NSTA WebNews Digest

Science News: Medicine

DNA Pioneer James Watson Takes Aim at "Cancer Establishments"

1/15/2013 - Reuters
A day after an exhaustive national report on cancer found the United States is making only slow progress against the disease, one of the country's most iconic—and iconoclastic—scientists weighed in on "the war against cancer." And he does not like what he sees.

European Agency Backs Approval of a Gene Therapy

7/23/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
The therapy, which would treat a rare disease, could be the first regulatory approval of a gene therapy in the Western world.

Drug Made from Toxic Weed Kills Cancer

7/11/2012 - Futurity.org
An experimental drug derived from a poisonous weed can travel harmlessly through the bloodstream until it detects cancer cells and kills them.

Tomorrow's Medicine

5/3/2012 - Scientific American
Scientific American takes a look at some of the most promising medical devices now in development.

Obesity-Linked Diabetes in Children Resists Treatment

4/30/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Not only are more children developing type 2 diabetes, but the disease progresses more quickly and is more difficult to control, a new study has found.

Mutant Protein May Allow Flu to Kill

3/26/2012 - NewScientist
It's one of the biggest mysteries in flu: why is it a mild infection in some people, and a killer in others? In some cases, it may come down to a protein that normally stops some viruses from invading cells but is mutated in some people.

Surgeon General Declares Youth Smoking an "Epidemic"

3/8/2012 - Yahoo! News
Smoking among America's youth has reached epidemic proportions, starting them on the path to a lifetime of addiction, the U.S. surgeon general's office said in its first report on youth smoking since 1994.

Top-Grade Stem Cells Seen Boosting Research Trials

12/6/2011 - Reuters
British scientists have made the first human embryonic stem cells of a high enough grade to use in patients and deposited them in a public stem cell bank for development in human trials by drug companies and researchers by 2014.

1 in 10 adults could have diabetes by 2030

11/15/2011 - The Boston Globe
The International Diabetes Federation predicts that at least one in 10 adults could have diabetes by 2030, according to its latest statistics.

Kid Scientists Show Medicines Can Be Mistaken for Candy

10/26/2011 - Scientific American
A study by sixth graders found that children and adults can easily mistake some medications for sweets.

Stem Cell Progress Highlights Technical, Legal Hurdles to Research

10/6/2011 - The Boston Globe
A team of New York scientists has taken a major step toward the goal of creating cloned human embryonic stem cells for therapeutic uses—but many technical hurdles remain before the cells could be used in patients.

WHO Targets Non-Communicable 'Lifestyle' Diseases

9/19/2011 - BBC News
The World Health Organization has set out a plan to tackle non-communicable diseases like heart disease, which now pose a greater global burden than infectious diseases.

Nanopits Boost Stem Cell Therapy

8/2/2011 - futurity.org
A process similar to the one used to manufacture blu-ray discs offers a new way to culture adult stem cells. The discovery could lead to new therapies for conditions such as arthritis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.

Doctors Begin Major Stem Cell Trial for MS Patients

8/1/2011 - BBC News
A major clinical trial will investigate whether stem cells can be safely used to treat multiple sclerosis. It is hoped eventually to slow, stop, or even reverse the damage MS causes to the brain and spinal cord.

Big Bolus for HIV/AIDS Cure Research

7/12/2011 - ScienceInsider
Three collaborations will receive up to $70 million over the next 5 years to advance the search for an HIV/AIDS cure. This is the largest single investment yet made into finding a way to rid the virus from the body or at least reduce levels to the point that infected people can stop taking anti-HIV drugs.

Study Shows Diabetes Surging Worldwide

7/8/2011 - Voice of America News
It's documented: diabetes is a global problem. A new study shows that one in 10 adults, in countries throughout the world, suffers from diabetes.

New Study Implicates Environmental Factors in Autism

7/7/2011 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A new study of twins released online on Monday marked an important shift in thinking about the causes of autism.

Study Finds Autistic Toddlers' Brains Out of Sync

6/23/2011 - Reuters
Researchers studying autistic toddlers have discovered their brain activity appears to be out of sync at a very early stage—a finding that sheds light on the biology of the condition and might help in earlier diagnosis.

Scientists Develop a Fatty 'Kryptonite' to Defeat Multidrug-Resistant 'Super Bugs'

6/17/2011 - ScienceDaily
"Super bugs," which can cause wide-spread disease and may be resistant to most, if not all, conventional antibiotics, still have their weaknesses.

New Vaccine Research Effort Launched as Advocate Steps Down

6/9/2011 - ScienceInsider
The vaccine world's revolving door took a fast spin recently as the head of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise announced his retirement and a new foundation for vaccine research was born.

Health Official Says E. Coli Strain Was Previously Unknown

6/2/2011 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
The World Health Organization said Thursday that an unusually lethal strain of E. coli, which has infected more than 1,500 people in Germany, mystified public health officials and threatened to touch off panic in Europe, was a previously unknown variant of the bacteria, raising new concerns about the extent and severity of the contagion.

New Technologies Lead to Major Achievements in Health Benefits

5/18/2011 - Voice of America News
World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan reports new vaccines, medicines, and other technologies are successfully combating killer diseases and saving lives.

Research Uncovers Raised Rate of Autism

5/9/2011 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
An ambitious six-year effort to gauge the rate of childhood autism in a middle-class South Korean city has yielded a figure that stunned experts and is likely to influence the way the disorder’s prevalence is measured around the world, scientists report.

Simple Test Helps Spot Autism in Infants: Study

4/28/2011 - Reuters
A five-minute screening test could help detect autism in babies at 12 months of age, giving parents and doctors far more time to intervene, U.S. researchers said Thursday.

Think You Know All About the Common Cold? Think Again

4/19/2011 - Voice of America News
There are about 200 different viruses that cause the common cold.

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