Abstract: "The Great Influenza" recounts what humanity witnessed and experienced during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Author John M. Barry also describes the remarkable transformation of U.S. medical education just prior to 1918. That transformation not only helped America cope with the pandemic but also continues to influence medical research and practice today. ... Read more
Abstract: Gastric cancer may not affect a lot of people in North America and Europe, but it is one of the top killer cancers in Asia. A persistent infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in the stomach contributes greatly to the occurrence of gastric cancer in Asia. It turns out that Asian bacterial strains are more potent in transforming normal cells to cancerous ones than "Western" or African strains. ... Read more
Abstract: There are some fascinating studies that demonstrated aspirin's superior benefits with serious side effects. Aspirin inhibits COX-1 (cyclooxygenase-1). Its effect on COX-2 is more delicate: it "turns off" COX-2's production of prostaglandins but "switches on" the enzyme's ability to produce novel protective lipid mediators. ... Read more
Abstract: Scar formation is a dreaded consequence of eye surgery. It is invariably associated with inflammation, angiogenesis and wound healing. There is always a balance in healing the wound with the least scar formation possible. Certain dendrimers (polymers) compounds help keep this balance by reducing inflammation and thus scar formation but leaving the wound healing process largely intact. ... Read more
Abstract: 350 million people worldwide carry the hepatitis B virus and 170 million the hepatitis C virus. There has been encouraging progress in recent years in the management of both infections. The combination of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin is perhaps the most effective treatment today. ... Read more
Abstract: Authors believe that cancer is primarily a disorder of cell death rather than cell growth. There is a consequence when cells don't die an apoptotic death. Cells release a bunch of hazardous molecules when they die by necrosis. A new theory describes that necrotic death and chronic inflammation may foster the onset and growth of tumors. ... Read more
Abstract: Iressa, Erbitux, and Tarceva, all targeting EGFR, have recently been approved for cancer treatment. Recent studies demonstrated that certain EGFR mutations caused structural changes of EGFR molecules so that they may bind more tightly to the drugs and predict an increased response to treatment with these drugs. ... Read more
Abstract: Lupus is believed to be an autoimmune disease, affecting many more women than men. Patients develop immune responses to self DNA, omnipresent in the body. Estrogen and androgen are involved in the disease. Immunosuppression and sex hormone therapeutics are two major classes of drugs in clinical trials. ... Read more
Abstract: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate have been the mainstay treatments for rheumatoid arthritis for decades. In the past few years, anti-TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) biopharmaceuticals have sparked a revolution. More drugs targeting the inflammation pathway are in the works. ... Read more
Abstract: The PTPN1 gene (protein tyrosine phosphatase N1) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by only 30%, but 35% of the population carries it. Through a complex calculation of genetic epidemiology, this translates to adding 3.6 million new cases to the total cases, a sizable number. ... Read more
