Combined drug therapy to treat TB and HIV significantly improves survival

Initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) during tuberculosis therapy significantly reduced mortality rates by 56 percent in a randomized clinical trial of 642 patients co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis. The study, which provides further impetus for the integration of TB and HIV services, lays to rest the controversy on whether co-infected patients should initiate ART during or after TB...

Personalized medicine in warfarin therapy

Researchers from the Ohio State University have developed a rapid, multiplexed genotyping method to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect warfarin dose. The related report by Yang et al, "Rapid Genotyping of SNPs Influencing Warfarin Drug Response by SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry," appears in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Molecular...

A mother’s sensitivity may help language growth in children with autism spectrum disorder

A new study by researchers from the c. Although parenting styles are not considered as a cause for autism, this report examines how early parenting can promote resiliency in this population. The study entitled, "A Pilot Study of Maternal Sensitivity in the Context of Emergent Autism," is published online this month and will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental...

Reliable biomarkers needed for early detection of liver cancer

While biomarkers are needed to complement ultrasound in the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; liver cancer), neither des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) nor the most widely used biomarker, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), is optimal, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)...

Estrogen protects against cardiovascular disease

(PhysOrg.com) -- UCD researchers led by Conway Fellow, Professor Therese Kinsella have shown that estrogen can protect against cardiovascular disease by impacting the levels of a key protein called prostacyclin receptor. The findings are published today in the Journal of Molecular...

Dementia in extreme elderly population expected to become epidemic

Researchers found that the incidence rate for all causes of dementia in people age 90 and older is 18.2 percent annually and significantly increases with age in both men and...

Mouse model may provide insight into the schizophrenic brain

Schizophrenia is an incredibly complex and profoundly debilitating disorder that typically manifests in early adulthood but is thought to arise, at least in part, from pathological disturbances occurring during very early brain development. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the February 25 issue of the journal Neuron, manipulates a known schizophrenia susceptibility gene in the brains of fetal mice to begin to unravel the complex link between prenatal brain development and maturation...

Walnuts Up Diabetic Endothelial Function

DERBY, Conn.—A diet rich in walnuts helps type 2 diabetes patients improve endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and may reduce their overall cardiac risk, according to a study published in the February issue of Diabetes...

Ocera Therapeutics Completes Phase 2B Enrollment in the ASTUTE Trial

The ASTUTE Trial Studies AST-120 for the Treatment of Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Suffering from Mild Hepatic Encephalopathy SAN DIEGO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the ASTUTE Study (AST-120 Used to Treat Hepatic Encephalopathy) has completed enrollment for its Phase 2B study ahead of schedule, with data expected mid 2010. AST-120 adsorbs ammonia and other gut derived toxins that factor prominently in the underlying cause of mild hepatic...

FDA warns of heart risk with HIV drug combination

(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Tuesday about potential heart risks when combining two HIV...