Scientists at the OU Health Sciences Center have found a new use for an old drug. Their findings appear online Friday in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The drug, Fluvastatin, has been approved since 1993 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the therapy of elevated cholesterol in adults. Millions of patients have taken Fluvastatin for cholesterol without difficulty........

Hamilton, ON (May 12, 2008) - Beta-blocker drugs may help prevent heart attacks during surgery, but they may increase the risk of death and major stroke, says a major study would be published online today by the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet. POISE is the worlds largest randomized trial addressing perioperative cardiac complications. POISE reviewed the effects of a beta-blocker versus placebo given to patients around the time of surgery........

A team of researchers has provided, for the first time, a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The work identifies a critical stop sign for transcription, the first step in gene expression, and has implications for understanding how the AIDS virus regulates its genes. The findings would be reported in the 15 May 2008 issue of the journal Nature........

A new study shows how genes control levels of a number of blood proteins implicated in disease. The findings are the result of an international collaboration between researchers at the University of Exeter, the National Institute on Aging, and the Tuscany and Florence Health Agencies. Details, published May 9th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, determine how a number of of the key proteins within our blood are under genetic control, showing that diet and lifestyle are not the only factors influencing its makeup........

A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Dez Prez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health........

Prior family-based research had linked a broad region on chromosome 4q with alcohol dependence (AD). A new study has observed that nine of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) DNA sequence variations in the 3 region of the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within chromosome 4q, have a significant association with AD, especially those with more severe AD, and co-existing cocaine dependence........

Genes and the environment contribute differently to drinking among young adolescents. A 2001/2002 report by the World Health Organization observed that, among young people in western countries who began drinking before 16 years of age, the average age of initiation was 12 years of age. A new twins study from the Netherlands has observed that genetic factors appear to be involved in the early initiation of alcohol use, while common environmental factors become involved once alcohol use has begun........

Patients in treatment to overcome addictions have a new arena to test their coping skillsthe virtual world. A new study by University of Houston Associate Professor Patrick Bordnick observed that a virtual reality (VR) environment can provide the climate necessary to spark an alcohol craving so that patients can practice how to say no in a realistic and safe setting........

Eventhough letters representing the three billion pairs of molecules that form the "rungs" of the helical DNA "ladder" are routinely called the human "genetic code," the DNA they comprise transmits traits across generations in a variety of ways, not all of which depend on the sequence of letters in the code........

In a definitive critical review, researchers at Childrens Hospital and Research Center Oakland ask whether there is convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction. Joyce C. McCann, Ph.D., assistant staff scientist and Bruce N. Ames, Ph.D., senior scientist at Childrens Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) conclude that there is ample biological evidence to suggest an important role for vitamin D in brain development and function, and that supplementation for groups chronically low in vitamin D is warranted. Their conclusions will be published on April 22, 2008 in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal........

Pilot screening programmes for abdominal aortic aneurysms in men aged 65 are due to be launched in England this year, but is this move too hasty? Two experts debate the issue in this weeks BMJ. Around 90% of people with a ruptured aortic aneurysm die. But if the aneurysm is discovered before it ruptures and is repaired by an experienced vascular surgeon, mortality is around 7.4%, writes James Johnson, consultant surgeon at Halton General Hospital, Runcorn........

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan -- 300,000 in all -- report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought therapy, as per a new RAND Corporation study. In addition, scientists found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression........

Scientists at National Jewish Medical and Research Center are conducting trials to evaluate a method to prevent allergic reactions to food. They are feeding peanut- and egg-allergic people increasing doses of an investigational protein extract from the foods to see if they can induce the participants' immune systems to tolerate the food........

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified, characterized and cloned ovarian cancer stem cells and have shown that these stem cells may be the source of ovarian cancers recurrence and its resistance to chemotherapy. These results bring us closer to more effective and targeted treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer, said Gil Mor, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine........

The use of MRI without endorectal coil can detect prostate cancer and provide undistorted images with diagnostic image quality and accurate tumor localization, as per a recent study conducted by scientists from The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. The 3T MRI datasets were acquired without an endorectal coil and were used during robotic surgery, said Steffen Sammet, MD, PhD, lead author of the study. Since the use of an endorectal coil leads to deformation of the prostate and potentially altered microcirculation, our goal was to assess the capability of detecting prostate cancer areas by dynamic contrast enhanced MRI without endorectal coil at 3T validated by correlation with surgical pathology, he said........