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Tulane Receives $7.07 Million NIH Grant To Develop Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Detection Kits
Researchers at Tulane University, in collaboration with Corgenix Medical Corporation, a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, have received a five-year $7,073,538 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for continued development of detection kits for Lassa viral hemorrhagic fever, a serious disease spread by contact with infected rodents. Viral hemorrhagic fevers are characterized by fever and bleeding disorders and can progress to high fever and shock. Lassa fever is estimated to infect 300,000 to 500,000 people per year across West Africa, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths.

Medical Students, Pew Find Improvement In Medical School Pharmaceutical Conflict-Of-Interest Policies, But Many Lag
Over one-fifth of U.S. medical schools improved their conflict-of-interest rules in the past year, yet dozens of others lag behind according to the 2009 American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard, released today. The Scorecard, developed by AMSA and the Pew Prescription Project, finds that 45 of 149 medical schools now receive a grade of A or B for their policies governing pharmaceutical industry interaction with medical school faculty and students, compared with only 29 last year. However, for the second year, dozens of schools received grades of D or F and remain far behind the national leaders.
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AXURA(R)/AKATINOL(R) Enhances Communication Abilities In Patients With Alzheimer÷´s Disease - for A Longer Integration In Social And Family Life
Memantine improves functional communication skills in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer"s disease (AD), noticeable by caregivers. These are the study results discussed at the International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD). The data of two recent clinical trials support that AXURA®/AKATINOL® - an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist - effects language skills in AD patients and improves cognitive abilities and functional communication. Leading neurologists emphasize that improvement of communication skills is a meaningful treatment target. Communication breakdown can trigger feelings of frustration in Alzheimer"s patients and these feelings may manifest as behavioral instability. This in turn is known to be a major of caregiver"s burden and distress.
Oncology

Research In Adolescent Addiction Supported By Early Stimulus Funding

A Brown University professor is among the first in the country to win a federal research grant funded by national economic stimulus efforts. Robert Miranda Jr., assistant professor (research) with the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addition Studies, will use the funds in an unusual study that may help reduce marijuana addiction among teens by testing a novel medication. "There are very few medication studies done for adolescent substance abuse," Miranda said. Miranda has been awarded $560,515 for the first year of a two-year proposal through the National Institutes of Health and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The study will look at the drug topiramate to see if it helps reduce marijuana addiction among high-school students. Topiramate has been shown previously to help reduce alcohol use. Funding for Miranda"s study, specifically through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an NIH agency, will create or help create three new full-time positions. This funding will also help save five full-time jobs, including a computer programmer and project assessment coordinator. Some of those positions would have been changed to part-time status. Miranda himself will be able to continue this program of research under the grant. Topiramate, which has also been used to treat migraines and epilepsy, is thought to be able to blunt dopamine release in the brain. Dopamine is released during substance abuse and subsequently contributes to its rewarding effects. That phenomenon is thought to lead to the addictive quality of certain drugs, such as marijuana. Research indicates that marijuana use is a factor for two-thirds of all substance abuse treatment center admissions among teenagers, Miranda said. The study will begin in mid-June at the Brown Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Miranda expects to enroll about 60 adolescent males and females, recruited through the community and local schools. The study will focus on whether the drug is well tolerated and effective and whether a broader, larger-scale clinical trial and longer-term follow-ups are warranted. Mark Hollmer Brown University


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