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Cholesterol lowering drugs also reduce risk of developing cataracts

Statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels, have been successfully fighting heart disease for years. A new study from Tel Aviv University has now found that the same drugs cut the risks of cataracts in men by almost 40%.

10 Feb 2010

ZeaVision launches online campaign to raise awareness on Age-related Macular Degeneration

ZeaVision, LLC launched a unique online campaign to increase awareness about Age-related Macular Degeneration during February for AMD Awareness Month.

6 Feb 2010

Artificial pancreas can help manage diabetes in kids overnight

In a landmark study in children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes, JDRF-funded researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that using a first-generation artificial pancreas system overnight can lower the risk of low blood sugar emergencies while sleeping, and at the same time improve diabetes control.

6 Feb 2010

Study suggests molecules and pathways in mood regulation and circadian rhythms are intertwined

Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered unexpected properties for a precursor to melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles.

5 Feb 2010

Elephantiasis and river blindness: MSU researcher receives $2M for reformulating flubendazole

In an effort to eliminate the tropical diseases elephantiasis and river blindness, a Michigan State University researcher has been awarded $2 million to reformulate an existing drug that could stop the debilitating diseases in their tracks.

5 Feb 2010

Lux Biosciences seeks US and European marketing approval for LUVENIQ

Lux Biosciences, Inc. today announced its submission of simultaneous regulatory filings to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking marketing approval for its investigational drug LUVENIQ™ (LX211; oral voclosporin) for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis involving the intermediate or posterior segments of the eye.

5 Feb 2010

Lux Biosciences files NDA with FDA and MAA with EMA for approval of voclosporin

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that its partner, Lux Biosciences, Inc., has filed a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a Market Authorization Application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for voclosporin, under the proposed brand name, LUVENIQ(TM).

4 Feb 2010

Type 1 diabetes: Regeneration exhibits potential as a possible cure

A hormone responsible for the body's stress response is also linked to the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF- funded researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The findings are the latest advances to underscore the potential for regeneration as a key component of a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.

4 Feb 2010

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery.

4 Feb 2010

Entelos awarded U.S. patent for apparatus and methods of assessing metabolic substrate utilization

Entelos, Inc., a simulation and modeling company focused on human health, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 7,654,955 entitled “Apparatus and Methods for Assessing Metabolic Substrate Utilization” to the Company. These methods further strengthen the Entelos® Metabolism PhysioLab® platform and leverage insights about human physiology that can lead to improved diagnosis, clinical testing, and personalized treatment across a highly variable patient population.

2 Feb 2010

Unusual molecule in brain and retina can trigger vision loss

Scientists have identified a double agent in the eye that, once triggered, can morph from neuron protector to neuron killer. The discovery has significant health implications since the neurons killed through this process results in vision loss and blindness.

2 Feb 2010

MSU scientist discovers the process that causes retinal cells to die

Scientists have long known that high blood sugar levels from diabetes damage blood vessels in the eye, but they didn't know why or how. Now a Michigan State University scientist has discovered the process that causes retinal cells to die, which could lead to new treatments that halt the damage.

2 Feb 2010

American Diabetes Association announces 2010 schedule for free community health events

In an age of soaring health care costs and staggering diabetes prevalence, the American Diabetes Association announced today its 2010 schedule for free community health events throughout the country -- the American Diabetes Association EXPO.

2 Feb 2010

More details on Obama's global health strategy expected along with budget release, Wall Street Journal reports

"The Obama administration is expected to propose in its fiscal 2011 budget Monday new funding to combat preventable and tropical diseases, malnutrition and other conditions afflicting the world's poor, as part of a strategy to broaden its approach to global health," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

Congressional leader stresses the importance of annual dilated eye exam for diabetes patients

In recognition of Black History Month, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn is urging African Americans with diabetes to get an annual diabetic eye exam during February.

1 Feb 2010

Should medical workers participate in the development of "medicalized" weapons?

(Garrison, NY) The latest issue of the Hastings Center Report features articles on "medicalized" weapons that temporarily incapacitate targets, sharing the benefits of newly found biological resources, and applications of GINA (the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act).

29 Jan 2010

Depression raises risks of advanced and severe complications from diabetes

Depression raises risks of advanced and severe complications from diabetes, according to a prospective study of Group Health primary-care patients in western Washington. These complications include kidney failure or blindness, the result of small vessel damage, as well as major vessel problems leading to heart attack or stroke.

28 Jan 2010

Researchers develop PEG-POD tool for gene therapy

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts have developed a new tool for gene therapy that significantly increases gene delivery to cells in the retina compared to other carriers and DNA alone, according to a study published in the January issue of The Journal of Gene Medicine.

28 Jan 2010

FDA clears Notal Vision's ForeseeHome AMD Monitor

Notal Vision's ForeseeHome™ AMD Monitor has received Section 510 (k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

27 Jan 2010

Health News Digest features Sunridge International's patented 'PNT' procedure

Sunridge International's patented "PNT" procedure was the topic of discussion in one of Health News Digest's recent articles published on January 24, 2010.

27 Jan 2010