Bee sting therapy no help in multiple sclerosis
Bee sting therapy is not effective in treating the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and does not improve quality of life, according to the first controlled study to investigate the alternative treatment in MS patients.
Patients with MS should not undergo bee venom therapy “unless better evidence to justify its use becomes available,” warn Dr. Jacques De Keyser of the University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands and colleagues in the journal Neurology this month.
French experts reduce possible bird flu death toll
The arrival of a bird flu pandemic in France might cause up to 80,000 deaths, a third less than what was estimated in an initial governmental study released in January 2004, a spokeswoman from France’s Health Watch Institute (INVS) said on Tuesday.
“The reduction is due to the current level of anti-viral treatments acquired by the French government,” Isabelle Bonmarin, epidemiologist at the INVS told a bird flu conference, organised by the French High Civil Defense Committee.
New Findings About Birth Defects
New findings presented this past week by UAB researchers at the Cell Biology Conference in San Francisco challenge a widely held belief among scientists that cilia – small hair-like projections on the surface of cells – serve no purpose.
“Our study demonstrates cilia play an essential role in the proper formation of certain tissues, such as limbs and digits,” said Bradley Yoder, Ph.D., UAB cell biologist. The study focused on a protein called Tg737/polaris, required for cilia formation.
UK reviews controversial curbs on Alzheimer drugs
British healthcare experts meet on Tuesday to review a planned ban on the new use of Alzheimer’s drugs within the state health service, which has outraged both patients and drug companies.
The deliberations of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) committee will resonate with governments around the world, who increasingly have to weigh up the benefits of modern medicines against their price.
