The Business Intelligence firm La Merie S.L. reported that during the year 2008 results of major phase II studies in asthma with two different interleukin-13 antagonistic antibodies are expected which will be decisive for the validation of a hot target. Interleukin-13 is regarded to have a central in the development of allergic asthma, mediating airway inflammation, obstruction and hyper-reactivity.

Elderly nursing home residents whose care is funded by Medicaid, a state-administered scheme in the US that pays for healthcare for people with low incomes, receive limited cancer services, with only a small proportion undergoing surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, warns a study. Approximately one in 10 people living in elderly nursing homes have cancer, but very little research has previously looked at this group.

The Montana Cancer Institute Foundation and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department are collaborating on a new program to determine whether American Indians possess certain genetic traits that could fight cancer or make them respond less effectively to cancer treatments, the

As the flu season gets into full swing across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that while this year’s shots do not match all of the major circulating types of flu, they are still worth having because as a minimum, they lessen the severity of the illness and protect against serious potential complications.

The House on Thursday voted 384-23 to approve legislation (HR 4848) that would extend for one year a law that prohibits health insurers from imposing annual or lifetime caps on mental health coverage that differ from those imposed for other illnesses, CQ Today reports. The law does not require health plans to provide coverage for mental health illnesses.

Scientists in London have discovered a new genetic mechanism which helps cancer cells survive by changing the way they respond to treatment. The research, which was jointly funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK, is published online in the scientific journal, Nature* and gives us a better understanding of how some cancers may become resistant to treatment.

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have found seven new sites in the human genome that are linked to men’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics* yesterday. The scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research and University of Cambridge found one gene called MSMB which could possibly be used in screening for prostate cancer and disease monitoring.

A treatment, developed thanks to Diabetes UK-funded research, that offers hope for some people with Type 1 diabetes who suffer from the most serious effects of hypoglycaemia will be made available on the NHS. The announcement was made today by Health Minister Ann Keen. To date, Diabetes UK has funded 12 islet cell transplantations for people with Type 1 diabetes who have lost their hypo awareness.

UNICEF and Nickelodeon Latin America announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at bringing about positive changes in the daily lives of children throughout Latin America. Nickelodeon and UNICEF’s global initiative strives to educate children about their rights, options, and provide them an opportunity to share their opinions as well as take action on issues, such as climate change, caring for the environment, water conservation and recycling.

Intense media coverage of violence perpetrated by people with mental disorders-such as the April, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech-has unintentionally reinforced a common public misconception: mental illness equals violence. However, more than a decade of research has shown that the equation is not so straightforward.