Natural Killers Could Lead to New Hepatitis Treatments
Researchers have discovered that natural killer T (NKT) cells, the immune system's sentinels, patrol the labyrinthine blood vessels of the liver for invaders or signs of tissue damage and demonstrate a dogged behavior not seen before in other T cells. The new studies show that NKT cells crawl along vessel walls, even upstream against blood flow. They halt only when they receive a chemical...Thinking the pain away? Study shows the brain's painkillers may cause 'placebo effect'
Sham painkiller prompts brain to release endorphins, bringing real relief to those in pain The study provides the first direct evidence that the brain's own pain-fighting chemicals, called endo...Brazilians sequence genes of pig and poultry killers
Brazilian researchers have sequenced the genomes of two bacteria that cause significant damage to pig and poultry farming in Brazil and elsewhere. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes pneumonia in pigs and costs the B...AIDS and tobacco are worldwide killers: Is bioscience doing enough to stop them?
MADISON A Wisconsin-born leader in the World Health Organization has laid down an urgent challenge for bioscience researchers: Arrest AIDS and develop an antidote to nicotine addiction, and the planet will be a safer and more productive place. Tom Loftus, the former U.S. ambassador to Norway and the former Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, added a sobering global perspective to last we...Painkillers Do Not Shorten Dying Patients' Lives
According to some British researhers increasing doses of painkillers to ease the agony of terminally ill patients does not shorten their lives.Some health professionals have criticized the practice, comparing it to euthanasia, but doctors at St Christopher's Hospice in London claim patients receiving higher doses of drugs such as morphine live just as long as those who do not. In re...Strong pain killers likely to cause miscarriage
An English expert says that certain over-the-counter pain killers should carry warnings that they can increase the risk of miscarriage. The comments follow a study by Danish reseacher Gunnar Lauge Nielsen and colleagues published in this week's British Medical Journal which studied the effect on women of taking strong non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like indomethacin (ibuprofen)....Pain Killers Keep the Virus Away
You take aspirin for pains and to prevent heart attacks, but the little white pill may also help keep your immune system strong. A new study says aspirin and related painkillers may block the replication of a common// virus linked to potentially deadly infections in people with AIDS and other immune disorders. The presence of the microbe, called human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), in cells...Drug dilemma confronts users of painkillers
The Food and Drug Administration announced that Vioxx - Merck's blockbuster painkiller, would include new information on its label. The FDA said that Merck can claim that Vioxx has fewer gastrointestinal complications// than one older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen. But the FDA also decided that the Vioxx label must mention that it might be linked to an increased risk of h...Painkillers may protect against Alzheimer's disease
Common painkillers may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and the longer they are taken the greater the benefit, scientists said on Friday. They reviewed 15 studies that examined the effect of painkillers, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and found people who take them are less likely to develop the illness, which is the leading cause of dementia in...