St. Jude projects 90 percent cure rate for ALL

The cure rate for the once almost universally fatal childhood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) could reach 90 percent in the near future, thanks to improvements in diagnosis and treatment over the past four decades, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Almost 4,000 cases of ALL are diagnosed in the United States each year, about two-thirds of which are in children and adolescents, making this disease the most common cancer in this age group. more  

Protein finding could lead to treatment for inflammatory diseases

A protein that undesirably shields a skin poxvirus from the immune system may become the key ingredient in a new topical treatment for inflammatory diseases, say medical researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. more

Why the brain has 'gray matter'

By borrowing mathematical tools from theoretical physics, scientists have recently developed a theory that explains why the brain tissue of humans and other vertebrates is segregated into the familiar "gray matter" and "white matter." more  

Practice makes deadly perfection, FSU suicide researcher says

Every year, close to 1 million people around the world kill themselves. Florida State University Bright-Burton Professor of Psychology Thomas Joiner has spent much of his career trying to find out why. After all, lots of people are hopeless and depressed, many severely. Why do some people choose to end their own lives and others don't? The answer, he believes, could save lives. more

New insights into neural tube defects 

Environmental and genetic factors lead to neural tube defects in 1 in every 1,000 births and cause 1 in 20 of every spontaneous abortion. One cause of these defects is the failure of cells within the neural tube to migrate to the middle of the developing neural tube. more

Most behaviors preceding major causes of preventable death have begun by young adulthood  

By the time they reach early adulthood, a large proportion of American youth have begun the poor practices contributing to three leading causes of preventable death in the United States: smoking, overweight and obesity, and alcohol abuse. This finding is according to an NIH-funded analysis of the most comprehensive survey of adolescent health behavior undertaken to date. more

FDA cautions consumers against filling U.S. prescriptions abroad drugs with same or similar names may contain different active ingredients than in U.S. and pose health risks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning healthcare professionals and consumers that filling their prescriptions abroad may have adverse health consequences because of confusion with drug brand names that could inadvertently lead consumers to take the wrong medication for their condition. more