Health and Medicine

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center report that two doses of the varicella vaccine for chicken pox given one to two months apart can be safe and effective in children with chronic kidney disease.

The findings, reported in the January issue of Pediatric Nephrology, are critical for chronic kidney disease patients, particularly children who will eventually undergo a kidney transplant. After transplantation, immunosuppressive medications put these children at high risk for

Faint glow given off only when cells are killed could speed drug development for cancer, stroke, other diseases

The process that makes fireflies glow bright in the summer night can also shed light on how well new medicines work, showing immediately whether the drugs are effective at killing cells or causing other effects.

That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists from the University of Michigan Health System, who report that they have inserted the gene for a firefly

A new study identifies sensors in the gastrointestinal tract that signals the body that food ingestion is no longer required

Bethesda, MD – According to the United Nations, 14 African countries now face water scarcity or water stress. By the year 2025, experts agree that eleven more countries will join the list and half the world will live with water stress.

The consequences of water drought can be terrible – a loss of livestock and crops can lead to overall starvation of a

New study identifies an enzyme associated with pancreatic inflammation

Bethesda, MD – Clinical acute pancreatitis can present with varying degrees of severity The chief causes of this disorder are gallstones, gallbladder-related disease and alcohol use. Viral infection, mumps, and certain medications such as corticosteroids, diuretics, and tetracycline are other causes. In adults, the disorder is frequently associated with lung injury, manifesting itself as adult respiratory distress

Researchers from Finland have found that the cholesterol-lowering agent gemfibrozil (marketed as Lopid and generics) greatly increases the concentrations of cerivastatin (Lipobay or Baycol) in blood. This finding explains the observed muscle toxicity of the gemfibrozil-cerivastatin combination. This potentially fatal adverse effect of cerivastatin led to the withdrawal of Lipobay/Baycol from the market.

The concentrations of Lipobay were increased on average 5-6-fold by Lopid, in some indivi

Increased bone mass in a calcitonin knockout mouse full of surprises

Bone is in a constant state of remodeling, during which osteoclasts remove old bone (resorption) and osteoblasts form new bone (formation). Calcitonin is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland and inhibits bone resorption. Following menopause, the rate of bone loss is accelerated, however women with post-menopausal osteoporosis that are treated with calcitonin (by injection or nasal spray) demonstrate increased bon