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The Challenges Of Avian Influenza Virus: Mechanism, Epidemiology And Control
The latest special issue of Science in China Series C: Life Sciences focuses on the recent progress in the H5N1-related research field.
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Researchers Say More Aggressive Vitamin D Supplementation Needed In Obese Cancer Patients
Body mass index (BMI) should be taken into account when assessing a cancer patient"s vitamin D status, according to researchers at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), who found that obese cancer patients had significantly lower levels of vitamin D compared to non-obese patients.
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Missouri Senate Approves Additional Requirements To Informed Consent Law For Abortion
The Missouri Senate on Thursday voted 25-7 to approve a bill (SB 264) that would add additional requirements to the state"s existing informed consent law for women seeking abortion, the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports.The measure would require physicians to hold in-person meetings with women seeking abortion 24 hours before the scheduled procedure to inform them about the physical and psychological risks and the physical development of their fetuses. The existing informed consent law allows physicians to provide this information by phone. Under the revised bill, health care providers also would be required to offer a woman the option to view ultrasound images of the fetus and to listen to the fetus" heartbeat. Providers also would be required to tell women who are at least 22 weeks pregnant that their fetuses have the ability to feel pain and offer fetal anesthesia. The new measure would exempt the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., one of two in the state that perform abortions, from the requirements until August 2012.Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life said, "This bill just makes sure the woman is fully informed about what she is about to decide that will affect her for the rest of her life." The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Rob Mayer (R) and now heads to the House for consideration and a vote. If the House approves the bill before 6 p.m. on Friday, when the Legislature concludes its 2009 session, it will go to Gov. Jay Nixon (D) for his consideration. During his campaign last year, Nixon said he supported Missouri"s existing abortion laws without changes but declined to say whether he would veto bills containing additional restrictions the AP/Star-Ledger reports (Blank, AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 5/14).
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Inflammatory Molecules Promote Liver Scarring

Scarring of the liver, which can progress to cirrhosis and/or cancer of the liver, is caused by persistent liver damage, such as occurs in those with untreated hepatitis C or alcoholism. Although such scarring (fibrosis) develops in an inflammatory environment, the role of inflammatory molecules has not been well defined. However, a team of researchers at Columbia University, New York, and UCSD, La Jolla, has established that the proteins CCR1 and CCR5 and the soluble inflammatory molecules that bind to them promote the development of liver fibrosis in mice. The team, led by Robert Schwabe and Ekihiro Seki, observed that expression of the inflammatory molecules MIP-1-alpha, MIP-1-beta, and RANTES, and the proteins to which they bind (CCR1 and CCR5), was increased in 2 mouse models of liver fibrosis. Consistent with a role for these molecules in the development of liver fibrosis, preventing the inflammatory molecules binding CCR1 and CCR5 reduced liver fibrosis, as did eliminating expression of either CCR1 or CCR5. The latter experiments also identified the cells on which CCR1 and CCR5 expression is important for promoting liver fibrosis. As expression of RANTES, CCR1, and CCR5 was detected in the livers of patients with cirrhosis, the authors suggest that targeting CCR1 and CCR5 (for which there are already small molecule inhibitors in clinical development) might be a viable approach to prevent liver fibrosis. TITLE: CCR1 and CCR5 promote hepatic fibrosis in mice AUTHORS: Robert F. Schwabe Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. Ekihiro Seki University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=37444 Karen Honey Journal of Clinical Investigation JCI online early table of contents: June 15, 2009


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