Artificial Pancreas Would Dial up Diabetes Control
from USA Today
Scientists nationwide are developing artificial-pancreas technology that will reduce or do away with nighttime and daytime checks for parents and help adults and children with type 1 diabetes better control the disease. But it may be years before it's available. More

Older Donated Blood is Linked to Infection Risk
from The Los Angeles Times
Hospitalized patients who received blood that had been stored for more than four weeks were nearly three times as likely to develop infections as those who received fresher blood, according to researchers. The blood itself was not infected, but the stored blood's release of chemical agents called cytokines may have affected the recipients' immune systems, rendering them more susceptible to infections, said Dr. Raquel Nahra of Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith, Ark. More

CDC Releases First Estimate of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancer Data
from Infection Control Today
Twenty-five thousand cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers occurred in 38 states and the District of Columbia annually during 1998-2003, according to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, "Assessing the Burden of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Associated Cancers in the U.S.," was published online and appears in the Nov. 15, supplement edition of Cancer. More

Credit Crunch Threatens New Medicines
from Science Daily
Investment into research for new drugs - which globally runs into the billions – is now seriously at threat as former investors in the drug companies shy away as a result of the economic meltdown. Professor David Wield, Director of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Edinburgh-based Innogen Centre, and chair of the "Genomics and Society: Reinventing Life?" conference, delivered a stark warning prior to the gathering of over 200 experts at conference in London. More

How HIV Vaccine Might Have Increased Odds of Infection
from Science Daily
In September 2007, a phase II HIV-1 vaccine trial was abruptly halted when researchers found that the vaccine may have promoted, rather than prevented, HIV infection. A new study by a team of researchers at the Montpellier Institute of Molecular Genetics in France shows how the vaccine could have enhanced HIV infection. More

Excess Weight Seems to Boost Breast Cancer Risk
from U.S. National Library of Medicine
Obesity can wreck a person's health for many reasons. But for women, too much weight tacks on an additional danger. Studies have linked obesity and breast cancer in a variety of ways. Doctors aren't sure why this link exists and are trying to figure out what ties weight gain to breast cancer. But they are more and more convinced the link is there, and they are urging women to watch their weight and increase their exercise to help stave off what is the most common cancer among females, nonmelanoma skin cancer aside. More

Biologists Discover Motor Protein that Rewinds DNA
from Science Daily
Two biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have discovered the first of a new class of cellular motor proteins that “rewind” sections of the double-stranded DNA molecule that become unwound, like the tangled ribbons from a cassette tape, in "bubbles" that prevent critical genes from being expressed. More

Joliet, Ill., Medical Center Lab Receives Accreditation
from Nurse.com
The laboratory at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., has been accredited by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists after an on-site inspection. The lab is one of more than 6,000 accredited laboratories nationwide. More

DNA-based Vaccine Against West Nile Virus Effective Even After Onset of Disease
from Science Daily
Researchers are developing a DNA-based vaccine against the dreaded West Nile virus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. The unique feature of this vaccine is that it is also effective after onset of the disease, for it has therapeutic properties. SARS, avian flu, Ebola – outbreaks of deadly viral infections are becoming increasingly frequent. More

New Ultrasound Technique Could Exert Remote Control of Brain Circuits
from Health Imaging
In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University (ASU) has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity, according to a recent study. The researchers said that their findings provide insight into how low-power ultrasound can be harnessed for the noninvasive neurostimulation of brain circuits and offers the potential for new treatments of brain disorders and disease. More

Vomiting Disease Afflicts University of Arizona in Tucson Students
from KSWT-TV
More than a dozen students at the University of Arizona in Tucson are suffering from a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. University officials informed students by e-mail of the virus, which is causing norovirus-like symptoms. Noroviruses cause stomach-related distress such as sudden-onset vomiting, diarrhea and severe abdominal cramps. More