http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Smokers planning to kick the habit may have more success if they begin using a cessation medication several weeks before they actually try to quit. Those are the results of a clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and other institutions published recently in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-cessation-medication-earlier-easier.html Addiction Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:59:03 EST news244983534 The United States Patent and Trademark Office has reaffirmed the validity of four important patents in the field of RNA therapeutics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-patent-office-affirms-zamore-patents.html Medical research Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:38:43 EST news242930311 New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of medicine and pharmacy may help explain the failure of some recent clinical trials of prevention of HIV infection, compared to the success of others that used the same drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-prophecy-success-hiv-clinical-trials.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:25:29 EST news242490246 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate processes including fertilization, development, and aging show promise as biomarkers of disease. They can be collected from routinely collected fluids such as blood, saliva, and urine. However, a number of factors can interfere with the accuracy of miRNA tests. In a study published online today in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, a group of researchers provide clear procedures for the collection and analysis of miRNA, significantly improving their diagnostic accuracy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-protocols-micrornas-diagnosis.html Medical research Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:49:25 EST news242455755 One major obstacle in the fight against cancer is that anticancer drugs often affect normal cells in addition to tumor cells, resulting in significant side effects. Yet research into development of less harmful treatments geared toward the targeting of specific cancer-causing mechanisms is hampered by lack of knowledge of the molecular pathways that drive cancers in individual patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-tumor-targeting-compound-personalized-cancer-treatments.html Cancer Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:01 EST news241977044 Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that it is safe to cut and paste together different viruses in an effort to create the ultimate vehicle for gene therapy. In a phase I clinical trial, the investigators found no side effects from using a "chimeric" virus to deliver replacement genes for an essential muscle protein in patients with muscular dystrophy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-clinical-trial-muscular-dystrophy-safety.html Medical research Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:23:08 EST news241878178 Repeatedly taking slightly too much paracetamol over time can cause a dangerous overdose that is difficult to spot, but puts the person at danger of dying. Patients may not come to hospital reporting the overdose, but because they feel unwell. This clinical situation needs to be recognized and treated rapidly because these patients are at even greater danger than people who take single overdoses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-paracetamol-ingestion-slightly-fatal-.html Medications Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:02:47 EST news241243137 New technology now makes it possible to collect 'near real-time' data about whether people are having any side effects from vaccination. By studying people who received the 2009-10 swine flu vaccination in Scotland, researchers showed that this rapid reporting can add another layer of safety to future vaccination campaigns. In addition, the data collected revealed no significant safety issues in patients exposed to the vaccine. The project's report has just been published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-hi-tech-survey-vaccination.html Medications Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:45:23 EST news240551114 When you think about your immune system, you probably think about it fighting off a cold. But new research from the University of Adelaide suggests that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-alcohol-related-behavior-blame-immune.html Health Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:28:30 EST news236489301 Moderate social drinking significantly reduces the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, according to an analysis of 143 studies by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-moderate-alzheimer-cognitive-impairment.html Addiction Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:15:23 EST news232704904 In a kind of molecular gymnastics, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have devised a gene therapy cocktail that has the potential to treat some inherited diseases associated with "misfolded" proteins. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-molecular-delivery-truck-gene-therapy.html Medical research Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:00:06 EST news232637543 Cells often communicate with one another using pulsatile signals, where information is conveyed in pulse frequency as well as amplitude. This raises the question of how cells decode pulsatile signals, a question that lies at the core of our understanding of how the brain controls reproduction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-cell.html Medical research Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:51:37 EST news231562133 Some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). The study supports the use of grapes or grape derivatives in sun protection products. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-grapes-ultraviolet.html Health Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:30:43 EST news231154235 Giving amphetamines to adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can help them control their symptoms, but the side effects mean that some people do not manage to take them for very long. These conclusions were drawn by a team of five researchers working at Girona and Barcelona Universities in Spain, and published in a new Cochrane Systematic Review. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-short-term-amphetamines-adhd-symptoms-adults.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:40:03 EST news230981148 Scientists now understand more about why being exposed to nicotine while you were a fetus will increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease as an adult. "We have found distinct links between cigarette smoking or even using nicotine patches or gum and the long-term harm for the child," says Dr. DaLiao Xiao, a scientist who works at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-maternal-nicotine-cardiovascular-disease-life.html Health Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:43:21 EST news230438586 An estimated 20 million people in the United States suffer from peripheral neuropathy, marked by the degeneration of nerves and in some cases severe pain. There is no good treatment for the disorder and doctors can find no apparent cause in one of every three cases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-uncover-source-mystery-pain.html Neuroscience Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:36:01 EST news227964950 (Medical Xpress) -- Trinity College Dublin researchers have discovered that blocking a particular stress response can significantly reduce the metastasis (or spread) of breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-insights-links-stress-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:33:59 EST news226136011