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Diabetes
Inhaler Given Approval
January
27, 2006
A
form of insulin that can be inhaled rather than injected has been approved for
people with diabetes. The drug, Exubera, is designed to offer adults with
diabetes an alternative to their daily insulin injections.
Source:
BBC News
Botswana
Adopts Radical Approach to HIV Detection
January
28, 2006
When
Botswana first offered free AIDS treatment, health authorities in one of the
world's most infected countries braced for a rush of patients. It did not
happen. It turned out that most people were so afraid of the deadly disease, and
the frequent social ostracism, that they did not want to know if they were
infected. That reluctance to seek help in one of the few African nations able to
provide it prompted a radical rethinking of how testing is done here. Now, HIV
tests are offered as a part of any medical visit.
Source:
abcnews.com
Controversial
Painkillers Could Slash Cancer Risk
January
30, 2006
A
small study looking at the effects of a class of painkillers known as selective
COX-2 inhibitors suggests the drugs can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up
to 83%. However, these drugs have come under fire recently as research has
linked them to an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.
Source:
NewScientist.com
Stem
Cell Transplants Offer Hope Against Lupus
January
31, 2006
Scientists
claim that they have achieved landmark success with an experimental approach,
using a patient’s own stem cells, to fight the life-threatening autoimmune
disease lupus. The treatment substantially improved the condition of about half
of the lupus patients, all of whom had stopped responding to standard therapy.
But the treatment still carries real risks and medical experts caution against
calling it a cure.
Source:
NewScientist.com
Iraqi
Bird Flu Death Confirmed By WHO Lab
February
1, 2006
A
World Health Organization laboratory confirmed today (1 February) that an Iraqi
teenager who died last month had bird flu, making Iraq the seventh country with
human fatalities from the disease. Twelve more people in the Kurdistan region
are being treated for suspected infection.
Source:
SciDev.net
New
Drug Fights Constipation
February
1, 2006
The
drug Amitiza (lubiprostone) has been approved for treatment of chronic
constipation in adults with no known cause for the condition, the US Food and
Drug Administration said Tuesday. This drug, the first of its chemical type,
will be available as capsules to treat chronic idiopathic constipation, defined
as infrequent or difficult passage of stool.
Source:
News24.com
Gm
Aid For Pandemic Flu Vaccine
February
2, 2006
Scientists
have used genetic modification in an early step towards creating a pandemic flu
vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control created the vaccine by putting a
gene from a strain of the deadly H5N1 type of bird flu into a cold virus. This
was then developed in cell cultures, rather than hens' eggs used in conventional
vaccine development.
Source:
BBC News
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