NewsPublicHealth.com : Public Health News

Designer nano luggage to carry drugs to diseased cells

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

Scientists have succeeded in growing empty particles derived from a plant virus and have made them carry useful chemicals. The external surface of these nano containers could be decorated with molecules that guide them to where they are needed in the body, before the chemical load is discharged to exert its effect on diseased cells. The containers are particles of the Cowpea mosaic virus, which is ideally suited for designing biomaterial at the nanoscale.

Effort aims to spike breast cancer with new approach

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

Many women live with breast cancer that does not respond to standard medical treatment, a condition that researchers want to change by aggressively targeting specific genes.

New clues about the basis of muscle wasting disease

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

New findings shed light on how genetic damage to muscle cell proteins can lead to the development of the rare muscle-wasting disease, nemaline myopathy.

12 year olds more likely to use potentially deadly inhalants than cigarettes or marijuana

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

More 12 year olds have used potentially lethal inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, according to new data.

Exploiting the architecture of cancers may lead to their destruction

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

To grow larger, solid tumors require a network of blood vessels to nourish them. Chemotherapy exploits these vessels to deliver toxic drugs, but is inefficient if the drugs cannot pass quickly enough from the bloodstream into the tumor. A new study describes a way of transiently making the tumor blood vessels leakier, allowing more efficient drug uptake. This work may ultimately enhance delivery of chemotherapies into tumor tissue.

Best treatment for childhood epilepsy suggested by new research

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

One of the oldest available anti-seizure medications, ethosuximide, is the most effective treatment for childhood absence epilepsy, according to initial outcomes.

PEGylated dendrimers: A novel mechanism of drug delivery

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

A research team has shown how PEGylated polylysine dendrimers, a new type of nano-sized drug delivery system, can be altered to target either the lymphatic system or the bloodstream, which may improve the treatment of particular types of diseases.

New research aims to prevent ’sudden cardiac arrest’

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

Scientists are investigating the cause and effects of Sudden Cardiac Arrest syndrome. This team is hot on the trail of understanding how a multi-gene syndrome, one of the causes for SCA, operates inside the body. Once they figure out how the disorder operates and describe its molecular system in detail, they hope to develop a drug or therapy to stop this condition before it strikes.

Seaweed extract may hold promise for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

Seaweed extract may eventually emerge as a lymphoma treatment, according to laboratory research. Seaweeds containing fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide similar to heparin in chemical structure, have been reported to have anti-tumor activity in mice and some cell lines.

End to lice? Effectiveness of new oral treatment demonstrated

Newspublichealth.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:14 +0000

French medical researchers have recently demonstrated the effectiveness of a new molecule in the fight against lice. Faced with the emergence of increasing resistance to conventional treatments by these parasites, this new medication represents a real therapeutic alternative which is effective in 95 percent of cases.