The National Aids Trust said as many as half of all early-stage infections, often marked by severe flu-like symptoms, are being missed. Spotting them and carrying out an HIV test would prevent further infections, it said. A GP specialising in sexual health said doctors should always be open-minded to the possibility their patients had HIV.

via news.bbc.co.uk

An international team of scientists have found that genetic mechanisms in blood cells play a crucial role in controlling a gene and protein that causes Parkinson's disease. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have elevated levels of the protein called alpha-synuclein in their brains. As the protein clumps, or aggregates, the resulting toxicity causes the death of neurons that produce the brain chemical dopamine.

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US scientists have used the tobacco plant to "grow" key components of a vaccine against lymphoma - a form of cancer. Researchers from Stanford University in California are using the plants as factories for an antibody chemical specific to the cells that cause follicular B-cell lymphoma, BBC News reported Wednesday.

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After having a heart attack, people with kidney disease are less likely to receive recommended medications, a new study finds. The report, published in the September issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, finds people with end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis are often deprived of heart-protecting medicines such as beta blockers and cholesterol-lowering statins.

via medicinenet.com

The controversial cholesterol drug Vytorin does not lower the risk of major heart valve problems, according to a report released Monday by its manufacturers, Schering-Plough Corp. and Merck & Co. In a multi-country study of 1,873 patients, the drug was no better than placebo at lowering the odds of major cardiovascular events in patients suffering from aortic stenosis, a condition involving blocked blood flow to the heart.

via medicinenet.com

Patients are being recruited for a clinical trial of a new targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol for pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung's lining that's almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Currently, the standard treatment is to remove the affected lung. "Current surgical and chemotherapy treatments of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma are unsatisfactory and have not been shown to significantly prolong survival.

via medicinenet.com

Obstructive sleep apnea may make nighttime heart attacks more likely than daytime heart attacks, a new study shows. In obstructive sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes completely or partially blocked, interrupting regular breathing, several times per night. The new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, recommends that people who have heart attacks while sleeping at night be screened for obstructive sleep apnea.

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An abundant chromosomal protein that binds to damaged DNA prevents cancer development by enhancing DNA repair, researchers at University of Texas reported Monday on-line in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.Read the rest of this entry »

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Analysts from Cambridge and Yale universities said they had led to less being spent on healthcare. As a result TB in countries with International Monetary Fund loans rose sharply, they claimed. A UK TB charity backed the Public Library of Science study findings - but the IMF firmly rejected them.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Avoiding sun over the fears of developing skin cancer might be making your bones brittle, suggests a new survey. According to National Osteoporosis Society (NOS), lack of vitamin D might put people at an increased risk of developing brittle bone disease.
It advised having lunch outside, gardening or hanging out the washing.

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Canadian researchers claim to have successfully used an electrical surgical technique to relieve severe mental depression in chronic cases. A team of researchers at Toronto Western Hospital subjected 20 patients with severe depression to what they call deep brain stimulation (DBS). The technique involved using electrical current to relieve depression.

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A chromosomal protein that binds to damaged DNA and speeds up its repair becomes instrumental in preventing cancer, according to Texas University researchers.
Identification and repair of DNA damage is the primary defence against birth and reproduction of mutant cancer causing cells. The protein, HMGB1, was previously suspected of blocking DNA repair, said Karen Vasquez.

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Washington, July 22 : When a second strain of wily HIV virus infects someone after the first, they swap genetic information, creating a third, recombinant strain, successfully outwitting the immune system. A study has shown how and where viral strains swap DNA may be determined by the immune response against the original infecting strain.

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A sweeping genetic analysis suggests that the activity of certain genes might someday allow doctors to predict which lung cancer patients need more aggressive therapies and which do not. But the findings also underscore the difficulty of making such predictions, especially in the case of people with the earliest forms of the disease, when aggressive therapies could be of greatest value.

via medicinenet.com

It's one step forward, one step back in the search for treatments against Alzheimer's disease. In one of two studies in the July 19 issue of The Lancet, an older drug called dimebon significantly improved Alzheimer's symptoms. But in a second report, a once-promising vaccine failed to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's — even though it cleared dementia-linked amyloid plaques in the brain.

via medicinenet.com