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New Approach To Prevent Antibody-Mediated Damage In Kidney Transplants
Early results from a Mayo Clinic research study demonstrate the effectiveness of a new approach to blocking an important part of the immune system that causes severe damage to some kidney transplants. Historically, these patients have been very difficult to treat successfully because their immune systems are already primed with antibodies to destroy the donor organ. These findings were presented at the American Transplant Congress.
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Behavioral Effects Of Addiction Enhanced By Cocaine-Linked Genes
New research sheds light on how cocaine regulates gene expression in a crucial reward region of the brain to elicit long-lasting changes in behavior. The study, published by Cell Press in the May 14th issue of the journal Neuron, provides exciting insight into the molecular pathways regulated by cocaine and may lead to new strategies for battling drug addiction.
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New Study Results Published Compare ABRAXANE(R) To Taxotere(R)
Abraxis BioScience Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII) announced that final results from an open-label Phase II study evaluating three dose levels of the company"s chemotherapy agent ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin bound) compared to the highest standard dose of Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate, in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. According to investigator-assessed results, ABRAXANE administered weekly at 150 mg/m2 demonstrated an increase in progression-free survival (PFS) over docetaxel of 14.6 months versus 7.8 months, respectively (p=0.012). Results from the independent assessment of PFS for the 150mg/m2 treatment arm also demonstrated an increase in PFS (12.9 versus 7.5 months, respectively; p=0.0065). Investigators also noted a trend toward improvement in the study"s primary endpoint, overall response rate (ORR), confirmed complete and partial responses by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria with weekly ABRAXANE. In investigator-assessed results, the ORR was 74 percent for ABRAXANE 150 mg/m2 weekly arm (pAbout the Study
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Fungi Pathogenic To Insects Are New Tool In Fight Against Chagas Disease

Entomopathogenic fungi may be a safe and efficient means of controlling Triatoma infestans, the bug that helps spread Chagas disease, according to new research conducted in Argentina. The study, published May 12 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows the success of the fungi to kill bugs resistant to current control methods. Chagas disease is the most relevant parasitic disease in Latin America, being a major burden that affects mostly poor human populations living in rural areas. The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly transmitted through blood-feeding triatomine bugs; in the southern Cone of South America the most prominent vector is Triatoma infestans. Current control strategies based on residual chemical insecticide application are threatened by the emergence of pyrethroid resistance. The researchers, led by Patricia Juç¡rez, performed both laboratory and field experiments showing that the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana is virulent against bug populations from pyrethroid-resistant foci in the Argentina/Bolivia border. An attraction-infection trap was developed and tested during a 15-day period in field assays performed in two rural villages, demonstrating that more than 50% of the bugs detected were killed by fungal infection. By existing vector population models, the bug population reduction was estimated to reduce the risk of acquiring the parasite infection. This approach might also prove useful at different settings, e.g. peridomiciliary environments where current tactics and procedures are reported to fail, and rural communities located in remote areas inaccessible to sanitary control teams. The authors emphasize that these results might help to provide a safe and efficient alternative to overcome bug pyrethroid-resilience in the short term, and might be useful to control other Chagas disease vectors as well. Financial Disclosure: Partial financial support came from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization/Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Disease (A20433), the Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina (PICT 01-14174), and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Argentina, to MPJ. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: NP, SJM, JRG, and MPJ have a patent pending on a blood-sucking insect trap, and a method to detect and control those insects. Citation: "Control of Pyrethroid-Resistant Chagas Disease Vectors with Entomopathogenic Fungi." Pedrini N, Mijailovsky SJ, Girotti JR, Stariolo R, Cardozo RM, et al. (2009) PLoS Negl Trop Dis 3(5): e434.doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000434 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases


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