Insidermedicine in 60 - December 22, 2008

From Finland - According to research in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Cervarix appears to be effective at preventing HPV in boys. In a study of 270 boys aged 10 to 18, researchers found that the HPV vaccine produced an even stronger immune response than it had in previous studies of girls. While boys have a much lower risk for HPV-related disease, the researchers suggest that male HPV-vaccination could prevent an additional 20% of cervical cancer cases.

From Chicago - According to research in the journal Nature, scientists have recreated a deadly nerve disease in order to study it. Using skin cells from a child with spinal muscular atrophy, a fatal genetic disease, researchers were able to grow new nerve cells with the same genetic defects and observe what happened when the cells died. Spinal muscular atrophy is the most common cause of childhood death precipitated by genetic mutation.

And finally, from Toronto - According to research in the Lancet, repeat doses of corticosteroids to women at risk of delivering prematurely are ineffective, and may even be harmful. In a study of over 1,800 women, researchers found that babies born to women given multiple doses of corticosteroids were just as likely to survive as babies born to women given a single dose. However, the babies exposed to repeat doses were smaller than those exposed to a single dose.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.

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Science & Technology

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