Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses. In people, common symptoms of influenza are fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, and weakness and fatigue.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves Zytiga for late-stage prostate cancer – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) in combination with prednisone (a steroid) to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) castration-resistant prostate cancer who have received prior docetaxel (chemotherapy).
Our own status affects the way our brains respond to others – Our own social status influences the way our brains respond to others of higher or lower rank, according to a new study reported online on April_28 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
Adult-supervised drinking in young teens may lead to more alcohol use, consequences – Allowing adolescents to drink alcohol under adult supervision does not appear to teach responsible drinking as teens get older. In fact, such a “harm-minimization” approach may actually lead to more drinking and alcohol-related consequences, revealed researchers.
Heart attacks are more serious if they occur at certain times of the day — Circadian variations of infarct size in acute myocardial infarction – People who have a heart attack are likely to be more seriously affected if the attack happens in the morning, reveals research published ahead of print in Heart journal.
Study Examines Changes in Medical Students’ Views About Internal Medicine Careers – Compared with 1990, more medical students in 2007 viewed internal medicine as a potentially meaningful career; however, the majority of students are choosing other specialties.
Increase in Use of Evidence-Based Treatments is Followed By Decrease in Risk of Death Among Patients With Heart Attack – In an analysis of data from a coronary care registry in Sweden, between 1996-2007 there was an increase in the prevalence of use of evidence-based invasive procedures and pharmacological therapies for treatment of a certain type of heart attack, and a decrease in the rate of death at 30 days and one year after a heart attack for these patients.
Activation of Biomarker Appears Associated With Improved Survival Among Obese Patients With Colorectal Cancer – Among obese patients, activation of the protein biomarker CTNNB1 was associated with better colorectal cancer-specific survival and overall survival, whereas post-diagnosis physical activity was associated with better colorectal cancer-specific survival among patients negative for CTNNB1.
Swine flu vaccine causing sudden sleep disorder narcolepsy in children – A swine flu vaccine which has been given to thousands of children in Britain may cause the sleep disorder narcolepsy. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and nodding off suddenly without warning.
Work Underway on Potential Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test Using Spinal Fluid – Researchers at the University of Kentucky are working on a potential diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease, based on biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid.
Stanford research moves nanomedicine one step closer to reality – A class of engineered nanoparticles — gold-centered spheres smaller than viruses — has been shown safe when administered by two alternative routes in a mouse study led by investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
FDA approves the first vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants and toddlers – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Menactra in children as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135. Menactra already is approved for use in people ages 2 through 55 years.
New approach to defeating flu shows promise – New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus.
