Health Risk Factor Week

AIDS Prevention - U.N. envoy says clerics can help prevent spread of AIDS in Pakistan

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Health departments should adopt new notification policies for gay men

Ethicon, Inc. - FDA issues alert on counterfeit polypropylene mesh used in surgery

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - 3-D synchrotron radiation micro computed tomography reveals bone status

Finance - LanVision reports 14% revenue increase in third quarter compared to last year

Finance - Mariner Health Care agrees to sell $175M of 8.25% senior subordinated notes

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - B lymphocyte-specific c-Myc expression sparks early events in lymphomagenesis

Hamamatsu University - L-asparaginase treatment may be effective for certain subtypes of AML

Harvard University - HHV-7's U21 transports MHC-I molecules to lysosomes via the ER-lumenal domain

Harvard University - T-cell costimulatory molecules ultimately assign allograft rejection, tolerance

Hiroshima University - p16 Gene transfer causes abnormal nucleation in radiation-treated cancer cells

Hokkaido University -  H. pylori CagA inhibits B cell p53-induced apoptosis; triggers MALT lymphoma

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Herpesvirus 8 and Epstein-Barr virus seropositivity among children compared

Hospital Corp. of America - HCA appoints Marilyn Tavenner as group president for outpatient services

Immunicon Corp. - FDA 510(k) clearance granted for the CellTracks Analyzer for HIV/AIDS

Inamed Corp. - FDA dismisses two petitions seeking to delay application review

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals, AG - INGENOtyping agreement inked with Max-Planck Institute

Insmed, Inc. - FDA grants orphan drug designation for rhIGF-I/rhIGFBP-3, SomatoKine

Inst. of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Lisbon -  P. jiroveci DHPS mutations not linked to sulfa drugs in Portugese patients

Institute Gustave Roussy - A real-time PCR assay screens for p53 recombinant adenovirus in patient samples

Institute Gustave Roussy - IP hyperthermic chemo techniques must be draconian in order to be effective

Institute J Paoli I Calmettes - LIGHT, along with CD40L, allows activation of DC, IL-12 by memory T helper cells

Instituto Grifols - FDA license granted for intravenous immunoglobulin

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Immunohistochemical assay for babesiosis in tissue samples developed

Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. - INGN 241 therapy shows safety and clinical activity in phase I clinical trial

Istituto Superiore di Sanita - HIV Nef induces DC differentiation through Vav signaling

Jagiellonian University - IL-10 release following intracerebral hemorrhage varies depending on hemisphere

Jichi Medical School -  Plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite protein protect against malaria

Johns Hopkins Univ. Hospital - AMACR is essential for optimal growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro

Johns Hopkins University - O-GlcNAc plays role in diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration

Karolinska Institute -  Enterococcus enriched with surface protein gene show increased adhesion

Kumamoto University - VLDL/chylomicron plays role in amyloid formation

Kuopio University Hospital - IL-1 receptor antagonist polymorphisms are associated with preeclampsia

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - IIp45 antagonizes IGFBP-2 stimulation of glioma cell invasion

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Increase in rodent-transmitted disease seen in Hawaii

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - PI3-K pathway may be major pathway for trastuzumab-mediated radiosensitization

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - p27(KIP1) has a novel role in down-regulation of telomerase activity

Manchester Royal Eye Hospital - HSV keratitis can occur in keratoplasty as host reactivation, donor transmission

Maxygen, Inc. - 5HTIA serotonin receptor agonists suppress P. falciparum growth

Mayo Clinic - A rapid serological assay can identify amyloidogenic transthyretin variants

Mayo Clinic - MAPK pathway may be a potential therapeutic target in ALL

Medical University of Lodz - A whole genome screen reveals five genes associated with multiple sclerosis

Medicare - HHS secretary promotes program's changes at Wisconsin town hall meeting

Medicis - FDA approves dermal filler Restylane

Mentor Corp. - WARF licenses botulinum toxin

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Intestinal intussusception associated with adenovirus in Mexican children

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - GTC takes equity position in MM-093 developer

Microbiology & Immunology Inst., Belgrade -  Staphylococcus sciuri group may be an infrequent cause of UTI

NanoBio Corporation - U.S. Department of Defense awards $3.2M contract for antimicrobial nanoemulsions

National Blood Service, Birmingham, UK - HLA-DRB5 allele, DRB5*0112, may be the result of intraexonic recombination

National Cancer Center, Gyeonggi - BRAF mutations do not seem to be involved in gastric cancer development

National Public Health Institute, Turku - BACTEC MGIT 960 effective for TB drug resistance testing

Natl. Inst. of Health & Medical Research, Paris - HIV Nef induces accumulation of MHC II complexes and MVBs

Newcastle General Hospital - DJ-1 gene polymorphism not linked to Parkinson disease

Noninvasive Monitoring Systems, Inc. - AT101 maker announces major narrowing of first quarter loss compared to 2002

Norwegian Univ. of Science & Technology - TOP2A aberration testing may help identify targeted breast cancer therapies

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Invalid vaccine doses would cost millions to fix

OraSure Technologies, Inc. - FDA completes inspection of manufacturing facility for oral diagnostics company

Paul Scherrer Institute - HIV TAT basic peptide has low affinity for VEGF receptor 2

Qmed - FDA approves Restylane for soft tissue augmentation

Quality Assurance - HMO report shows need for improved care of children, women in Utah

Radiancy, Inc. - FDA grants clearance for light unit assembly acne vulgaris treatment

Roche - 48-Week data submitted to FDA for full approval of HIV fusion inhibitor

Rowett Research Inst. - CSF treatments, laser light therapy may aid restitution and repair of mucositis

Saegis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company announces new vice president

Schering, AG - MS-325 for magnetic resonance angiography submitted for approval in the U.S.

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Hospital - AT₁ blockade enhances vasorelaxation during heart failure

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Opsonophagocytosis assay effective for Streptococcus pneumoniae antibodies

SpectRx, Inc. - FDA grants second major patent for insulin delivery patch

Staffing - LSU hospital chief to lead Erlanger Health System

Stanford University - VEGF is a prerequisite for exercise-induced hippocampal neurogenesis

Suntory Pharmaceutical Research - HMGene enters obesity drug agreement

Syneron Medical, Ltd. - FDA approves Polaris WR wrinkle treatment system

Telemedicine - A few doctors seeing patients online

Tiax - U.S. patent issued for multilayered dressing

Tohoku University, Japan - II beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 is expressed in ARDS patient lungs

U.S. Food & Drug Administration - FDA plans to prohibit sales of diet supplements containing ephedra

U.S. Food & Drug Administration - U.S. officials say it's too costly to legalize drug imports

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - Vaccine shortages affect child immunization programs

U.S. National Institutes of Health - NK cell activating receptor NKp46 is similar to other leukocyte receptors

U.S. Natl. Inst. of Child Health & Human Developme - U.S. NIH alerts parents to winter SIDS risk

Ullevaal University Hospital - HAART has limited effect on hypertension risk

Univ. of Texas Medical Branch - DNA base excision repair proteins help fix oxidative DNA damage

Univ. of Texas SW Medical Center - LDL receptor-related protein controls blood-brain barrier permeability

University of Alberta - TRAIL triggers apoptosis in human malignant glioma cells

University of British Columbia - T-plastin shows potential as Sezary cell-specific marker

University of California-Los Angeles - 12-Lipoxygenase plays role in experimental diabetic nephropathy

University of Edinburgh - TNF-alpha may play an early role in the malignant transformation of liver cells

University of Glasgow -  Trypanosoma homologous recombination changes if mismatch repair is impaired

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Cold-adapted influenza A H9N2 reassortant is influenza vaccine candidate

University of Laval - LDL peak particle diameter is highly heritable

University of Maryland - U.S. officials say interviews for HIV study were fabricated

University of Milan - TIPS improves cardiac function in hypovolemic patients

University of Munich - A new B*38 allele, B*3809, was found in a Dutch caucasoid B-cell line

University of New South Wales - DHEA increases macrophage foam-cell formation

University of Paris - 3-D ultrasound assesses lung volume in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

University of Rochester -  Pseudomonas aeruginosa has two quorum sensing systems that could be targeted

University of So. Denmark - PPARdelta transactivation occurs in psoriasis; may be linked to pathology

University of Southern California - "Paper of the year" recognizes significance of gene variance findings

University of Szeged - A whole genome screen reveals 33 genes associated with multiple sclerosis