IN BRIEF (Page 19)
TCM compound patented
Chinese scientists have for the first time successfully licensed their patents on a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-originated compound to an international pharmaceutical company.
UK-based Phytopharm signed a deal in June with Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine to launch the global clinical trial for the compound - identified as NJS - in hopes of developing a drug that would improve memory and concentration.
Animal experimentation shows that the herbal compound, identified among a group of active ingredients in TCM treatments, can significantly improve memory, increase blood flow throughout the brain vessels, reduce inflammation and stimulate nerve-cell growth in brain areas, according to its lead researcher Ma Baiping, of the Beijing Institute.
Phytopharm CEO Daryl Rees says the patent licensing for the global clinical trial has shed light on the value of researching the constituents of TCM treatments.
HIV elevates cancer risk
Independent of cigarette smoking, infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is associated with an elevated risk for developing lung cancer, a study shows. Dr Gregory D Kirk from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues evaluated lung cancer deaths among participants in injection drug users followed since 1998 as part of an AIDS study.
Cancer-killing virus
A genetically engineered herpes virus, designed to kill cancer cells but leave normal tissue unharmed, has shown early promise in clinical tests, scientists said on Saturday. The idea of injecting cancer patients with a live virus may seem bizarre, but researchers believe viruses - which are experts at killing cells - could one day become a valuable addition to the medical armory against cancer.
Drug curbs vision loss
Eye injections of the widely used cancer drug Avastin (also called bevacizumab) curb vision loss caused by radiation treatment for eye cancer, according to results of study.
In a statement, Dr Paul T Finger, lead author of the study and director of Ocular Tumor Services at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, says: "This is a major breakthrough for eye cancer patients who are treated with radiation therapy and commonly develop radiation retinopathy. Avastin reduces abnormal blood vessel growth, stops leakage in the eye and the patients wind up seeing better. This is a first."
BK to be sans-trans fats
Burger King Corp, the world's No 2 hamburger chain, said on Friday that all of its US restaurants would be using frying oil that is free of artery-clogging trans fats by the end of 2008. The announcement comes nearly two months after nutrition advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Burger King over the company's use of oil containing trans fats, saying it was the only leading restaurant chain that had not yet committed to eliminating trans fats from its menu.
Sterilization without surgery
Placement of a device that effectively sterilizes a woman can be performed safely and effectively on an outpatient basis without general anesthesia or sedation, with high rates of patient satisfaction, according to British researchers. Most women seeking to be sterilized now have their fallopian tubes "tied" or blocked, which involves surgery and four to six days of recovery. The FDA-approved sterilization device - Conceptus Inc's Essure - uses a tiny group of coils to sterilize a woman without surgery.
Acid reflux in COPD patients
More than half of patients with advanced COPD have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), new research suggests. In GERD, stomach acid seeps into the esophagus causing burning and pain in the chest. COPD, short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive lung disease caused by smoking that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
China Daily-Agencies
(China Daily 07/11/2007 page19)
