mineral density, but that loss may not be due to lack of weight-bearing activity, the usual cause of osteoporosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-ms-bone-loss-brain-inflammation.html Neuroscience Wed, 25 May 2011 05:37:07 EST news225520597 A new study by rheumatologists at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York has shown that a powerful pro-inflammatory protein, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), can also suppress aspects of inflammation. The researchers say the identification of the mechanism of how this occurs could potentially lead to new treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The study was published May 22 online in advance of publication in the journal Nature Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-role-protein-treatments-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Medical research Sun, 22 May 2011 13:00:12 EST news225287266 A diet high in saturated fat is a key contributor to type 2 diabetes, a major health threat worldwide. Several decades ago scientists noticed that people with type 2 diabetes have overly active immune responses, leaving their bodies rife with inflammatory chemicals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-link-high-fat-diet-diabetes.html Medical research Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:50:38 EST news221741424