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Statins can help reduce lung damage in severe abdominal sepsis

Statins may be best known for their ability to reduce cholesterol, but a research report appearing in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that these same drugs could also play a crucial role in the reduction of lung damage resulting from severe abdominal sepsis and infection.

3 May 2011

Aquaporin-4 plays a key role in brain inflammation

A new protein, called aquaporin-4, is making waves and found to play a key role in brain inflammation, or encephalitis. This discovery is important as the first to identify a role for this protein in inflammation, opening doors for the development of new drugs that treat brain inflammation and other conditions at the cellular level rather than just treating the symptoms.

3 May 2011

New insight into itch and pain

A new study of itch adds to growing evidence that the chemical signals that make us want to scratch are the same signals that make us wince in pain.

3 May 2011

New antioxidant may prevent liver damage in chronic alcoholics

An antioxidant may prevent damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

3 May 2011

Poor sleep may contribute to high insulin resistance in diabetic people

In the largest study of it kind to establish a link between sleep and diabetes, researchers found that people with diabetes who sleep poorly have higher insulin resistance, and a harder time controlling the disease.

3 May 2011

Caliper first quarter revenue increases 25% to $35.8 million

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., today reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2011. First quarter revenue increased to $35.8 million, or 25%, from $28.7 million in the same period of 2010.

2 May 2011

FDA accepts SGEN's brentuximab vedotin BLAs for Hodgkin lymphoma, ALCL treatment

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing two Biologics License Applications for brentuximab vedotin, including one for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and one for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

2 May 2011

Scientists identify biochemical abnormality behind Machado-Joseph disease

Scientists in Portugal have identified a biochemical abnormality behind the potentially fatal neurodegenerative Machado-Joseph disease and using several models of the disease were able to reverse the problem in what can be a crucial step towards a cure for humans .

2 May 2011

Weight-loss physician unveils unique reduced-calorie eating plan

"Forget everything you think you know about losing weight," says a prominent weight-loss doctor. "The conventional wisdom on weight loss has helped make the majority of Americans overweight or obese."

2 May 2011

New method helps scientists to determine specific protein molecular structure

The structures of many protein molecules remain unsolved even after experts apply an extensive array of approaches. An international collaboration has led to a new, high-performance method that rapidly determined the structure of protein molecules in several cases where previous methods had failed.

2 May 2011

Hartford credits NICHE with hospital's success in improving older patients' care

"On the Front Line of Change" was the theme of the 14th annual conference of NICHE, held last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference brought together hundreds of nurses, nursing administrators, educators and other healthcare professionals from across the US and Canada, whose shared passion and purpose is to improve the quality of care for hospitalized older adults.

2 May 2011

Abnormal connections created by central nervous system linked to persistence of chronic pain

Chronic pain is an epidemic. One in four Americans suffers from chronic pain due to disease—including cancer and HIV—and the medications used to treat those diseases. One reason for the persistence of chronic pain may be that the patient's central nervous system creates abnormal connections or improves connections that shouldn't be strengthened, explains Susan G. Dorsey, PhD, RN, co-director of the School of Nursing's Center of Excellence in Disorders of Neuroregulatory Function.

30 Apr 2011

Animal-assisted therapy reduces anxiety in patients undergoing MRI: Study

Patients who undergo MRI often suffer from elevated anxiety. Patient discomfort may cause poor image quality due to motion artifacts or early termination. Anxiolytic medications are currently used to reduce this anticipated anxiety , but animal-assisted therapy may be a non-invasive alternative treatment with fewer adverse effects, according to an exhibit being presented at the 2011 American Roentgen Ray Society's annual meeting.

30 Apr 2011

Regulatory Science Consortium adds 10 new member organizations

Critical Path Institute is proud to announce that the Regulatory Science Consortium, an arm of the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens, has added 10 new member organizations that include over 100 participants in five workgroups.

30 Apr 2011

Michael Dell shows how information technology can improve efficiency, quality of care today

Michael Dell today shared his insights with healthcare executives on how information technology is being used to improve the efficiency and quality of care today and how IT can support future innovations in prevention, wellness and personalized medicine.

30 Apr 2011

Prescriptions for narcotic-containing drugs often contain too much medication per dose

Parents who give young children prescription painkillers should take extra care to make sure they give just the right amount. What they may be surprised to learn, however, is that the dose given to them by the pharmacy could be too high, according to research to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

AHF advocates to attend drug giant Abbott Laboratories' Annual General Meeting

A group of advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation will attend drug giant Abbott Laboratories' Annual General Meeting Friday April 29 at 9:00am in Abbott Park, Illinois planning to speak at and question Abbott executives regarding Abbott's pricing and policies on its HIV/AIDS medications.

30 Apr 2011

Merck first quarter sales increase 1% to $11.6 billion for 2011

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2011.

30 Apr 2011

WHO highlights global threat of NCDs, need for action at Moscow meeting

Non-communicable diseases are a "slow-moving catastrophe" that could overwhelm even the richest countries without action to address their underlying causes, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control in Moscow on Thursday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

30 Apr 2011

Fetal exposure to crude oil chemical may increase risk of heart disease

While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease.

30 Apr 2011